The owner of a Lincolnshire company is in the running to be crowned as Britain's best shop owner.

Chris Isaac, owns the Sack Store, in Boston and Stamford Garden Centre, has been shortlisted for the final of the National High Street Hero Awards.

The homeware shop sells traditional and modern furniture and lighting, along with wood burning stoves, electric cookers, wall and floor tiles, and everything else needed to furnish a home.

Chris, who grew up in the county, was shortlisted after transforming his flagship Sack Store into a sustainable site with biomass heating.

He says he has bucked the national trend of declining retail sales by turning his home furnishings sites into 'destination venues' with award-winning restaurants.

"We want people to enjoy coming to our stores - to feel like they can spend hours there and enjoy the process of shopping," he said.

"We always believed great restaurants would help bring customers in and give them somewhere to switch-off while they mull over which items to go for.

"I'm lucky to have found the room to create these spaces - and even luckier to have a team that have made them happen." 

Chris Isaac

The father-of-three, who opened his first store 25 years ago and employs more than 50 staff, added that he had been impressed by the sales success of eco-friendly log burners, which have proved popular among younger customers.

"We're all from rural areas so we all support environmentally friendly ideas," he said.

"It's a team effort and it's all the staff who deserve recognition, not just me. We feel a bit shy about this nomination but we're happy to be flying the flag for Lincolnshire."

The High Street Hero Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, January 23.

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