Yorkshire Linen Company launches new outlets

A RETAILER specialising in bedding and household textiles has opened two new high street stores.

The launch of the Yorkshire Linen Company and Linen Warehouse’s Northallerton and North Shields branches takes the total number of outlets from 39 at the beginning of the year, to 43.

Harrogate-based Yorkshire Linen Company renovated and reopened the Darley Mill Centre, located near Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire, earlier this year, in a programme costing more than £1.25m earlier this year.

The converted 17th century former corn mill now boasts features including three retail floors specialising in homes, gardens and gifts.

The firm, which employs more than 300 people, was launched 17 years ago by husband and wife team Ross and Kirsteen Leventhal.

From their first shop in Halifax, the pair now have stores all over the North East and North West of the country, plus further afield in Spain and Portugal.

Mr Leventhal, who trained as an accountant and found his niche in textile retail with Ponden Mill in the mid 1980s, said: “Whereas many companies are being forced to consolidate and withdraw from town and city centres, we have reversed the trend and increased our presence.

“I won’t pretend it’s been an easy year; in fact far from it! But we have seen our business not only hold its own in these tough trading conditions, but report an increase in sales.

“We started the year by taking over the Darley Mill centre, which saw us invest more than £1.25 million in this wonderful, historic Nidderdale building. This was a major project as well as a labour of love, as my association with the Mill goes back more than 20 years.

“We then added a large concession store to the former John Lewis building in central Liverpool which, like all out shops in this area, trade as the Linen Warehouse, and we have finished the year with North Shields and Northallerton, which opened within a fortnight of each other.”