POPULAR patisserie chain Le Petit Prince have revealed that they are to open a new shop in Winton next month.

The French-style delicatessen and bakery will be opening the doors to their fourth shop on Wimborne Road in mid-June.

Marginally bigger than its other stores on Ferndown, Westbourne and Wimborne, owners hope to be able to have room to for 12 tables indoors and a further eight outside.

Owner Michael Russell has said that plans to open a store in Winton have been in the pipeline for a number of months, but the ongoing pandemic put a halt to preparations.

He said: “We are very excited to be opening our fourth shop on Winton high street, opposite the Sturtons & Tappers store and beside Specsavers and G&TS.

“We already had plans to open the shop in Winton, but lockdown forced us to put that on hold for well over a year.

“Removing a lot of seating to follow social distancing measures obviously has a big financial impact hence the need to push forward with another shop to balance out this loss and protect the business and keep staff in jobs.”

The new shop will offer the same quality bread, savoury products and fine French patisserie that can be found in the local chain’s other three shops.

Bournemouth Echo: French-style patisserie and bakery chain Le Petit Prince will be opening the doors to their fourth shop on Wimborne Road in Winton in mid-June

Michael has said that, due to the business’ relatively small size, they were able to be flexible in their approach to the lockdown restrictions.

“Lockdown has been very challenging for us and our staff,” he added. “As a small independent family business, we have had to adapt and respond to the needs of our customers in order to survive.

“This included offering a click and collect service, home deliveries for those vulnerable or house-bound, re-designing a whole new website and part- furloughing some of the staff to safeguard every staff member job.

“The new store means bringing Le Petit Prince to a completely new Area - bringing quality food and beverages to Winton, becoming a part of this local community and working alongside other independent retailers to bring back that independent local ‘village' feel to the area, just like in our other three area.”

Bournemouth Echo: The new Le Petit Prince shop in Wintonwill offer the same quality bread, savoury products and fine French patisserie that can be found in the local chain’s other three shops

In order to be prepared for a busy summer, across their four shops, Le Petit Prince are currently looking for staff to filling a number of positions, including front of house managers, chefs and bakers.

Michael said: “The biggest challenge we face is the same as many other businesses- recruiting and retaining staff. Many people have re-evaluated their work-life balance during these challenging times and many have left hospitality for different career paths.

“We hope to attract the right staff who, with good training, may discover a love of hospitality through great quality bread and patisserie.

“For my wife, daughter and son, who are all involved in different aspects of the business, this new shop brings hope, something to look forward to after a horrible time and hopefully secures our name as an honest, reliable, quality, caring business.”