Chesterfield tea and coffee merchants heartened by support after business vandalised

The director of a Chesterfield based tea and coffee merchant says he has been heartened by the messages of support after the business was vandalised.
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On March 30, between 7.30am and 8.30am, staff at Northern Tea Merchants on Chatsworth Road found that a rock had been thrown at the door, smashing the glass.

Director James Pogson said that although the mindless vandalism was a blow in such difficult times, the business has since been flooded with hundreds of positive comments and messages.

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Northern Tea Merchants blends, roasts and packs tea and coffee on-site, which is distributed nationally to care homes, hospitals, supermarkets and thousands of homes.

The damage to the doorThe damage to the door
The damage to the door

Mr Pogson says the coronavirus outbreak has already closed down round 50 per cent of the business, and the vandalism was a further blow.

“It’s a real shame, and my heart goes out to every business that that has had to close.

“We have had some very nice comments from customers, and it’s a lovely positive feeling. We’re strong and we will bounce back.

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“The majority of businesses will come back bigger and stronger.

“We’ve had hundreds of comments to support us – I hope the police catch who did this, and they have bigger things to deal with.

“It’s very sad that someone would do something like this at this time, but every cloud has a silver lining, and that’s the support we have been shown.”

Mr Pogson also has a message for other businesses that have had to close their operations due to the coronavirus outbreak: “Be strong, keep safe, and we will beat this.”