• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

  • YorkMix
    • York live: Coronavirus
  • Radio
    • How to Listen
    • Win
    • Vouchers
    • Schedule
    • Public file
  • Things to do
  • More
    • Business news
    • Community news
    • Herogram
    • Advertise
    • Contact us
    • Comments
  • ?

York shop shuts after 137 years – owner says ‘Coney Street isn’t working’

17 Jul 2017 @ 7.28 pm  YorkMix

The closure of Burgins Perfumery after 137 years epitomised the city centre struggles

Shoppers and fellow retailers reacted in shock today as one of York’s shopping treasures closed its doors after 137 years.

Burgins Perfumery on the corner of St Helen’s Square and Coney Street has been a fixture in the city since William Gladstone was prime minister.

But the shop has sold its last fragrance as the owner could no longer make the business pay, declaring: “Coney Street isn’t working any more.”

YorkMix Plus
YorkMix Plus
YorkMix Plus
YorkMix Plus

Worrying trend

A shopper reads the notice about the closure in Burgins’ window
Owner Hanus Wolf took the decision to close Burgins because the shop was no longer financially viable.

He told the five members of staff, aged from 22 to an “85-year-old Saturday girl who had been here for almost 30 years”, that the shop was shutting on Monday morning (July 17).

“A lot of them have been here many years,” he told YorkMix. “They all feel very sad about the whole situation. They realise it’s external factors.”

These factors included the rise of online retailing, the decline of York as a retail centre and the lure of out-of-town shopping, he said.

“Internet shopping has changed people’s habits,” he said. “They’re no longer walking in to shop as an experience. It’s no longer families. It is now – click a button.

“It’s completely changed the way we shop.”

Hanus added:

Coney Street isn’t working any more. Coney Street hasn’t got the footfall. That’s where the problem is.

Three years ago there wasn’t a single empty shop in Coney Street. And now you’ve got ten.

No longer York’s busiest street

Reduced footfall… Coney Street

Phil Pinder, who takes over as chair of York Retail Forum in September, said: “It’s such a shame that we are losing a beautiful shop that has been in York since 1880.

“This is another empty unit on what was once York’s premier shopping street.

“We have already lost BHS, and with Currys set to close in the coming weeks, I only hope this is not the start of a trend for York.”

In recent months Parliament Street has taken over from Coney Street as York’s busiest thoroughfare judged by footfall.

Locked: the Burgins Perfumery front door

After a good start to 2017, Burgins suffered its worst May and June trading since Hanus took over the shop in 2011.

Takings in June were down £15,000 on the same month four years ago. “Those two months just blew me away.”

His landlords – the Church of St Helen’s and St Martin’s – landed him with a £75,000 repair bill to the building.

And Hanus said they delayed starting the work till this week, meaning his shop “would be obliterated from view” for the busy summer months because of the scaffolding.

So he took the decision to close.

Too many bars

A cornucopia of fragrant delights… the interior of the shop. Photograph: Burgins Perfumery / Facebook

He traces some of the shop’s problems back to when City of York Council decided to close Lendal Bridge to traffic in 2013.

“That was horrible. For seven months it remained shut, and we saw a 20% drop in business.

“Literally ten days after they reopened the bridge, Vangarde shopping park opened up. For the next five months I had a 40% decline in my turnover.”

He thinks Lendal Bridge left “permanent scars. They issued 57,000 fines, 80% of which went to tourists, and there were people who vowed never to come back.”

The Boxing Day 2015 floods also affected trade. But worse, Hanus believes, is the direction the city centre is going in, flooded by “so many bars and restaurants”.

“This council has changed the face of this city, which used to be full of independent little businesses.

“Wherever there’s been a shop closure – take Mulberry Hall, it became a bar. We’ve got a burger bar in Trespass next to Browns.

“It just seems to be eating, drinking which is driving York.”

‘Please respect York’

The empty former Blacks shop, soon to be an Ivy Restaurant, can be seen to the left of Burgins in this picture

He said the increase in licensed premises was having another effect on the retail trade.

“I’ve been talking to the people in Browns and Fenwicks, and Saturdays are now the worse trading day of the week. A year ago it was my busiest day.

“It’s because families don’t come to York city centre because they don’t want to see those hordes of stag and hens in York city centre. So they are going outside – Monks Cross, Vangarde, wherever.”

What is Hanus’s message for city leaders?

Please stop what you’re doing by opening so many bars and restaurants.

Please respect York for what it has always been – which is a destination with a variety of different shops.

Eighty per cent of shops in York have always been independent. The way we’re going is we are becoming a city full of chain bars and restaurants.

Released from the stress

Hanus Wolf
Although it was his dream to run his own perfume shop, in some ways the decision to close was a relief, Hanus said.

He did pay himself a very modest salary from the business – but stopped even that from January this year.

To cover the bills he took a second job. That meant he was working for four days a week, running Burgins for two days a week, and visiting his elderly mother in London on the remaining day.

“in some ways, I’m relieved now because at least I’m released from the stress and the pressure of running this and constantly having no money coming in.”

After the closure announcement he has been flooded with messages from wellwishers both online and in person.

He is now going to continue his work as a perfume supplier to retailers across the north of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, but stay in York.

“I’ve never lived in a better place in all my life than York. For the people, for the way of life.”

Historic shop

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stroll past Burgins on a visit to York. This picture is displayed about the shop door
Burgins Perfumery was established by a Mr Burgin as a chemist and perfumery in 1880.

It was taken over by the Wright family in 1934, and then by June Yeo and her husband Leonard in 1997.

Burgins always stocked a range of fragrances that people could not buy elsewhere.

Hanus was a supplier of fragrances for 25 years and had supplied June and her late husband since 2004.

When June decided she would retire she asked Hanus if he wanted to take over. He bought the business and began trading in October 2011.


Related YorkMix stories

Two new shops are coming to York city centre

Currys pulls the plug on its York city centre store

Popular York shop to close for three months

Primary Sidebar

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

YorkMix
News 01904 848 766
Email YorkMix news »
5-6 King's Court, Shambles, York  YO1 7LD
YorkMix Radio
General enquiries 01904 375 029
Studio/competitions 01904 375 030
Email YorkMix Radio »
Selby Superbowl, Bawtry Road, Selby  YO8 8NA
YorkMix is a trading name of YorkMix Media Ltd
Registered in England
Company number: 07814727
VAT number: 154 0364 34
© York Sound Ltd 2021

Copyright © 2021 YorkMix Media Ltd

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT