BEVERLEY – Yorkshire Trading Company is to open a major new store at Beverley’s Flemingate centre, creating around 25 jobs.
The long-established East Yorkshire retailer has taken a 10,300 sq ft unit opposite Dunelm, making it one of the largest shops at Flemingate. The new store is expected to open within the next few weeks.
Recruitment is already under way for a mixture of full-time and part-time positions.
Yorkshire Trading Company began as a corner shop in Hull in 1939 and remains a family-owned business. It now operates 34 stores and employs almost 600 people across its head office and shops throughout Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Northumberland.
The Beverley store will stock more than 10,000 products across household essentials, homewares, DIY, clothing, gardening, toys, pet supplies and seasonal ranges.
Mark Johnson, Operations and Compliance Manager at Yorkshire Trading Company, said Beverley had been on the company’s radar for several years.
“Beverley is a location we’ve been looking at for many years. It’s a traditional market town, with a strong sense of community – we’ve just been waiting for the right unit, in the right place, to become available.
“Flemingate gives us exactly that, and we’re now working hard as a team to get the new store ready for opening. Beverley complements the other stores we have in the area, from Bridlington and Driffield to the north, down to Louth and Skegness in Lincolnshire.
“We’re proud to be working closely with local suppliers and contractors on the new Beverley store, underlining our commitment to the local economy and the region in which our business was founded and continues to be based.”
The company is now under the fourth generation of ownership by the Nichols family. Its first shop opened shortly before the Second World War, although the conflict interrupted its earliest years and the family did not return to retail until 1954.
Jason Platten, Head of Retail and Leisure at Flemingate owner Wykeland Group, described Yorkshire Trading Company as one of the region’s great high street success stories.
“We’re sure Yorkshire Trading Company will be a very popular addition to Flemingate, driving further footfall to the centre and complementing the existing strong retail and leisure offering,” he said.
“Yorkshire Trading Company’s story began in our own home city of Hull and we’re proud to be supporting the company’s continued commitment to the high street and contribution to our region’s economy.”
Yorkshire Trading Company will join Flemingate retailers including H&M, Sports Direct, Superdrug, The Entertainer, Poundland and Card Factory, as well as independent businesses such as Art & Soul, Baytree Interiors and Beverley Travel.
The announcement follows confirmation that FORE!, a new indoor golf and entertainment venue, is expected to open at Flemingate in September.
Pictures: R&R Studio.