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02
Jun
Longstanding Harrogate business closes showroom
An independent Harrogate business has announced it is to close its showroom after 30 years.
Doors Direct will continue to trade online but its showroom on Claro Road will close.
In an email sent to customers yesterday (June 1), owner Sean Clarke said the restructuring was "the toughest decision I have had to make in business".
Mr Clarke said the move was due to “dwindling footfall and appointments locally, rising rents and utilities, insurances, along with everything else going on in the world”.
He added the company had already operated online for 30 years, and this accounted for 98% of sales.
Established in 1979, the business was originally located at the Thorp Arch Trading Estate, near Wetherby. It moved to Harrogate in 1995, opposite the sorting office on Claro Road.
The business moved to its current site on the Claro Court Business Park in 1999.
Mr Clarke today told the Stray Ferret:
It’s very sad to be honest, but we’ve got to do what’s best for the business. I think people aren’t spending money because everyone’s scared with everything that’s going on in the world.
Last week I didn’t get a single person in the store, and for a while now I’ve been having more people coming in from near Leicestershire than I have from Harrogate.
It’s incredibly hard to compete with big competitors now. We pride ourselves on our high-quality craftsmanship over factory-made stuff, but it seems like people don’t seem to want that now.
Mr Clarke said that there was no point in having the warehouse open anymore, as sales do not equate to paying for staffing costs totalling around 60 hours a week.
As part of the restructure, the company will discontinue some items that have not sold well.
Mr Clarke said there was no set date for the store closure, as he intends to sell stock at discounted prices. It is currently advertising an 'everything must go' sale, with 'bargains to be had' on everything from sliding doors and desks to TVs and coffee machines.
He thanked customers and said they will still be able to talk to staff at Doors Direct on the phone and via website chat as he “refuses to use ‘bots‘".
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