Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they wish to speak to following a theft in Harrogate.
The incident happened at Sainsbury’s on Leeds Road on Saturday, July 22 at midnight.
The victim’s bank card was used to draw £250 without their permission.
A North Yorkshire Police statement added:
“Officers are now asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the person in the image as they believe they will have information that will help the investigation.
“Anyone with any information is asked to email IET@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101.
“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“Please quote the reference number 12230129543 when passing on information.”
Eight ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging points activated at Harrogate Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s has activated eight ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging points at its supermarket on Wetherby Road in Harrogate.
‘Ultra-rapid’ is the fastest type of EV charging available on the market. It means people will be able to charge their electric vehicles in as little as 30 minutes.
The 150kW charging points, which are located in the car park near, are available to all drivers, not just those shopping in-store. They were activated on Friday.
Sainsbury’s said in a statement the charging points are designed to be easily accessible for disabled customers, as well as those with young children, thanks to the additional space around and between bays.
The new charging stations at Harrogate Sainsbury’s.
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director of property, procurement and EV ventures, said:
“We know that demand for speedy, efficient EV charging facilities in the UK continues to grow and that’s why we’ve brought this great new service to the people of Harrogate.
“We hope customers enjoy the speed and convenience it offers and we look forward to hearing their feedback.”
He added the charging points would help the company achieve its goal of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2035.
There are currently four generally recognised speeds of EV charging available in the UK, classified by the level of power or “flow” of electricity that the chargers are able to provide, in kilowatts. They are slow – 3-6kW; fast – 7-22kW; rapid – 25-99kW and ultra-rapid – 100kW+.
More information about EV charging at Sainsbury’s is available here.
Sainsbury’s to close Harrogate store all next week for refurbSainsbury’s supermarket on Wetherby Road in Harrogate will close its doors all next week to make improvements to the store.
It traditionally closes for the duration of the Great Yorkshire Show, which this year runs from Tuesday, July 11 to Friday, July 14.
However, it is going to be closed from Monday to Friday, to allow more time for changes inside and to its petrol station.
The work will include updating the signage and fixtures, improving the fresh food and produce areas, relocating the sushi bar, and extending the clothing department.
Behind the scenes, staff areas are also being improved “to help foster a more interactive and inspiring workplace”.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said:
“We hope our customers in Harrogate enjoy their new look store once the works are complete. We’d like to thank everyone for bearing with us while we complete this extensive project and we look forward to hearing what our customers think.”
After closing as usual at 4pm tomorrow, the store will reopen at 7am on Saturday, July 15.
Blood testing to move from Harrogate to Knaresborough due to Sainsbury’s pharmacy closure
A blood testing service in Harrogate is set to move to Knaresborough after the closure of a supermarket pharmacy.
The relocation comes as Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s on Wetherby Road is set to close.
The service, which is run by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, is operated from the supermarket pharmacy to provide flexibility for patients who require a blood test.
This is in addition to appointments at Harrogate District Hospital.
The service will relocate to Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough on Tuesday, May 2, and will be open Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 11am.
Emma Jocelyn, phlebotomy manager at HDFT said:
“We know that being able to have a blood test at a community location is extremely popular.
“We were keen to continue this service in the future and we are delighted to have found the ideal venue at the Chain Lane Community Hub which offers ample free parking, is well served by public transport, is fully accessible and has convenient shopping nearby.”
Ms Jocelyn added:
“The Chain Lane Community Hub location will be more convenient for some people, and we know that for others, the chance of being seen more quickly than at our hospital due to the shorter queues will appeal.
“We look forward to welcoming those people who need our help to our fantastic new location.”
People who would have previously gone to Sainsbury’s for blood tests are being encouraged to visit the Chain Lane Community Hub amid upcoming building work at the hospital, which will reduce the waiting area at the hospital blood test service.
Visitors will not need to book an appointment, however they will need to bring with them an ICE request form from their GP or consultant for the test to be undertaken.
Sue Vasey, from the Chain Lane Community Hub, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming the phlebotomy team to the community centre.
“This will be great for the people of Knaresborough and surrounding areas and we look forward to supporting this important new service to the town.”
Lloyds Pharmacy announced in January it was to close 237 of its outlets in Sainsbury’s supermarkets nationally.
The group said it made the decision due to “changing market conditions”.
