Liz Kemp, who owns shops Kemps General Store and Kemps Books in Malton, and Kemps on the Coast in Whitby – winner of The Greats 2020 Independent Gift Retailer of the Year: North & Northern Ireland category – was one of the business owners featured on last night’s BBC 1 Panorama (December 1) ‘Business on the Brink’.
The programme, a candid film about the challenges faced by many businesses in North Yorkshire who are threatened by their customers being taken away by the Covid-19 pandemic, had been following businesses in the region since the summer, across both lockdown periods.
Liz’s shop, Kemps on the Coast in Whitby, first featured when non-essential shops were beginning to re-open after the first lockdown in June. The filming continued in August when Liz extended into the nextdoor shop in her Malton location to create a larger gift shop and expand her book offer, creating Kemps Books, which opened on October 1.
Filming in November includes Liz preparing to shut her newly expanded shop again for the second lockdown. The programme closed with Liz preparing to re-open today (December 2).
Comments Liz: “The BBC has given an open and sensitive reflection of owning and running independent businesses in the north of England in these unprecedented times. My commentary was an honest opinion of how hard it has been, the challenges myself and my partner Jonathan have had to overcome, and our resilience and commitment to keeping both shops running. The filming was a challenge in itself, but I hope many small businesses can find some optimism in this current situation. I send all the business owners that took part my best wishes for the future. We are a diverse group, but our passion for our businesses is shared.”
The programme was presented by BBC’s reporter Richard Bilton and produced by Matt Bardo.
Panorama: ‘Business on the Brink’ can be watched on BBC iplayer. Visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pz51
Top: Liz Kemp, owner of three Kemps stores, was featured on BBC1’s Panorama last night (December 1).
