A CENTURIES-OLD department store has opened a pop-up shop at a nearby historic estate to take advantage of the Christmas market.

Rutherfords, of Morpeth, has teamed up with Meldon Park to open a satellite branch in the cafe on the country estate.

The 166-year-old store will sell gifts, homeware items and textiles in the run-up to the festive season.

Pop-up shops have been popular in the recession, boosting the economy by filling spare retail space.

Rutherfords’ managing director Richard Rutherford and wife Jane were offered the opportunity to open the shop by Emily Cookson, who owns and manages the kitchen garden on the estate, which has been in the Cookson family since it was built in 1832.

Cookson said: “I’m new to business but there are people out there with huge knowledge and experience so I decided to approach Jane and Richard.

“I didn’t want to make a huge outlay for Christmas stock and then have it left over, so allowing Rutherfords to have a satellite business made perfect business sense.”

Richard Rutherford said: “Businesses that try something new and reach out to a new customer base are the ones who will come out of recession strongest.”