PRITCHETT'S is gearing up for the busy festive period at its new location - after a move out of the city centre which it says has exceeded all expectations. 

The team made the decision to leave the city centre - which had been the company's home for more than 150 years - in November last year.

Father and son team Mark, 61, and Charles, 34, blamed access issues for its deliveries and suppliers, as well as other issues such as the cost of parking for its customers. 

Now, the business is going from strength to strength in its new store - which it owns. It had previously rented the building on Butcher Row. 

Salisbury Journal: L-R: Harvey Cuff, Mark Aldridge, Steve Vaughan and Charles AldridgeL-R: Harvey Cuff, Mark Aldridge, Steve Vaughan and Charles Aldridge

Speaking exclusively to the Journal, Charles said they should've made the move years ago. 

"It was a massive decision to move, but it has been better than we could have imagined. All the regulars have pretty much followed us here, and we have gained a whole new regular clientele that we never had before, and some of those have said they never used us in the middle [of the city]", he said. 

Salisbury Journal: Pritchett's Butchers, Paxton Business Centre,Pritchett's Butchers, Paxton Business Centre,

Free parking right outside the front of the new unit has helped gain this new clientele. 

Charles said: "Everything happens for a reason, but now that we are here, we knew cutting the overheads would help and we are lucky to have a very loyal customer base, but it has massively exceeded our expectations.

"It is busier here than it used to be in town, which we never thought would happen". 

New to the Churchfields store is the dry-ageing cabinet and the vegetable selection, which Charles said they had always wanted to introduce in the previous location, but they never had the space. 

Salisbury Journal: The vegetable selection is a new option for Pritchett's customersThe vegetable selection is a new option for Pritchett's customers

They even had a customer recently who came in just to buy vegetables. 

But the big success of the new shop is the dry-ageing cabinet. 

Charles said: "People are really loving the steaks. The dry-ageing cabinet has been phenomenal, Since having the cabinet, we've never sold so much steak".

Salisbury Journal: Dry ageing cabinet, Prichett'sDry ageing cabinet, Prichett's

The increasing success of the business, boosted by supplying Salisbury's new chophouse Hixon, has meant it has frozen prices on a large number of items in its Christmas range. 

Charles said: "There are one or two items that I just had to put up in price, but everything else we have kept the same, which is what we wanted to do as a thank you to everyone who has supported us and keeping us going."

Orders are coming in thick and fast ready for the Christmas period, but the team are ready. 

"This is probably the most organised we have been in the lead-up to Christmas", says Charles. 

Pritchett's Butchers can be found at 3, Paxton Business Centre, Whittle Road, or pritchettsbutchers.co.uk.