Award-winning village shop in Yorkshire on the market

Dale Stores is a quaint community store in Birstwith, a picturesque North Yorkshire village situated on the River Nidd which is home to a 12th-century packhorse bridge, one of the oldest in the region.

The store offers a selection of groceries, fresh produce, baked goods, a popular deli counter and alcohol. The business also includes a well-supported Post Office Local, with a Post Office having operated on the site since 1858. The property also contains a modern and well-presented four-bedroom home for owners set over three floors, including an open-plan kitchen with bi-fold doors leading to a garden.

The shop has received notable recognition over the years, securing numerous awards including The Countryside Alliance National Champion for Best Village Shop and Post Office, as well as Akrill Newspapers’ Best Rural Business.

Birstwith was one of the first Post Offices in the country to convert to the new Post Office Local format, and over the years, the owners have been actively helping other village stores to develop their own businesses in conjunction with organisations, such as the Plunkett Foundation.

Andrea and Matthew Walwyn, who took over the shop in 2006 to start their own business after established careers in the food industry, are nearing 20 years at the helm and are now ready to pass the reins to a new, energetic owner.

Growth opportunities include extending trading hours into Saturday afternoons and Sundays, reviving the popular ‘food to go’ range of hot and cold sandwiches, soups, and daily specials, and expanding the delivery service to meet strong demand from the area’s many elderly residents.

Andrea and Matthew commented, “We have had a wonderful life as owners of the Dale Stores, with many highlights – watching our family grow up, improving our home, and striving to make our business the best that it can be. We are at a stage in our lives where we feel it is time to hand over that responsibility to somebody else, somebody that will love the place as much as we do. It was here a long time before us, and we want it to be for a long time after we’ve gone.”

Steve Riley, Business Agent – Retail at Christie & Co, who is managing the sale, comments, “Dale Stores is an exceptional example of what a true village shop can be, a business at the heart of its community, offering both strong trading fundamentals and a wonderful lifestyle opportunity. Sites with this level of heritage, reputation and local support rarely come to market.”

The store is on the market with a freehold asking price of £775,000 plus stock at valuation.

For more information about this property, click here: https://www.christie.com/5417061/

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