Grocery stall Starbuys bags weekly trader as markets return and lockdown eases

This week's Trader of the Week, a family-run market trader that has operating for over 30 years, was eager to reopen and is supplying hand sanitiser for customers, cleaning baskets before and after use and introduced a one-way system.

Starbuys, which was established in 1987, is run by a County Durham family but attends eight markets a week, sometimes twice, across the North East.

The market stall Starbuys was first established in1987

Locations include Billingham, Darlington, North Ormesby, Hartlepool, Redcar, Stanley and Amble.

Claire Wilkins, who manned the Darlington stall on the return of the outdoor market, said: "We are a family ran business that sells confectionary, cakes, biscuits and groceries.

"My dad started the business before we were born so we have been brought up been on the markets working a long side him after school, weekends and now full time.

"Mum, dad and my two sisters we work different markets in one week, some of them we do twice."

The old fleet of Archers Removals, which celebrates its 100th year this year

On plans for the future, Ms Wilkins says the family are planning to expand their online services after seeing the popularity of its deliveries.

She added: "We plan to expand the business into more of an online service as well as our market stalls.

"We have become to realise deliveries have been helpful to some of our customers as we already have Facebook page, Starbuys, and do local deliveries. We would love to expand this and do them further a field.

Starbuy's market stall tends to be open from 9am to 3pm, across the varying locations.

The Northern Echo understands most businesses are currently not operating as normal due to the ongoing crisis, but we hope to use Trader of the Week to support locals – especially as the region emerges out of lockdown.

Do you have a business? To be featured in the weekly segment, email tasmin.lockwood@newsquest.co.uk