Fultons Foods in Knaresborough closes its doors for good today.

The frozen food store, at 32 High Street Knaresborough, is the second Fultons in the district to close recently.

Last month the Ripon store closed permanently.

The Barnsley-based value retailer, which was bought by Poundland in October, has about 80 remaining stores in the north of England, including two in Harrogate.

Staff in Knaresborough have been clearing shelves this week and discounting items to empty the store before it shuts.

Empty freezers at Fultons Foods in Knaresborough.

One member of staff at the store, who asked not to be name, said they were given two weeks notice about the closure. Some have moved to other stores but not all.

Knaresborough has seen a boom of new shops opening in the past six months so this will be a loss to the high street.

Fultons did not respond to calls from the Stray Ferret.

A Boroughbridge agricultural business has gone from strength to strength has now been acquired by global firm, Origin Enterprises.

Green-tech is based on Rabbit Hill Business Park in Arkendale, near Boroughbridge. Since it formed in 1994, it has grown to be a well-known manufacturer and distributor of landscaping, forestry and grounds maintenance equipment.

The acquisition was made on Thursday for an un-disclosed figure. Staff have been assured that no jobs will be lost.

Rachel and Richard Kay are the team behind Green-tech, the local pair set up the company with ambitions to become a one-stop shop for the UK landscape trade. In 2015 its turnover was over £10 million.

Mr Kay, chairman of Green-tech said:

“The Green-tech success story is beyond our wildest dreams and we are incredibly proud and grateful for what has been achieved. But none of it would have been possible without the dedicated team at Green-tech who are the backbone of the business.

“This deal reflects the ambition of Green-tech, very much onwards and upwards and definitely business as usual.”

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Origin Enterprises began as a small Irish business but is now a global distributor of farming machinery.

Through the deal it is hoped that Green-tech can enhance what Origin currently offers in the areas of environmental land management for their agri focussed businesses.

Chris Clark, managing director of Origin’s Amenity business, said:

“We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Green-tech. Origin Enterprises’ long-term strategy is to further enhance Origin’s amenity brands and the Green-tech acquisition is an ideal fit.

“Green-tech has a very experienced team, an extensive sector-focused product range, operates in complementary markets and brings a level of diversification.”

Sainsbury’s is planning to open a new store in the centre of Harrogate by the end of the summer.

The Sainsbury’s Local store will open in the former Topshop unit at 33-37 Cambridge Street, which has been empty for more than two years.

Sainsbury’s expects to employ about 25 people in a mixture of full-time and part-time roles.

Sainsbury’s already has four stores in Harrogate: a large store on Wetherby Road and smaller Local stores on Leeds Road, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road.

The new store will be just a minute’s walk from the Tesco Express on Cambridge Road.

The investment comes at a difficult time for the town centre, with many businesses closed or struggling to survive as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

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It comes at a time when Sainsbury’s is to cut 500 head office jobs. Another 650 jobs at the company are also said to be at risk.

An artist’s impression of the new Sainsbury’s Local in Harrogate.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s property director, said:

“We’re excited to open our doors to a new convenience store in Harrogate by late summer this year.

“Our investment in Harrogate will give the local community a new and modern store and support jobs during the fit out and beyond.

“This Local will offer everyday essentials and give residents, workers and tourists the chance to get what they need as they go about their busy daily lives.”

The Harrogate district continues to buck the trend as the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits falls slightly, according to latest figures.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics for January show 3,460 people were claiming out-of-work benefits — 3.7% of the population.

The number is down from 3,540 in December.

This is in contrast to the UK figure of 6.2% of the population claiming support.

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Financial support for those out of work include Universal Credit and Job Seekers’ Allowance.

Figures in the district have remained stable throughout the pandemic, which suggests the government furlough scheme has protected many staff from redundancy.

Professor Jamie Morgan, of Leeds Business School at Leeds Beckett University, said the impact on the figures of furlough ending will depend on people having jobs to return to.

He added it would also depend on whether employers were in a position to maintain staff and also have customers returning.

Professor Morgan said:

“The effect though, is also likely to depend on who are the main sources of local business demand – especially in hospitality –  what fraction are tourists and from where?

“There is some expectation that from the summer there will be a spike in activity in the hospitality sector – as people start to use some of the savings they have been forced to make and a sense of relief sets in.”

However, he added that the effect on the numbers will also depend on what, if any, public health restrictions are placed on businesses later this year.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to outline his budget tomorrow, which is expected to include a £5 billion fund to help retailers and the hospitality sector reopen.

A Harrogate-based digital company has launched a 3D interactive website of the high street to boost online sales.

Xpansive Digital has set up a website offering customers a 3D virtual tour and the option to make a purchase all from their favourite shops from the comfort of their couch.

The website, HighStreet Revolution, will include high street retailers, large and small, and eventually larger names too.

Unlike other online platforms, Justyn Shea, director of Xpansive Digital, says his website takes people into the shops they love without leaving home with a 3D tour.

Mr Shea is launching the pilot scheme with Harrogate businesses only but has hopes to take it national.

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Mr Shea said:

“Lockdown instigated the project, so many traders have gone online purely to keep themselves going. For those businesses local to us we are happy to do it free of charge. Hopefully it’ll give them a little stepping stone for more online sales.”

