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30
Dec
Harrogate landlord to hold New Year stock clearance sale for good cause
The owner of a Harrogate shop unit vacated by defunct tile and paint chain Fired Earth is to hold a stock clearance sale on New Year’s Day to raise money for a good cause.
Fired Earth fell into administration last month, closing its 20 showrooms and making more than 130 redundant.
When it left its premises on Swan Road, the company removed items of higher value, but left a lot of stock behind, which landlord Marc Duschenes will now sell off.
He told the Stray Ferret:
We’re only charging £1 for a pot of paint, but there are about 200 of them, as well as tiles, office furniture, and even a couple of bathrooms.
All the money will got to the Giant Walk, a not-for-profit endurance events walking company I run with my wife.
We recently held the UK’s first walking marathon for deaf people and it was a great success, so we hope to be able to hold another like it in September 2026.
He said the sale would not only clear the unit and raise money for his social enterprise, but would also be an opportunity to show the unit off to potential tenants. He added:
It doesn’t have planning permission for food or leisure, so that excludes quite a lot of businesses. But it does lend itself to a lot of types of business that need a good frontage, such as interiors companies, barbers, offices and estate agents.
Mr Duschenes, who has connections to the area but is based in Cheshire, formerly owned substantial parts of the block in Low Harrogate at the corner of Swan Road and Crescent Road. Originally Farrah’s toffeeworks, the upper parts were redeveloped as flats, which were sold off, leaving him with just the one unit, which he rented to Fired Earth for 12 years.
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