Halifax closure leaves Ripon with one remaining bankFollowing this afternoon’s closure of the Halifax, Ripon will have one remaining bank and no access outside shopping hours to city centre cash machines.
The closure comes less than three months after the long-established Barclays branch closed its doors on August 25, leaving HSBC – which has no external cash machine – as Ripon’s only bank.
The Barclays bank Ripon branch closed in August.
Cash machines are available during shopping hours at Sainsbury’s on Market Place East and Booths at the Marshall Way Retail Park.
Announcing its branch closure in July, Halifax said in a statement:
“Like many other high street businesses, we’ve seen people using our branches less frequently in recent years as more customers choose to do most of their everyday banking online.
“We’re responding to the way our customers use our branches. We’ll continue to invest in our branch network, but we have to make sure our branches are where customers need and use them most.
“As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to close this branch because customers are using it less often. In addition the majority of customers are also using alternative ways to bank.”
A report produced by Barclays in May to explain the rationale behind its closure decision, showed that more than 3,000 customers visited regularly for personal or business banking purposes in the last year.
But the bank added that only 121 customers use the branch exclusively for banking. Eighty percent of customers also use online and telephone banking.
The report said 41% of Ripon customers also use nearby branches, such as Harrogate and Thirsk.
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Ripon Business Improvement District is urging businesses who are looking for help or advice with navigating the ever-changing business cost market to get in touch.
Appointments with the BID’s cost-saving expert, Rishi Sood of Place Support Partnership (PSP) were originally planned for September 19, but have re-scheduled to October 20, following the Queen’s death.
BID manager Lilla Bathurst (pictured) said:
“Our aim is to deliver on issues that are important to our member businesses and cost saving in the current economic climate is considered high priority.
“In response to business needs, PSP were commissioned by Ripon BID to support local businesses through our Place Saving Programme focussing on business critical spend areas including energy, telecoms, merchant services and water.”
Appointments can be made via info@riponbid.co.uk or by calling call 01765 530 910.
The new units on Cambridge Street.
A project to bring a vacant Harrogate retail unit back into use has been completed.
The boarded-up shop on Cambridge Street was purchased by Broadland Properties in 2020 and the 25,000 sq ft former Topshop store has now been reconfigured into a mixed-use retail and leisure development.
It now includes Cosy Club, Sainsbury’s Local and Skipton Building Society.
Matt Harriman, associate direct at GV&Co which project managed the scheme, said:
“It’s great to see this scheme come to such a successful conclusion, with an impressive line-up of new retail and leisure tenants taking their place on this busy Harrogate high street.
“The unit had been vacant since 2017 and we managed the extensive enabling works to divide the property into separate units, with new services and several structural changes to suit the revised layouts, as well as external refurbishments over three phases. These included new windows, stone cleaning, and stonework repairs.
“Now fully let and brought back to life with Sainsbury’s, Cosy Club and Skipton Building Society all in place, we have thoroughly enjoyed working with a big project team that included engineers, GGP, architects, DLA, RGP building control specialists, Ball and Berry letting agent, Robinson Webster managing agent, Ryden, Brentwood Consulting Engineers, and contractor JP Wild for Broadland Properties.”
Man denies assaulting Harrogate Sainsbury’s staff member
A 35-year-old man appeared in court this week charged with assaulting a staff member at Sainsbury’s in Harrogate.
Skyler Zienlinski, of Fern House, Spa Lane, pleaded not guilty to assault by beating at the store on Cambridge Street on August 1, 2022.
Mr Zienlinski, who appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court on Thursday, also denied carrying a dismantled scissor blade in a public place without reasonable excuse.
He admitted stealing £40 worth of bottles of wine and Desperados from Sainsbury’s and causing criminal damage to property belonging to the store on the same day.
The court set a trial date of November 21 in Harrogate for the alleged assault and carrying an offensive weapon.
Mr Zienlinski was released on bail under the condition that he does not enter the Cambridge Street store.
Harrogate Sainsbury’s set to replace some manned tills for self-service
Sainsbury’s supermarket on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road looks set to remove eight manned checkouts to make way for more self-service tills.
Over the past decade, self-service tills have become increasingly the norm for shoppers.
A survey published by The Grocer last year found that manned checkouts were still the most popular choice for both men (42%) and women (39%), but 31% of shoppers now prefer to pay using self-service.
