AN AWARD-winning jewellery shop that has been based in York for more than three decades is opening another shop just a few doors down.

Berry’s Jewellers, currently based in Stonegate, has bought another retail property on the corner of Stonegate, opposite Bettys Café Tea Rooms, which will become a second watch and jewellery showroom for the company when it opens this summer.

The shop will replace the upmarket beauty and giftware retailer Crabtree and Evelyn, which had previously been trading from the Stonegate site for the past 25 years.

Work has already started on a £500,000 refurbishment of the new store.

A spokesman for the company said it hoped the shop will be open by July.

The new store will include a large Omega shop, alongside space for a selection of watch companies such as Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Blancpain and Berry’s Fine Jewellery Collection.

The store will be on the same street as Berry’s original York boutique, which has been open for 30 years and has Patek Philippe as its anchor brand.

Simon Walton, Berry’s managing director, said: “It’s a wonderful site and we are delighted to own such a prestigious location.

“We believe with the opening of another Berry’s shop, every major watch brand is now available in one street in the wonderful city of York.

“It remains one of the main tourist destinations in the UK and we have built up a loyal local clientele over many years.”

Along with the ground floor showroom, the new Berry’s boutique will also have a VIP room upstairs with views over St Helen’s Square.

Mr Walton added: “We have been looking for another location in York for a couple of years and jumped at the chance when this became available.”