The winter months proved to be busy for the Grape Tree team who open our new shops all around the UK.

With four more Grape Tree stores popping up in recent months there is likely to be a feel-good food option in most parts of the country.

Our new venues and staff in Tonbridge, Lymington, Truro and Bury St. Edmunds are all open and ready for business.

And that’s thanks to the extraordinary team working behind the scenes to make sure every new Grape Tree is welcoming and fully stocked with our own brand of healthy, tasty food.

First to open since the last Grape Tree magazine was our store on Pydar Street in Truro. This Cornish shop was created in time for the Christmas rush while Lymington on the south coast near Southampton was our next addition. Situated on the High Street and open since November the team there have quickly established the store as a premier spot for healthy, affordable eating.

And with new year and its resolutions just round the corner, our new venue in Kent opened in quick succession making the Angel Walk business in Tonbridge the next on our list of Grape Tree destinations.

With November such a busy month for store openings it meant that our Bury St. Edmunds store in The Butter Market began life in December just in time to offer healthy food for the new year.

Grape Tree founder Nick Shutts explained: “It is always a pleasure to open new stores but opening so many at the turn of the year gave us such a sense of pride that we were ending the year on a high while bringing affordable, healthy food to new areas.

“And of course, we welcome our new team members to the Grape Tree family too.”

How we transform a shop

Grape Tree’s Kerry Gannon and her team of shopfitters open all our new stores. Kerry and her team of up to seven shopfitters take an empty retail unit and kit it out to ensure there are enough shelves to hold our amazing healthy product range. Then they stock the store ready for our new customers. Kerry said: “It’s very rewarding to see the stores come together. The best bit is seeing our shopfront on prominent new locations across the UK. We love what we do!”

BEFORE: Our Tonbridge shop on Angel Walk in the town gets ready for its healthy stock to arrive

AFTER: The shelves groan with feel-good food ready for our new customers.