Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire to re-open its store on 3rd July 2020 with a fresh new look

Published On Thursday 2 Jul 2020 by Sticky Beak
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Popular farm shop Croots has announced it is re-opening its Derbyshire store on 3rd July following the easing of lockdown measures.

The store will have a fresh new look with a different layout, additional local food and drink ranges, and new uniforms for staff.

During the lockdown, the shop near Duffield has been operating ‘click and collect’ and ‘park and shop’ options, along with local delivery to elderly and vulnerable customers.

But now, after introducing a range of safety measures and improvements at the award-winning farm shop, Croots is ready to open its doors to customers once again.

It will be open for shopping from 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays from 3rd July.

Croots Farm Shop recently carried out a survey of 360 customers which revealed that overall, customers were really happy with the services and customer care offered by the store, which has been pulling out all the stops to support its local community and loyal customers during lockdown.

As the shop prepares to re-open its doors for browsing and shopping, it has taken the opportunity to undertake a mini relaunch by introducing new services and ranges.

The click and collect service has been such a hit with customers during lockdown that the farm shop has decided to retain this option for those who prefer to order in advance and collect their shopping. Lead in time has been reduced to 24 hours. It will also offer a call and collect service for those who do not have internet access or do not like shopping via the internet. And it will continue supporting local elderly and vulnerable customers with delivery as long as necessary.

In addition, the farm shop has extended its already strong support for local businesses and the local community by stocking even more local ranges.

Meanwhile, the Croots chefs have used the time during lockdown to devise and create new home-made ready meals and sides, which are available to take home and cook from frozen.

Steve Croot, who runs the farm shop at Farnah House Farm with wife Kay, said: “We’ve had the most amazing support from our loyal customers and staff during the past few weeks, and we can’t wait to welcome them back into our store.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and effort introducing measures so that the shopping experience is as safe as it can be for our customers and staff. We’ve also taken the opportunity to invest in new staff uniforms, a new layout to the store and have redecorated to give Croots Farm Shop a fresh new look.

“As a local family-run business employing local people and supporting local food and drink producers, we are proud to have been able to play an important role in keeping our communities fed during lockdown and we’d really like to thank everyone who has shopped with us – existing customers and new customers who have been introduced to us during these past few weeks.

“We look forward to opening our doors again and hope that our customers will bear with us as we all get used to a new way of shopping and working.”

Safety measures introduced at Croots Farm Shop include:

•   Limiting the number of people in the farm shop at any one time
•   Organising a one-way system in the store, which will be clearly signposted
•   Creating clear social distancing markers
•   Fresh food topped up throughout the day, but all other shelves filled out of opening hours
•   Protective equipment for staff
•   The installation of hand sanitising stations at the entrance and exit
•   Offering contactless payment options
•   Sanitising till areas after every use
•   Implementing additional new cleaning procedures to regularly disinfect all surfaces and frequently touched points
•   Using only plastic shopping baskets which are easier to clean than wicker ones.

The café at Croots Farm Shop will remain shut for now in accordance with current government rules for the hospitality sector.

The click and collect option at Croots runs with a 24-hour lead-in time for any orders placed up until 2pm the day before. Opening hours for taking orders over the phone are Monday to Sunday 8.30am to 4pm. Call 01332 843032 extension 5 and place an order over the phone with a member of the Croots team. Again, there is a 24-hour lead-in time for any orders placed up until 2pm the day before. Shopping is collected via the drive-through area in the car park at Croots Farm Shop.

The farm shop, which is based off Wirksworth Road at the farm operated by Kay’s parents Jim and Sue Yates, opened 12 years ago and is a big supporter of local food and drink producers. It works with more than 40 suppliers from within a 50-mile radius of the shop and has a well-stocked butchery which has won numerous awards, as well as a deli and cheese counter. The team at Croots makes and bakes an increasing range of home-made products on site.

For more details about Croots Farm Shop or to order online visit www.croots.co.uk