From horseshoes to homeware...

Harts of Stur are thrilled to be the Main Ring Sponsors for this year’s Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show. While we are a leading retailer of cookware, kitchenware, and kitchen electricals both online and in-store, our company has deep roots in the world of agriculture.

Established in Sturminster Newton in 1919, our fourth-generation family business originally started as the town’s blacksmith, specialising in shoeing horses, repairing cartwheels, and handling general repair work. In the 1950s, we expanded into retailing agricultural ironmongery and manufacturing basic farm implements. Our products, such as yard scrapers and feed trailers, gained popularity in the UK farming community and were showcased at major county shows including the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show, the Royal Show, and the Dairy Show at Olympia. Our high-quality farm equipment even attracted Royal attention.

Today, Harts is a modern and thriving countryside department store, offering a wide range of products including DIY tools, camping gear, country fashion, work clothing, gardening items, and kitchenware. We are well known for our excellent customer service and have received several awards over the years. Additionally, visitors can enjoy a rest at our Coffee Loft, located on the first floor above the garden department, where they can savour freshly brewed coffee, cake, or a light lunch.

Our online journey began back in 1995, making us one of the first businesses to have a transactional website (it even had an article written about it in the Telegraph). Since then, we have expanded our online presence, now offering over 30,000 products from more than 250 brands. While initially specialising in kitchenware and cookware, we have recently broadened our product range to include fashion, homewares and gifting to give our online customers greater choice. Our Trustpilot profile, boasting 16,000+ reviews and a stellar rating of 4.9 out of 5, establishes us as a top-ranking player in categories such as kitchenware shop, department store, and homewares shop. Harts of Stur takes pride in being associated with the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show. Just like the show, we have grown, expanded, and adapted over the years. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!