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Retailing |
There was more to Warrington than heavy industry and the prosperity of the town for 1000 years had depended heavily upon retailing and commerce. We know that there were shops, that is permanent premises for retail, in Warrington by the late 16th century. The history of the market can be traced back to the 13th century, but it is thought that there was a market in Warrington for several hundred years more than this. |
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Family run shops like this one were common in Warrington by the end of the 19th century. The owners, often in business for several generations, enjoyed high status and an established place in local society. |
| Warrington's modern centre as we know it today was taking shape over 400 years ago, based on the four streets meeting at Market Gate, where the large fountain is today. By the end of the 19th century Warrington had become one of the key commercial and retailing centres in the north-west. In the 1891 census almost 1500 people were enmployed in 'selling' of some sort or another. The retailing secotr accounted for around 12 per cent of the town's workforce with a substantial proportion of female workers. In fact working in a shop, despite the long hours, was an attractive prospect for many women compared with working in heavy industry or domestic service. |
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The chain store Woolworth's came to Sankey Street in 1913 (image ref: GTT015) click here to order this image |
During the mid-20th century the family-run firms found it more and more difficult to compete with the larger, chain stores such as Woolworth's, Boots and Marks and Spencer's. There were two Boots stores in Warrington by 1908. Some local firms, such as Hancock & Wood, adapted and introduced the principle of the department store, but by the 1950s many others were finding it hard to survive. |
| Warrington was also one of the first towns in the country where out of town shopping centres were built in the 1970s and these looked set to threaten the survival of town centre shops. The focus for retailing has once again returned to the centre in recent years with the regeneration of central areas of the town with new apartment living. |
| Read one woman's account of working as a shop assistant in Woolworth's in Warrington |
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