A town centre butcher has hailed relocating to a bigger unit in a Flintshire shopping district as “the best move I ever made”.
Carl Grech, who owns and runs CJ’s Butchers, certainly has the experience to back up that statement having spent five years in Mold’s Daniel Owen Precinct, which comprises 27 units and two offices.
Those are currently occupied by a wide variety of tenants ranging from Cravin’, Thai Wok Sushi Bar, and Tasters Delicatessen to Pwdin Bach, Little Shop of Plants, and the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.
Carl, who has completed 12 months in his new premises, which is just across the precinct from his original unit, said: “I’ve always said that where we are is the hub of the town. It’s centrally positioned and surrounded by car parks.”
The master butcher is thrilled with how business is progressing under the guidance of Daniel Owen Centre Mold Limited.
On his store, which is three times larger than the one he moved into in 2018, he continued: “The people of Mold are very clever, and they know what they want, which is a good shop in a convenient location, and that’s exactly what we’ve got.”
Carl, who lives in the town, has two full-time staff, Lauren and Lucy, as well as Saturday employees, Harrison and Osian.
The owner added: “We are always coming up with plans for the shop and the landlords are supportive of everything we do, such as change the signage at the front.
“I wanted to use a 25-year-old oak tree which had been on my dad’s farm to make a sign and they were more than happy for me to do it and put it up.”
While Carl and CJ’s Butchers have been in Daniel Owen Precinct for half a decade, Bliss, owned by Judith Owen is new to the area.
Having started off on Mold’s Earl Road in 2021, the business began as a bespoke bra fitting service, before diversifying into ladieswear and footwear. That was when the need for a bigger premises became all too evident.
Judith, who lives in Pontybodkin, said: “In our original shop we had to use a storage facility in Buckley, which wasn’t ideal when a customer wanted a size that I knew we had, but that was up the road.
“The new facility in the Daniel Owen Precinct has a fantastic upstairs space that allows us to have all our stock on site, and gives us scope to expand, which is the plan.”
Having moved into the new shop in September, and with the Christmas rush over, Judith is eager to see the impact the switch makes on footfall across a calendar year.
“I have a vision for the business, and with the support of the landlords, I am relishing the future,” added Judith, who is assisted by two part-time employees.
“Since I moved in, the team behind the precinct couldn’t have done enough in offering help, including sorting new flooring out.”
