A BUSINESS which is targetting £10 million turnover after turning a North Yorkshire hardware store into a thriving online business won this year's Retailer of the Year award.

Gary Lyons and his wife Lisa have built their business on a market for plastic boxes across the UK, which they discovered while running a hardware shop in Thirsk.

Now employing a team of ten, with access to more than £8 million worth of stock, the PlasticBoxShop operates out of warehouse facilities in Northallerton.

The business is split roughly 50:50 between retail and trade sales, with the PlasticBoxShop having supplied boxes to the 2012 London Olympics, and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, as well as counting several TV companies, fashion houses and other national companies among its clients.

Mr Lyons said: “It was quite a moment to see Usain Bolt put his tracksuit top in one of our boxes before winning the 100 metres final.”

The judges felt that the Plastic Box Shop demonstrated "a truly inspirational story", from a market town company to an online business aiming for a £10 million turnover in just seven years, which the judges described as being hugely impressive.

The judges said the Plastic Box Shop has proved to be both successful in the retail and trade sector, which is an accomplishment they felt should be rewarded.