MALTON is bucking the national trend with an increasing number of businesses choosing to trade in the town.

Over the past few weeks several retailers have opened with five of the six units in the Talbot Yard Food Court now occupied, creating the equivalent of 11 full-time jobs.

Tom Naylor Leyland, director of the Talbot Hotel and Malton's food lovers festival, which takes place next month, said the independent retail sector was "definitely proving to be thriving, lively and viable".

He said: "It is no secret that the catalyst to success has been in Malton reinventing itself as a food town.

"Now widely recognised as Yorkshire’s Food Capital, Malton can look to the hugely popular Food Lovers Festival, the monthly food markets and the cookery school as drivers for this boost to the local economy.

"The ‘Made In Malton’ project is also a major factor and can now boast several new additions to the growing army of artisan food producers calling Malton their home, bringing wealth generation and new jobs to town.

"New employment brings re-distributable wealth to the town and the ripple effect is that Malton is now seeing a marked increase in non-food related retail too."

Owners of Hare and Wilde in Market Street, Laura Cowlbeck and Will Mellor, welcomed customers for the first time last Saturday.

Miss Cowlbeck said: "We have been trading online for the past year and felt it was the right time to open our first store. We believe that with Malton’s proactive approach to marketing itself and the growing popularity of the markets and festivals, Malton is the best place for us to open."

Hare & Wilde joins a list of new openings that includes The Edwardian Bedding Company in Wheelgate, Castle Carpets in Yorkersgate and The Bridal Studio in Market Place along with Theatre of Light in Norton.

Businesses planning to expand include Groovy Moo ice-cream which opened in the Talbot Yard last May.

Jeremy Swallow, owner of Swallow and Son in Market Place, which has recently re-branded and expanded from its original premises in Finkle Street, said it was about offering great customer service and products that people wanted to buy.

He said: "We are prepared to invest in Malton because we believe the town has a bright future."