New Year’s Day saw director Simon Barker take control of Stanforths butchery business in north Yorkshire.
Previously a 50 per cent shareholder, Barker has bought butcher Robert Hart’s half share in the business, and now owns the meat production unit at Skipton Auction Mart and the retail shop on Mill Bridge in Skipton.
Hart, who spent his entire 33-year career in the butcher’s shop, turns 50 next May and says he will be looking for a new direction in life.
Barker, a lifelong butcher himself, is rebranding the mart’s CCM Quality Foods operation under the long-established Stanforth name, and has major plans for the development and expansion of the business.
As well as continuing to operate a private cutting service for local farmers and farm shops at its fully EC-registered on-site cutting plant, the director says he will be looking to expand the catering supply side of the operation.
He said: “In addition to our own shop, we supply prime beef and lamb that I buy personally at Skipton Auction Mart extensively into the local hospitality sector - restaurants, pubs and hotels - along with locally sourced gammon and bacon, which I also source in person from Selby Livestock Auction Mart.
“We will have an ongoing requirement for cattle and lambs each week at Skipton as the business develops. We are also buying around 80 pigs a week and expect this demand to grow. All our meat is sourced from Yorkshire and we have a great relationship with CCM and the other marts I deal with, which are always keen to meet our requirements, as well as with local farmers.”
The catering arm of the business currently covers a trading area taking in the Yorkshire Dales, Harrogate and across into north-east Lancashire.
“We are looking to grow and have identified opportunities to both strengthen our footprint in our current trading areas and expand into new ones across the region,” explained Barker. “We are moving onwards and upwards - and going all out to spread the word that Stanforths is much, much more than just a pie shop.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
