Retiring Selby businessman to close stores across North Yorkshire (From York Press)

Retiring Selby businessman to close Greens Furniture World stores across North Yorkshire

9:45am Friday 10th August 2012 in News By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk

Peter Green

A Selby businessman, recently diagnosed with cancer, is preparing to close his stores across North Yorkshire, to enjoy retirement.

Greens Furniture World, in Ousegate, will be put on the market next week, after owner Peter Green was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June.

Mr Green, 73,  who also runs a store in Malton , has recently undergone his first bout of chemotherapy treatment, and said both shops would close once the remaining stock had been sold. A closing-down sale will start next Thursday, at the Selby branch.

He said: “It’s prompted the sale, and the fact I was 73 on Wednesday, it felt like someone was telling me to give up.

“We were weathering the storm quite well, but got all this dark news and we’ve got no-one to move the business on to. Our children are doing their own things, so the main thing is to get our money out of the business and enjoy retirement – for a long time hopefully.”

Mr Green said running the 22-year-old business had “not all been easy”, but he was pleased with his time in the town, and would continue to work at the store re-ticketing stock throughout the sale, for as long as he could.

The news comes as doubts surround the future of Johnsons Cleaning, in Market Cross.

A spokesman for the company refused to confirm whether the Selby store had been selected for closure, but said: “Johnson Service Group announced on July 4, plans to close around 100 loss making shops by the end of the year. The company is currently consulting with staff at shops identified as at risk of closure. We do not think it helpful, particularly to staff, to identify which shops are at risk.”