Business Breakfast: Drop-in sessions praised for support to Harrogate businesses

Drop-in sessions to help growing businesses access support have been praised by by participants.

The monthly sessions, held at Co-Lab in Harrogate Convention Centre, are a partnership between Harrogate Borough Council, Ad:Venture and the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub.

Specialists from each organisation are on hand to speak to business owners about anything from starting a new venture to accessing grant funding.

Among recent attendees is Lynda Fussell, pictured, whose business Dales Consulting is based in Harrogate. She said:

“I was initially looking at funding and marketing opportunities but the challenge was understanding who was out there and what was available.

“I value the guidance this service offers, the team are approachable, independent and knowledgeable. It’s fantastic to have the support that is provided.”

John Hartley from Forsta Projects in Harrogate said:

“The drop-in sessions, and the Co-Lab workspace, help to bring the local business community together and it provides immediate access to a range of sources of support.

“Our goal was to make new connections and we’ve achieved that – we’ve met some great people.”

The drop-in sessions were launched last summer and have proved popular with local business owners.

Karen Booth, business relationship manager at York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, said:

“I speak to lots of people who are at the early stages of setting up a business as well as established businesses who are looking to grow and develop. I position myself as that critical friend where we can discuss their plans and ideas in a supportive and impartial way.

“Where appropriate I can connect them with other business support services and to our Growth Hub resources, events and webinars.”

The next drop-in sessions will take place on Tuesday, April 18, Wednesday, May 10, and Tuesday, June 13, all between 9am and 5pm. They are held at Co-Lab, which is at Entrance 3 of Harrogate Convention Centre.

For more details of these and other upcoming events, visit the Growth Hub website. 

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Free brownies after Harrogate cafe refurbishment

A Harrogate cafe has reopened after a refurbishment – and is offering free treats to celebrate.

Love Brownies on Montpellier Parade has had a makeover which saw the shop closed for a week.

Now reopened with a new look, it is offering a free brownie with every hot drink bought between Monday and Thursday until the end of March to customers who use the password ‘this brew needs a brownie’.

Owner Lee Teal said:

“We are extremely excited to announce the reopening of our Harrogate store and café. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back in to check out the shop’s new look and enjoy one of our delicious brownies and tasty savoury dishes.

“Our new interior is a true reflection of Love Brownies – it is fun, vibrant and colourful. Being a Yorkshire-based business has meant that our Harrogate store has become a flagship for Love Brownies’ brand future, and we can’t wait for you to see it.”

Love Brownies’ parent company went into liquidation last summer, but the Harrogate branch, which was franchised, remained open.

Mr Teal, who founded the business with wife Chantelle in 2009, told the Stray Ferret at the time that they planned to rebuild the business “from the bottom up”.

Love Brownies goes into liquidation but Harrogate store to stay open

Love Brownies has gone into liquidation but said that its Harrogate store, which is a franchise, will stay open.

The company said it had suffered  “unsustainable” losses and liquidators were appointed to its Ilkley headquarters at the end of last week.

Lee and Chantelle Teal set up Love Brownies in 2009 with the “ambition of baking the ultimate chocolate brownie and making people smile”. It went onto to win three gold stars from the Great Taste Awards in 2015 and expanded rapidly with a new bakery at Howgill.

In a statement included in correspondence sent to creditors it said:

“Whilst the expansion had led to increased revenues, the company has also been adversely affected by covid, significant increases in raw material costs and spiralling expansion costs. As a result of this, the company incurred significant losses of £359,095 in the 10-month period to May 2022 which were unsustainable.

“The impact of these losses on cashflow resulted in the directors seeking investment from a third party known to them who had expressed an interest in purchasing the company.

“Unfortunately, after a period of working with the private investor, a suitable offer was not received and ultimately the directors sought advice to place the company in liquidation.”

Mr Teal told the Stray Ferret however, that the Harrogate store on Montpellier Parade would stay open as it is franchised but other parts of the business, including the flagship store in Leeds Victoria Gate had been closed and staff made redundant. He added:

“Chantelle and I would like to thank everyone who has been with us through a very difficult time. Our plan now is to rebuild Love Brownies from the bottom up. The Harrogate store is fantastic. It’s still the original team, they do a great job for us and they will keep going.”

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