Opening of Northampton zero waste delayed by pandemic as owner searches for new premises

A local businesswoman who was due to open a new zero waste shop in Northampton this summer is now having to search for a new location.

Kerry Leese was hoping to open her shop, Food for Thought, just off Kingsley Park Terrace by July.However, pandemic has wreaked havoc with her plans and causing her problems, meaning now would not be the right time to open.

One of the main problems is the location she had secured, as the owners of the premises are now needing to use the building to make sure their own business is safe within the social distancing measures.

Kerry said: “The location fell through last week because of what is going on.

“The owners have got to change what they are doing to make sure it is safe, so they are now using all the space, which is totally understandable.

“So I have had to start almost from the beginning.”

Despite the effects of the pandemic on the retail industry, Kerry is sure that the demand for a sustainable, refill shop that works to reduce single-use plastic, is still there.

She added: “The urgency has not gone away just because there is this big crisis going on.

“There is still a need to reduce plastic and people are still telling me that they really want it.

“I’m trying to find somewhere at the moment and I hope to be open by the end of this year.”

Kerry is hoping to find a new location of approximately 1,000 square foot on Kingsley Front or in Abington or Wellingborough Road, as these are areas she knows quite well.

She is also hoping for a building that has character or that can be dressed traditionally.

“I don’t want to be in the centre as I think people will avoid it, but I want to be quite central,” Kerry continued.

“It’s also my kind of patch so I know the area, which helps with the community feel that is important to me.

“I want somewhere where I have my own parking, or nearby on street parking, somewhere for bicycles to be parked and somewhere with good public transport links, as it really needs to be accessible for people.”

Kerry has already started her search by looking online, contacting commercial estate agents and by looking on foot.

But she is open to suggestions and would welcome anyone who thinks they know of somewhere suitable to contact her.

Kerry can be contacted on her Facebook page, where more information can also be found about Food for Thought.

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