The award-winning York retailer has announced plans to open a new cookshop in the city in around six weeks' time.
The new venture will be named Frankie & Johnny's Cookshop after Pextons' owners, husband and wife Frankie and Johnny Hayes - who won Gold in the Hardware category of Britain's Best Hardware Retailer Awards two years ago.

The 450sq ft outlet will open just five doors up from Pextons in Bishopthorpe Road.

"It's only tiny but it's bang in the middle of the parade," said Mrs Hayes. "It's the best spot on the street."

She explained that the new outlet would free up space in the existing shop when the current kitchenware offer has been moved, as well as provide opportunities for new business to grow its offer.

"We have a cookery corner here but it's absolutely jam-packed - you cannot see the walls or ceilings," she explained. "It's quite disheartening when you go to these fairs and you can only pick and choose.

"We think we could fit in six times more cookshop lines than we have at the moment. We'll be doing all the basics and I've got loads of new suppliers - such as Dexam, Kitchen Craft, Eddingtons - and also I'm going to go big in cake decorating and hopefully icing."

Gift lines will also be part of the mix, Mrs Hayes said. "The premises has been run as a gift shop and vintage boutique but [the owner] is moving on and there's nowhere else to buy a gift or a nice card, so we're taking over the lines she's been selling already."

Meanwhile, she said: "My husband can spread out all his hardware and it'll make the hardware area better, we'll be able to see the wood for the trees."

The project is still in its early stagesbut, if all goes to plan, Frankie & Johnny's Cookshop could open its doors in a matter of weeks.

Mrs Hayes explained: "We haven't signed the lease yet, but we're hoping to sign it next week and we'd like to open the first week of November."