The reopening of the expanded M&S Food in Harrogate was carried out today in memory of a former colleague.
Team support manager Catherine Deakin was chosen to cut the ribbon after a three-month refurbishment and extension of the Leeds Road store.
She and colleagues wore t-shirts in memory of former store manager Dan Tonks, who took his own life last year. She said:
“I was Dan’s best friend. He’d moved on and was working at a different store, but we always kept in touch.
“Our current store manager wanted to do the opening today for Dan.”
Store manager David Anderson added:
“It was really important for everyone at the store to use the moment to remember our dearly missed colleague, Dan, who was such a big part of the team.”
While there was some sadness as staff remembered a former colleague, there was also an air of celebration in the shop.
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Its floorspace has been extended by 60%, taking in the former sofa shop next door, and the layout has been altered to give a market hall feel to the fruit and vegetables, bakery and cheese sections.
The café, which was at one point under threat of closure as part of the plans, has been retained, though is now smaller than it was previously. A petition had been set up by locals to keep it open.
With 17,000sq ft to cover, a further 30 staff have been hired in recent weeks ready for the run-up to Christmas, bringing the total number of staff to 125.
Shoppers queued outside this morning ready for the official opening at 9am. The first 200 customers were given golden tickets, each containing a prize – and Dawn King scooped £200 in M&S vouchers.
Inside, the Harrogate Band provided festive music as people explored the shop.
Mr Anderson said:
“The last few weeks have been spent putting the finishing touches to our new store and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make sure everything is ready for our big opening day.
“We’re really proud of this amazing new M&S Foodhall. It’s an exciting investment in Harrogate and I can’t wait for our customers to explore all of the new in-store features and fantastic M&S Food products that we have to offer.”