THE owner of a local multi-award-winning producer says the closure of all his shops following his wife's disappearance has enabled him and his team to 'concentrate more' on their core business.

Lakeland Artisan, the artisan food and drink company run by husband and wife Geoff and Mary Monkman, announced the closure on December 26.

49-year-old Mrs Monkman travelled to the Loch Doon area of Ayrshire on June 16 from her home in Kendal. She has not been seen since.

The shops in Kendal, Bowness, Carlisle, Keswick and Lancaster showcased Lakeland Artisan's range of handcrafted products alongside local handmade produce.

Mr Monkman said it was with a 'very sad heart' that he was closing all the Lakeland Artisan shops in Cumbria on New Year's Eve with the shop in Lancaster already being shut down.

The businessman explained that the closure of the shops was a direct result of his wife's disappearance, with the extra pressure the shops and the warehouse placed on himself,  coupled with keeping the production side of the business still running. 

He said at the time: "We built the shops together and it's just not the same without her by my side. She is deeply missed by us all, she was my rock and my everything, there is just too much for me to cope with and keep juggling."

READ MORE: 'She was my rock' - Boss to close retail shops due to disappearance of his wife

However, the business has returned to its roots as a manufacturing business, selling to wholesale customers as well as online.

"The closure of the shops has enabled us to concentrate and focus more on our core business," said Mr Monkman.

"We have more time to develop this along white label products for our customers, so they can have their own design on our range of products."

When asked about the prosperity of the business, Mr Monkman said that January and February are 'always a slow time' to shopping.

"People have lots of our products from Christmas, and shops don't want to be ordering in these months until the weather gets a bit warmer, but the signs are looking good for a good Easter," he said.

"We had a good trade show at Junction 36 last week and lots of interest in our own labels products."

He also revealed that they are planning on launching a couple of new items, such as new soft drink flavours.