A former store manager in Harrogate has warned that the local retail sector is “on the brink of collapse” after being made redundant from her fourth job in 10 years, amid rising rents and increasing pressure from online competition.
Michelle Barton lost her job in February 2025 when homeware chain Baytree Interiors shut its Harrogate store, alongside branches in Meadowhall and Doncaster. The company’s ongoing contraction reflects a wider trend within the business.
“When I started there five years ago, Baytree had 14 stores across the UK – now only four remain,” she said.
Barton, who has worked in Harrogate’s retail sector for a decade, says she has repeatedly seen high street stores disappear.
She began her career at Basler in Hoopers department store before the German brand went into liquidation in 2017. She later worked for Kurt Geiger and then Clarins, both based in Debenhams, which closed its Harrogate location in 2021.
“It’s the same cycle over and over,” she said. “You invest in your job, your team, your customers – and then it all vanishes. The high street is being stripped bare.”
Retailers in Harrogate have been grappling with growing financial pressure in recent years, fuelled by rising operating costs, decreased footfall, and a long-term shift in consumer habits towards online shopping.
In May, North Yorkshire Council confirmed £1.2 million in funding for towns including Harrogate as part of the government’s Town Investment Plans, aiming to support regeneration, improve infrastructure, and boost business engagement.
Barton welcomes the long-term focus but believes current businesses are being left behind.
“Schemes are great for the future, but we need immediate action,” she said. “Rent is rising, footfall is falling, and both large chains and independent businesses are struggling to survive now.”
North Yorkshire Council declined to comment when approached for a response.
Additional assistance is available through the council’s wider business support schemes, which include targeted help for retailers in Harrogate and Knaresborough and access to promotional tools via Visit North Yorkshire’s business pages.
Meanwhile, Visit North Yorkshire continues to promote Harrogate’s shopping offer as a key draw for visitors, with the Harrogate Convention Centre’s Visitor Discount Scheme encouraging tourism-related spending.
Despite these efforts, concerns remain.
“We’re trying to stay hopeful, but there’s only so many closures a town can absorb,” Barton said. “I would be hesitant to look for a retail job in Harrogate again.”
While investment and infrastructure plans are ongoing – including those under the Transforming Cities Fund – the future of Harrogate’s retail sector may depend on how quickly support can be delivered and how effectively local authorities, businesses, and communities can collaborate.
Harrogate’s retail struggles mirror a national picture of declining high streets.
Store closures continue to outpace openings across the UK, with both large chains and independent businesses facing rising inflation costs, staff shortages, and shifting consumer behaviours. As towns like Harrogate seek to reinvent themselves, many in the sector argue that only a joined-up, national approach to high street recovery will offer meaningful change.