Knaresborough nursery acquired by Kids Planet

Knaresborough nursery acquired by Kids Planet

A nursery group with a setting in Knaresborough has been acquired by north-west operator Kids Planet.

Twinkles Nursery Group, founded in 2003, has sites in Knaresborough, Leeds city centre, Wetherby, and Boston Spa. All are rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Kids Planet acquired Bradford-based nursery Kinder Heaven in 2021.

Jill Smith, managing director at Twinkles Nursery Group, said:

“It has been an honour to serve all our wonderful families and to work alongside such a dedicated and super talented team over the years, and I feel now is a good time to step back and take some time to decide what comes next.”

Flaxby modular housebuilder features in 153-home deal

Flaxby-based modular housebuilder ilke Homes, in partnership with Gresham House and agent SO Resi will install a factory-built home on a site in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex as part of a wider 153-home scheme.

Ilke claimed the two-storey family home, which will be sold under a shared ownership scheme, is the UK’s first home to guarantee zero-energy bills.

Gresham House will install low-carbon technologies such as solar panels and an air source heat pump, which provides all heating and hot water. Battery technology will be installed to store energy.

Giles Carter, chief executive at ilke Homes, said:

“The cost of living crisis is here and now. Since the turn of the century, UK households have become overly reliant on gas imports, leaving consumers at risk from rising wholesale gas prices.

“Thanks to advances in manufacturing, materials, and renewable energy, we have created homes that not only drastically reduce household bills but also give consumers greater control over their own energy usage.”

Value of farm shops revealed

The Farm Retail Association, which is based at the Great Yorkshire Showground, has released new research that shows Britain’s farm shops generate £1.4 billion in sales nationally and employ 25,000 workers.

The findings, released in conjunction with Harper Adams University, were part of its biggest research project to date. They were announced at the annual Farm Retail Association Conference on Wednesday.

The study found that there are an estimated 1,581 farm retailers nationally, employing 25,000 people, with sales totalling £1.4 billion. Some 64% of farm shops expect sales to increase further in 2022 and a third of all farm shops have opened in the last 10 years.

New FRA chairman Rupert Evans said:

“This was the biggest research project that the FRA has ever undertaken and the results show the vital part that farm retailers play in the community as well as on a national scale.

Alastair Boot (left), senior lecturer in food retail and marketing and Rupert Evans, FRA chair and 

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District farm shops see rise in customers during lockdown

More of us shopped in farm stores during lockdown – that’s according to the Farm Retail Association.

The FRA, which is managed by the Yorkshire Agriculture Society,  said 92% of farm retailers it surveyed reported a “significant” rise in new customers. It said the success of the stores had secured jobs and helped food suppliers.

One Harrogate farm shop owner said she’d seen unprecedented orders during lockdown. Julia Corbett, from Roots and Fruits, said:

“We have definitely seen an increase, we’ve had so many people come to us who have never used independent shops before. When lockdown happened we moved to delivery only to protect our staff and customers in our small shop. We had 30 deliveries per week before lockdown but after three weeks we’d hit 550. I think people love how fresh and quick their order is and we offer a really personal service that you can’t get at the big supermarkets.”

Packages of fresh produce have become popular over lockdown

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Heather Parry, managing director of Fodder, which is based at the Yorkshire Showground said:

“We have worked hard to adapt quickly to ensure our customers continue to have access to quality, fresh locally-produced food without disruption.

“The feedback we have received from new and returning customers has been hugely rewarding and gives me enormous hope that they will keep shopping with us, long after the coronavirus pandemic ends.”

As lockdown measures ease, independent shops in the district are hopeful new customers will remain loyal to them. .