The Stray Ferret understands from a source at the Wetherby Road store, which is the largest supermarket in Harrogate, that it plans to replace eight manned tills with self-service checkouts later this summer.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson confirmed it plans to introduce more self-service checkouts, which it said would meet customer demand for the service.
She said:
“We regularly review the services available in our stores to make sure we offer the most convenient experience to our customers.
“This summer we will slightly increase the number of self-service checkouts at our Harrogate store so that we can meet customer demand for this service.
“Our colleagues are on hand to help anyone who may need support using them and we continue to offer manned checkouts for our customers who wish to use them.”
The spokesperson added that no jobs will be lost in the Harrogate store but staff that did work on the checkouts will be working “in a slightly different way”.
Self-service checkouts are now ubiquitous in every major supermarket but they are not always popular, particular with older shoppers who like to have a chat with the person serving them.
This year a pensioner in London called Pat McCarthy launched a petition against Tesco, which is also replacing manned tills with self-service checkouts.
At the time of publication, it’s been signed by over 170,000 people.
Ms McCarthy, 69, wrote:
Barclays closure causes anger and dismay in Ripon“What used to be a great shopping experience has now become physically difficult, overwhelming, and a ‘nightmare’.
“I love chatting with the staff, albeit briefly, especially as l live on my own. Talking with human staff is important to me. Now that experience has been taken away.”
There is anger and dismay in Ripon this week, following the announcement by Barclays that it will close its city branch in August.
Barclays has been present on Market Square East for generations and there has been a bank under various names at this prime location since 1785.
The anger is further fuelled by a Barclays report outlining the reasons for closure, which revealed that counter transactions went up in the two years to March 2020.
This week and last the Stray Ferret has been gauging reaction to the planned closure and among those to speak with us was 81-year-old Richard Tite, who has been a regular user of the bank’s counter services for 42 years. He told us:
“When they made their corporate decision to close Ripon and a number of other branches, Barclays showed that they just don’t care about people of my age, who don’t know how to use online banking and rely on the personal service.
“Having a human being that you can speak with and have your questions answered, is very reassuring and I must say that the staff here in Ripon are very good.
“I have no complaint about them, it’s the people above them that show that they simply look on people like me, who have been customers for more than 40 years, as if we don’t count.”
The decision to close Barclays’ long-established Ripon branch has brought an angry reaction.
“This is an absolute disgrace, I have been banking with Barclays for years, but I won’t be for much longer.
“I’m going to close all the accounts I have with them and put my money elsewhere.”
There was a similar response from another person, who also wished to remain anonymous. They said:
“I read in the Stray Ferret that the decision to close has been taken in spite of the fact the the Ripon branch has an increasing number of customers and that just doesn’t make any sense to me.
“Barclays sent me a round robin letter saying there are other branches, such as in Harrogate, that I can use, but that is not a proper option, because, on top of the inconvenience, there is the increased costs of fuel if you drive over, then you have to pay through the nose to park, simply to get your hands on your own cash.
“The sooner I can transfer my money elsewhere, the better.”
Banking choices in Ripon are limited. Besides Barclays, there is HSBC, the Halifax, The Yorkshire and Skipton building societies.
Banking services are also available at the Post Office in The Arcade.
The cash machine currently at Barclays will no longer be available after August 25, meaning that people wanting to make a withdrawal in the city centre will have to go to HSBC, the Halifax or Sainsbury’s.
After closing time at HSBC and Sainsbury’s, the only accessible bank machine in the city centre will be at the Halifax.
A report produced by Barclays to explain the rationale behind its closure decision, showed that more than 3,000 customers visited regularly for personal or business banking purposes in the last year.
But the bank added that only 121 customers use the branch exclusively for banking. Eighty percent of customers also use online and telephone banking.
The report says 41% of Ripon customers also use nearby branches, such as Harrogate and Thirsk.
Police have found a missing man from Ripon after appealing for information from the public to find him.
The man disappeared after being seen in Sainsbury’s in the city at around 2.30pm yesterday.
North Yorkshire Police said in a statement saying officers had “concerns for his welfare and are trying to locate him”.
It appealed for information about his whereabouts but later said the man had been found safe.
We have subsequently updated this article by removing the man’s personal details.