Discount Sports in Skipton will be celebrating their first birthday on March 21st. Owned and run by husband and wife team, Ruth and Tony Eidsforth, the shop has proved to be incredibly popular with locals on the hunt for sportswear bargains.
Prior to opening their shop on Rope Walk, both Ruth and Tony spent many years working in the sportswear industry. Tony has 30 years of experience alone, having previously worked as the Head of Buying for JDSports owned GetTheLabel and TopGrade Sportswear.
Ruth said:
“We saw an opportunity in the town for a different kind of sports shop. We love the feel of Skipton and its range of independent businesses. We have had pop-up shops in the past and were confident that Skipton was
the ideal location for our first permanent retail space. When we looked round The Old Mill shop we fell in love with the industrial feel of the building and knew, despite it’s “off the high street” location, we could make it work for us.”
The family-run shop offers a large range of sportswear and footwear from big brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Asics, Under Armour and more. By choosing to shop with this independent retailer instead of purchasing direct from the brands themselves, customers could save as much as 80% off the original RRP.
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Ruth and Tony have worked hard to get to know both the town and the locals since they opened last year, by hosting events and getting involved in local fundraisers.
“We’ve loved our first year in Skipton. We have met some awesome customers.
Ruth lived in Skipton when she was younger and has fallen back in love with the town all over again. It’s been a
great journey so far! We have been involved in lots of local charity events, hosting our first Christmas shopping evening in November which was a huge success, and raising funds for Cancer Support Skipton.
We hosted a coffee morning for Macmillan cancer support and also sponsored the Skipton charity gala in
2019.”
It’s no secret that local High Streets are facing many challenges right now and with the current Coronavirus situation, things are going to get a whole lot harder for our local businesses. Ruth and Tony had planned on hosting a free celebratory event to mark their first birthday, but in light of recent advice from the government, this has had to be postponed.
“Our immediate challenge is that of the Coronavirus and the effect that the disease will have on all independent businesses. Following the advice of the WHO & our government, we will continue to stay open until we are told
differently. There are always challenges that retailers face and I’m sure there will be plenty more in the
next 12 months. We hope the people of Skipton will continue to shop local and support the fantastic array of
independent businesses in our town.”
Is there an independent shop in Skipton that you’re particularly fond of? You can vote for your favourite HERE.
