Ardgay owners think of 'giving up' shop after ten years due to thefts

Ardgay business owners say they are seriously considering closing down their successful shop after a decade of thefts and verbal abuse.

In 2014, Holly and Adam Wardrop took the plunge and launched Ardgay Stores & Highland Cafe in south-east Sutherland.

At the time, there were very few businesses in the village and during the last decade, they have had to rise to several challenges, such as serving customers during the Covid lockdown.

However their ‘open every day’ policy has made them a success with locals and visitors.

Ten years on, the couple revealed to The Press and Journal that they are now thinking of “giving up” completely due to the number of thefts and verbal abuse they have experienced over the years.

It comes after their shop was broken into again on Tuesday night, when a thief raided the shop’s cash register.

It happened on the only day off the couple have taken in eight months – and is the third theft this year.

Holly and Andrew Wardrop opened the shop in 2014. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

Mr Wardrop said he is still “in shock” .

He said: “Me and my wife work every single day. To come in after our only day off in eight months to find our shop’s been broken into is just shocking.

“We’re now on the teetering edge about if we decide to continue the business.

“Along with abuse we’ve received from customers, we’ve had two thefts from the building this year alone, and obviously now this.

“We’re going to give it until Christmas to see how we feel.”

The thief entered the building by breaking through a side window which knocked down racks and resulted in damage to stock and the building.

The money within the cash register – around £60 – was pocketed.

The couple also need to pay additional costs for an engineer to do security checks.

Ardgay couple say community support has been ‘fantastic’

The couple previously closed the shop’s cafe permanently due to the level of verbal abuse they were receiving.

Mr Wardrop was quick to say the support from the community has been “absolutely fantastic”, particularly after this recent break-in.

“They’ve all offered to help and to do anything they can to help us,” he said.

The couple say they always try to go “the extra mile” for customers whether that’s assisting with technology problems, helping to find accommodation, or merely just being there to talk to.

Raised in Surrey, Mr Wardrop spent 25 years in retail before deciding to make the move to Ardgay.

Speaking to the P&J previously, he said: “My sister Victoria called to say that she and her husband, Paul, were going to build a new business unit on some spare land next to their business in Ardgay.

Adam Wardrop said he is ‘in shock’ after Tuesday’s break-in. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

“The thought of leaving secure, well-paid jobs and that I had just been promoted to then set up and run a small business in a remote and fragile community was daunting.”

However, they decided that there was a gap in the market for a shop and cafe in Ardgay so they decided to make the move.