'Broken promises' force shop boss to lay-off staff

A MUCH-LOVED Huddersfield shop has issued a desperate plea for help after struggling to stay afloat.

- By SOPHIE CORCORAN

The homeware and gift shop, Handmade in Huddersfield, which opened around three years ago, has posted on its Facebook page to tell its loyal customers it is not eligible for a business grant after being encouraged to move into a larger unit in Imperial Arcade.

Owner Ant Gotts said a fellow business owner has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds.

He added: "This isn’t an easy post to write, but I can’t stay silent any longer.

"Over three years ago, I opened Handmade in Huddersfield in a small unit in Imperial Arcade. We started with £5 jam jars of flowers and handmade gifts from local craftspeople - and from day one, the town got behind us.

"We were busy, we were profitable, and there was a real buzz about what we were building. By the end of that first year, customers were asking for bigger floristry jobs - weddings, events, installations."

He claims he was “strongly encouraged” to move into the largest shop in the arcade, and that he would be eligible for grants for external signage and to help pay for the move.

He claims he was also told the new unit “would not be liable for business rates or the BID levy.”

However, he says: "That information turned out to be completely false."

Ant said that not long after signing the lease, the largest grant fell through. He said: "Without that money I couldn’t access the smaller grant. I then received unexpected bills for business rates and the BID levy.