North East butchers Dicksons has announced a new store in North Tyneside close to where the very first shop was opened by the company founder 75 years ago.
Dicksons the Pork Butchers now acts as a supermarket supplier and wholesaler, alongside a chain of 31 shops selling everything from pies and sausages to cooked deli meats and its famed saveloy dip.
Now the South Shields company has returned to its roots by opening a shop in Howdon, a key location in the history of the family business when a shop on Tynemouth Road was chosen by founder Michael Irwin Dickson and boyhood friend John Whitfield, for their joint venture at the end of the war.
Read more: Go here for more retail and consumer news
The business proved a great success but after a few years, Mr Dickson decided to go it alone and set up M I Dickson Ltd over the Tyne in South Shields in 1953, where the company is still based.
The new retail outlet is one of two new shop openings planned in North Tyneside by Dicksons for 2022 and is the first retail opening managed by third generation family member and Dicksons retail growth and development director, Mike Dickson.
He said: “Bringing Dicksons home to Howdon has been part of our plans for quite some time and when the right space became available, we jumped at the opportunity to expand our retail network further into North Tyneside. We already have two sites in Wallsend, North Shields and Whitley Bay and we plan to grow further in the borough in 2022.
“The new Howdon shop will help to broaden our customer base in the area and act as a new hub for our successful home delivery service which has grown exponentially during the pandemic through the Dicksons App and our home delivery partners. My father, Michael Dickson, was born in Howdon and so we really do feel we have come full circle, back to the roots of a business which always puts family at the heart of everything we do.
“We look forward to welcoming customers to the new Howdon shop and revealing more of our expansion plans for 2022 in due course.”
North Tyneside mayor Norma Redfearn added: “We are delighted to welcome Dicksons home to Howdon where their journey first began, and it is fantastic that this family business has chosen North Tyneside as the place to continue its success story.
“They have shown true innovation during these challenging times with exciting new initiatives such as their home delivery app and this new shop will be a great addition to the community, giving people more choice of quality food on their doorstep.”
