Nation’s ‘best small shop’ for sale as owners hang up their aprons

A NORTH Yorkshire delicatessen which was named four years ago as the best small shop in Britain has been put up for sale.

Hunters of Helmsley has been based in the market town on the edge of the North York Moors for more than 25 years, with its current owners, Chris and Christine Garnett, in charge since 2008.

“It was always going to be a tough decision to let Hunters go,” Mrs Garnett said. “We have worked so hard to create the shop we always wanted. But Chris is 62, I’m approaching 60 and we recently became grandparents, so we decided it was probably time to hang up our aprons.

“There’s still lots of opportunities to grow the business. We have plenty of ideas, but it isn’t the right time in our lives for us do be doing that. For someone a bit younger, it will be an exciting prospect.”

The deli, which was handed its best shop award at a House of Commons ceremony, has a prime spot in a Grade II listed building on the Market Place. Helmsley itself has previously been named best market town in Britain and is a popular tourist destination.

Hunters has a ground floor selling fresh meats, cheeses, salads and sandwiches, and an upstairs section stocking groceries and gifts. It has seven full-time staff and two part-timers.

Mr and Mrs Garnett are both from farming families. Mr Garnett ran a beef, sheep and arable operation on the edge of Wharfedale with his father for 18 years and Mrs Garnett’s family still farms in West Yorkshire. Before buying Hunters, they ran a fish and chip shop in Horsforth, Leeds, for seven years.

Mrs Garnett said: “It’s been a wonderful 11 years at the helm, and we’ll be sad to see it go, but Hunters is an icon in its own right – long may that continue.”

The shop, which supports a network of local food and drink suppliers, is on the market for £550,000, through the Leedsbased agent Ernest Wilson.