A WELL-KNOWN Huddersfield town centre store is getting a new lease of life following a takeover of the business.
The former Strawberry Fair shop in Westgate has been given a new look as The Cook and Bakeware Company after being bought by former banker Sharon Jewitt.
The store has long been recognised for its ranges of kitchenware and its upstairs cafe.
Now Sharon has extended its scope to include a ground floor delicatessen and other product lines, including jewellery and watches.
Said Sharon: “I worked or Yorkshire Bank for 24 years and in 2008 I became pregnant at the age of 40 and had a little girl. I was an area manager at the time and went on maternity leave. The bank had a re-organisation while I was off and when I returned I was offered my job with a bigger area to cover or the option of voluntary redundancy.”
Sharon opted for redundancy and a change of career. She said: “I knew Strawberry Fair already and saw that the business was being advertised for sale. The owner had another business and wanted to exit.”
Sharon completed the acquisition in the summer – undeterred by the general gloom surrounding the high street – and set about putting her own stamp on things.
“A lot of people thought we were a bit mad,” she said. “But the fact that it was an established business was an advantage. We have the financial acumen and we have not gone into this blind.”
The Cook and Bakeware Company now employs 20 staff. “We have just employed another three people to work in the delicatessen,” said Sharon.
The three-storey shop is divided into departments with separate spaces for tableware, gifts, pots and pans, handbags and jewellery as well as the delicatessen and top-floor restaurant.
Sharon, who lives at Bradley and shares the role of shop manager with her twin sister Helen Bonemlow, said:.“The feedback from regular customers has been very good.
“Most people are very glad that we have gone back to stocking more giftware. We have two really good chefs who are producing a lot of fresh food and people have said that the new delicatessen is just what Huddersfield needs.”
As well as selling online, the store has provided outside catering for a number of events.
Sharon is also looking at offering Christmas hampers and staging invitation-only shopping nights for business and professional women.
