'It is a wonderful thing we are still here'

An independent food shop is celebrating 125 years of trading in a North Yorkshire town.

Lewis & Cooper, which describes itself as a gourmet grocery store, has been trading in Northallerton since 1899.

Although its old trolley and pulley systems for collecting customer orders have now gone, many of its products have remained the same, the owners said.

Staff member Pam Andrassy said the anniversary was a "special time" and added: "Hopefully we will go on for another 125 years."

The business is still run by the descendants of George Lewis, who bought the grocers he worked at with business partner Binks Barton Cooper, when it was threatened with closure.

"The way the high street is going, it is a wonderful thing that we're still here," Kayanne Smith, who has worked at the shop for 25 years, said.

The general manager put the success of the business down to its "committed staff".

"While the shop is always keen to look at different trends, some people still like the old-fashioned products so it's important to keep that balance," she said.

A best-selling product in the shop, Mr Bush's Plum Pudding, started out life exclusively at Lewis & Cooper.

Staff said they had originally been sold in another small shop, which had been "forced out of business" when a supermarket opened nearby.

After 7,000 puddings were sold at the shop during their first Christmas on the shelves, they are now sold all year round.

The store is well-known for its food hampers, which are put together by Rouma Read.

Ms Read has been with the business for 21 years and said: "I've really enjoyed working here and that's why I'm still here.

"It's fantastic, it's more like a family."

Mr Lewis and Mr Cooper bought the business from their manager, Robert Brogden, in December 1899.

They traded at the original site for six years, before buying the chemist next door and moving in 1905.

The partners also bought 18 workmen's cottages for £2,150, which were adapted to become storage space.

Customers of the day would go into the store and give their order to a member of staff.

The assistants would then take a trolley to collect the goods from the storage rooms.

Waiting at the front of the shop, the customers would place their money on a pulley system, which went straight to the cashier's office further down the shop.

The shop has since updated its technology but its range of products continues to attract customers from far and wide.

Chris Nowland, from Vancouver in Canada, was browsing in the cheese department and said he had been "mesmerised" by the selection.

"I'm a cheese hound, you don't get this kind of cheese in Vancouver, things like the Wensleydales," he said.

"So I'm taking advantage of that and taking a few back with me."

Mr Nowland said he was "amazed" the shop had been in business for such a long time.

"It seems to have a good local customer base, everyone seems to know about it. I can see the appeal."

Pam Andrassy, who joined the team a year ago, put the success of the shop down to its customer service and traditional values.

"The power of a smile is important," Ms Andrassy said.

"Whether a customer is spending £5 or £500, they will be treated exactly the same, very special."

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