A traditional butchers shop in a North Yorkshire market town are celebrating one year in their new shop this month by thanking customers for their support.
Appleton’s butchers and pie makers, owned by Anthony and Isabel Sterne bought what was formerly Robinson’s Butchers on Knaresborough’s Market Place in 2016 and painstakingly renovated the grade II listed timber-frame building before finally opening to the public in August last year.
Throughout the last 12 months the Appleton’s team have seen the change in shopping habits due to the Coronavirus pandemic which has continued to bring more people through its doors and has seen sales grow beyond expectations.
Anthony said: “Opening during the pandemic may have seemed a little reckless to some but restoring the former Robinsons shop had been the plan for some years and we were in no doubt of its potential to succeed.
“Knaresborough is a thriving market town, where both residents and tourists bring a real buzz to the centre and that was a perfect fit with Appleton’s.
“We’ve looked after our customers during these tough times and, one year on from opening, their continued loyalty is now paying dividends.”
Founded in Ripon in 1867 by 19-year-old butcher Thomas Appleton, the business moved into the landmark black-and-white building on the market square in 1936, which it still occupies today. After buying the business in 2010, Anthony and Isabel expanded by opening sites in Wetherby in May 2014, Boroughbridge in 2017 and latterly Knaresborough in August 2020.
Store manager Andy Marwood said the number of tourists returning to Knaresborough’s high-street has increased significantly since restrictions eased and confidence was rising at an encouraging rate.
“Business has been growing rapidly and gone to a whole new level, confidence sems to be up and the future is looking strong for high street butchers like ourselves.
“Covid restrictions have completely changed people’s shopping habits when buying meat and speciality produce. We’ve found that they’re less likely to buy from supermarkets and instead are now returning to shop locally with confidence that what they’re buying is of the highest quality.”
Founded in 1867, Appleton’s also has shops in Wetherby, Boroughbridge and Ripon and specialises in pork products, including cured ham, sausage rolls and scotch eggs. Best known for their fresh-from-the-oven, handmade pork pies, some 8,000 are made in Ripon each week and delivered to the other shops in their raw pastry cases to bake on premises.
For more information visit www.appletonsbutchers.co.uk