The Good Weigh on Trent Boulevard has grown into a much-loved zero waste store over the past six years.
Ben Fern has been announced as the new owner of The Good Weigh in Lady Bay.
Founder Kate Cox announced the change saying:
‘He will be taking over from me at the end of June and I couldn’t be more chuffed than I am to hand over to such a lovely human and one of my favourite customers. He’s done his own introduction as a lot of you have been asking me all about what’s happening.’
Ben said:
‘I am the extremely lucky new owner of The Good Weigh.
‘I will be switching places with Kate at the end of June and know from visiting the shop regularly that I couldn’t be starting in a more welcoming environment, which makes me very excited.
‘You may be wondering how the shop may change but you have nothing to worry about, I will do my absolute best to keep it as wonderful as it is now. I’ve taken on The Good Weigh after being a long-standing customer myself. I smile every time I walk in and though I have ideas of my own for it, I look forward to making my mark on it with your support!
‘Born in Yorkshire but have lived my whole life in villages near Loughborough. I currently live in Normanton on Soar so it’s not a long commute to the shop via bike (I love cycling), bus or car. My husband, Ross, is from Shropshire and is also a big fan of the shop!
‘For the past 12 years, I have been running my family business based in Shepshed. After a few years working in fashion, I went to help my mum out for two weeks and didn’t stop. Whilst I am sad to leave something that has been part of my life since I was born, I know I needed a change and The Good Weigh is the right thing for me.
‘Nature is an absolute fundamental in my life. Running in the woods, the joy at seeing the newts and bathing birds in my little pond, to helping with the biodiversity group in my neighbouring village. As part of this, I try to shop carefully and consciously, reducing my impact and thinking about the circularity of products. Like everyone, there are things I could improve but always trying to make better consumer choices is, I believe, the best thing we can do. Shopping locally, organically where possible, and supporting small businesses is important for all of us.’
Kate added::
‘It was always part of my plan to move on from The Good Weigh once my children moved up to big school and my youngest is moving on in September.
‘It has been an absolute privilege and a perfect lifestyle choice for me while my kids were at primary school and able to take a short stroll back to the shop to help me or more accurately, steal sweets and olives!
‘I’ve run a successful and thriving business for six years and it continues to thrive in our amazing community with so many loyal customers and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me from the start.
‘So the time has come for me to focus on other priorities and projects that have been bubbling under the surface for a while and I’m hoping that someone will want to take the gauntlet and continue to build up The Good Weigh as I have been doing and make it their own.
‘There’s still plenty of room for growth and many more opportunities for the store to diversify and improve and I think a new, fresh approach could really benefit The Good Weigh.’