The website is reaching out to Harrogate businesses to get involved and have their shops incorporated into the 3D model.

A £280,000 upgrade of Harrogate Borough Council-owned Phoenix Business Park in Ripon has begun.

The funding will help to create more space, refurbish the three units and install new electric vehicle charging points.

The council awarded Dalebuild Limited, a Harrogate-based construction firm, the contract for the work after a tender process.

This project follows a similar £500,000 investment at the council-owned Conyngham Hall business centre in Knaresborough, which was completed in October last year.

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The council believes, even with the shift to more home working, there continue to be demand for office spaces in the Harrogate district.

Councillor Graham Swift, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said:

“We want to ensure Harrogate district businesses have the space around them to grow and expand as their business does.

“This investment at Phoenix Business Park will do just that, by creating flexible spaces with leases designed around their needs. As well as providing them with modern, energy efficient accommodation with high-speed digital connectivity.”

A new training centre opened in Harrogate yesterday to help businesses and staff better equip themselves for the economy post-Brexit and post-covid.

The Yorkshire education provider, Luminate Education Group, set up The Yorkshire Centre for Training and Development to help businesses navigate the upcoming economic challenges.

Operating out of Harrogate College on Hornbeam Park, as well as at sites in Leeds and Keighley, the centre will work with businesses to offer bespoke training packages.

The team of teachers will offer a range of compliance, professional development and redundancy support courses.

Luminate Education Group includes, amongst others, Harrogate College , Leeds City College and Keighley College.

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The director, Lee Pryor, said:

“With the ever-changing economic climate, we recognise businesses’ need to adapt their employees’ skills, to ensure a successful post-Brexit and post-covid transition.

“Our service will start with a complimentary skills planning session to understand the business, so that we can effectively identify its training needs, and match these to a budget.

“We will be offering in-person as well as virtual sessions that fit around the organisation’s schedule. We will then develop a bespoke training solution that meets those needs.”

He added businesses from a range of sectors, including social care and hospitality, could come to the centre for support.

The former Greenwood butchers shop in Boroughbridge is to be sold by auction next week.

The butchers on Horsefair in the centre of the town was popular for its range of pies and local meats. It is believed to have closed last year.

The 19th century building, which has a guide price of £50,000, includes a retail area, storage rooms and bathroom.

The auction house Pugh says the building could be used for a variety of uses.

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Paul Thompson, managing director of Pugh, said:

“It’s always sad to see a local business close. Boroughbridge is a fantastic community with excellent road links to most of the north of England and there is definitely potential for a variety of business uses for the former Greenwood premises.

“It would be great to see the property become an asset to the town once more in the hands of an imaginative new owner.”

The shop will be sold in Pugh’s next online property auction on 24 February.

A new pancake house is opening in Harrogate today and the owner has promised that it will taste flipping good.

Tossers Pancake Shack, based at 53 Bo Grove on Grove Road, will open for the first time at 12pm today. Just in time for Pancake Day next Tuesday.

It will serve up mini Dutch-style pancakes as well as the more traditional crepes. Each can be served with a variety of sweet and savoury toppings.

The name of ‘Tossers’ has already proved a little too crude for some.

So the owner has challenged readers of the Stray Ferret to pick out a better one. The winner will receive a full tray of Dutch pancakes with all the trimmings.

Comment on the Facebook post where we shared this article with your entries.

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Kyrensa Bentley, owner of 53 Bo’Grove, told the Stray Ferret ahead of the opening:

“We just want to inject a little bit of fun and laughter into people’s lives. Also, we’ve kept the prices really reasonable so everyone can come and take part.

“So it will just be a nice, relaxed atmosphere. We like the thought of street food, where people can just come in and pick up some food and maybe go for a walk.

“We focus on using fresh fruit and vegetables which we get from the wholesale market in Leeds.”

Would you like to spread the word about your shop opening? No matter how small the shop get in touch with the Stray Ferret.

Some Harrogate entrepreneurs have made the most of lockdown by selling everything from brownies to burgers made from their home kitchen.

However, new businesses have been warned they face being sent to court and fined if they don’t register with the council.

Food businesses who plan to operate for five or more days in any five consecutive weeks must register with Harrogate Borough Council 28 days before starting trading. A food safety officer will then check whether the kitchen is clean.

Steve Pepper runs food safety courses for people in the Harrogate district. He told the Stray Ferret that home cooks risk an unlimited fine at the magistrates’ court if they fall foul of the law.

He said:

“A lot of people think, I’m a good cook so I will just sell some brownies.

“But some people know they wouldn’t meet the hygiene regulations so they carry on regardless, or they have ignorance of the law.”

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Whilst a food hygiene certificate is not compulsory, businesses need to also inform HMRC that they are self-employed.

Mr Pepper said kitchens must be adapted to meet hygiene standards. This includes making sure plants and pets are in different rooms.

The council also requires two sinks with one used only for washing hands.

Mr Pepper is concerned some people might be looking to cut corners due to falling on hard times due to covid. He has been running workshops to help educate people on what steps need to be taken before launching a new business.

He added:

“It is happening. Covid has cost people their normal jobs and they will do things they wouldn’t normally do”.