One of The Trentham Estate’s longest-standing shops has been taken over, with the new owner promising some of the best worldwide brands for the kitchen and home.
Home and gift store Cooks had been open at the tourist attraction’s retail village for 19 years before recently being purchased by local businessman Paul Shelley who has rebranded the shop Simmer and Slice.
With 24 years working in the industry, Paul is passionate about quality brands and plans to introduce the likes of Denmark-based cookware firm Scanpan and knife company Kai Shun amongst various others.
Paul, who has another business selling to premium department stores and cook shops up and down the country, said: “It is an exciting opportunity for me to introduce customers old and new to the world of quality kitchenware and homeware.
“There are a lot of companies in this arena that supply everyday products. A lot of customers are happy with that, but they need replacing after a few years, which is not good in the world of sustainability.”
All the staff from Cooks have been kept on at the new shop, with a vacancy for another team member.
Paul added: “I always wanted a retail shop but there haven’t been many opportunities like this in the city in terms of destinations and footfall.
“When I found out the previous owner was retiring, I jumped at the chance.”
