The finishing touches are being made to Yorkshire Trading Co’s Ripon premises, which have undergone an astonishing and rapid transformation.
Based next to the bus station and on the busy corner of Moss’s Arcade and Market Place East, the store that stocks a vast array of goods from clothing to dish cloths and paint to patio plants, is probably the city centre’s most visited retailer.
It’s position as the find-what-you-need trader has been strengthened recently with the demise of Wilko, particularly the closure of the store on Northallerton High Street.
The husband of a couple from Northallerton who were in Ripon as Yorkshire Trading’s doors opened on Saturday, said:
“We’ve been following news on the Stray Ferret about the new openings and refurbishments happening in Ripon and came over specially today to buy some cat litter and food for the grandchildren’s guinea pigs and I’m also looking for a new pair of trousers.”
He added:
“We used to love Woolworth’s and when they went pop years ago, we switched to Wilko and now Yorkshire Trading appears to be the place to go for the type of things we need,”
News that Ripon’s independents-led retail and hospitality offer is booming through multi-million pound investments in the city centre appears to have spread to the neighbouring hinterland and further afield.
On both Saturday and Sunday, car park and on-street spaces were at a premium from 10am onwards and the 36 buses between Harrogate and Ripon were packed with passengers throughout both days.
This, on top of the Thursday market that acts as a magnet for visitors are indicators that city traders are recovering from losses suffered through covid lockdowns.
Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst told the Stray Ferret:
“The footfall statistics that we have been recording since the start of the year have been showing week-on-week increases and hotspots at a number key city centre locations.
“There was certainly a sharp rise around Market Place East and the area to and from the bus station at the weekend and we think that the reopening of Yorkshire Trading was a major factor in this.”
Main image: Yorkshire Trading Co’s smart new frontage
