THE wife of a popular Cardenden businessman who passed away earlier this year, has given up her career to carry on her husband’s legacy and ensure his business continues to thrive.

Yvonne Peacock worked as an estate agent for 20 years, but after her husband Paul sadly passed away in April, she was determined to keep his Cardenden based company, Fife Carpet Mill, a success.

With support from Business Gateway Fife, Yvonne is now running the company and her team of three are committed to making sure the 17-year-old business continues to grow in future.

Yvonne said: “Paul was a carpet fitter and built Fife Carpet Mill from scratch.

"He loved the company and his staff and a local, independent business surviving these last 17 years is definitely something to be proud of.

"When Paul passed away, I knew I didn’t want Fife Carpet Mill to close, not only did I want to carry on Paul’s legacy but I wanted to ensure that people’s jobs were safe. We have a loyal customer base and I felt that we still had a lot to offer."

Added Yvonne: “We’re a team of three and we have a group of self-employed carpet fitters that we use to go out to customers in Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Anstruther, Cupar, Kirkcaldy and surrounding areas.

"We pride ourselves on our customer service which focuses on personal touch and we believe this has played a huge part in our longevity. Business Gateway’s help will allow me to put my own stamp on the business and take it forward.”

Initially the shop, in Derran Drive, sold roll ends and limited roll stock of carpets and vinyl until then it expanded to now offering 72 ranges as well as two, three and four metre vinyl roll stock. As well as now stocking rugs and laminates, Fife Carpet Mill is looking to expand into the Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) market.

With accounts with all leading manufacturers, the shop which is open seven days a week, has also had its entrance refreshed recently. Yvonne is also working to update the company’s digital output with a new website and improved Facebook page which she hopes will attract more customers from all over Fife.

She added: “Business Gateway’s DigitalBoost support has been great in helping us with our new website which we hope will give us a better presence online and hopefully expand our geographical reach as well as reminding locals what we can offer.

"This is a competitive market but we’re confident that these small changes, our fantastic team and our unrivalled customer service will help us build on Paul’s success and we can carry on for another 17 years and more.”

Catherine Bartle, Business Gateway Adviser said: “Although Yvonne had been around the business with her husband for many years, this was the first time she would be running one and our support enabled her to make that transition a bit smoother.

"Yvonne is a big believer in empowering her workforce and she’s keen to train and develop her staff from within, so we gave her advice on HR matters and now she’s taking advantage of our DigitalBoost scheme to improve her digital skills.”