Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Perth deli changes hands after 19 years as couple behind Fife shop take over

The new owners also run the Fig and Fromage Deli in Newport-on-Tay.

Left to right: Diane Brown, Eleanor Whitby and Ed Murdoch outside Provender Brown in Perth.
Provender Brown is being taken over by couple Eleanor Whitby and Ed Murdoch. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

The owner of Provender Brown Delicatessen in Perth is handing over the long-standing business after a 19-year stint.

Diane Brown has sold the George Street venue to husband and wife team Ed Murdoch and Eleanor Whitby.

Since Diane opened the city centre deli back in March 2005 it has gone from strength to strength, stocking more than 2,000 products from Scotland, the rest of the UK and Europe.

The business has also expanded to include an online shop and food and drink blog.

But Diane told The Courier the “time is right” to hand over the deli, adding that it has “outgrown” her.

Left to right: Diane Brown, Eleanor Whitby and Ed Murdoch outside Provender Brown in Perth.
Diane Brown handing over the keys to Provender Brown to Eleanor Whitby and Ed Murdoch. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

She said: “I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years and I just don’t have as much enthusiasm as I used to.

“There’s still so much more that can be done with the business and online is growing rapidly.

Perth deli owner hands over business

“It needs people who have got the energy and vision to take that forward.

“It’s bittersweet. I’m delighted that Ed and Eleanor are taking it on but obviously I’m a bit sad to be leaving all our customers.”

She added: “At its heart, it has remained the same. Provender Brown has always been about great food and drink, and serving the people who love to enjoy that.

“Making the decision to sell hasn’t been easy but on meeting Ed and Eleanor, I knew I’d found the right people to lead the team – all of whom will remain – into the next stage of the business, and to carry on the legacy we’ve built.”

Provender Brown in Perth.
Inside Provender Brown. Image: Fraser Band

Ed and Eleanor are experienced in the industry and are also at the helm of Fig and Fromage Deli in Newport-on-Tay.

“We’re thrilled and honoured that Diane chose to invite us forward to take over here,” Eleanor said.

“It’s really exciting. We didn’t see it coming but we definitely wanted to do a lot more in the high street somewhere else as well.

“We had no idea that this might end up being in Perth. It’s taken us a while to get here.

“We very much want to make sure that the message is business as usual.

“We are into the loyalty and friendships with customers just the same as we are in our own shop as well.”

‘We plan to incorporate the Provender Brown brand into our own Newport deli’

Ed added: “We started as customers in Provender Brown before we had our own deli.

“We used to make special trips through here and it inspired Fromage.

“If it was a product that worked here then it was a product we might try and sell in Fromage.

“This was a natural next step for us as we look to grow the business, and we’re pleased to have secured investment that will allow this to happen.

“We plan to incorporate the Provender Brown brand into our Newport deli to strengthen the overall product.”

Left to right: Eleanor Whitby, Diane Brown and Ed Murdoch outside Provender Brown in Perth.
Husband and wife team Eleanor and Ed have taken on the popular deli. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

Diane is not sure where her future will take her.

She said: I’m planning to create a vacuum and see what comes to fruition. I’ll just enjoy life for a while.”

Diane continued: “I would like to thank all of the team members and customers who have supported us over the years, particularly Martine, who really has played a big role in making the shop what it is today.

“I wish Ed, Elle, and the team continued success – I know they will enjoy it every bit as much as I have.”

Conversation