ICONIC Bolton town centre department store Beales is to close.

Signs have gone up in the windows of the former Whitakers store, informing customers that it will be shutting down and that an ‘everything must go’ sale is under way.

Staff have been told that the historic store in Deansgate will cease trading in January – and shoppers have been left devastated by the news. 

Bosses have blamed the closure on an inability to agree rental terms with the administrator after the building’s landlords went into administration.
Shoppers visiting Beales expressed their sadness at the news.

Friends Pauline Dobson and Marie McGreavy, both 78, visit the store twice each week, having first set foot in the then Whitakers building more than half a century ago.

Mrs Dobson said: “I got married 56 years ago and this was where I came to buy the material for my wedding dress.

“But now we come here twice a week to shop and also to visit the café as well — it is a social place for us.

“This is the last place that bring us into the town centre, so we will probably go to the Middlebrook now, we are gutted.”

Mrs McGreavy added: “It is very sad news, it is a very enjoyable place to shop and the staff are lovely and helpful.”

Another shopper, Mary Jackson, aged 82 from Westhoughton, said: “I am very disappointed to see yet another town centre shop closing. Bolton is becoming a dead town, full of empty places — it is just not appealing to come to now.”

The Beales group, based in Bournemouth, was founded in 1881 and last year returned to private ownership, when it was acquired by businessman Andrew Perloff.

GALLERY: 200 years of Beales as department store announces 'Everything Must Go'

In March, the group won the support of landlords to cut rents on 11 loss making stores across the country — including Bolton. But it would appear that the Company Voluntary Arrangement has not succeeded in saving the town centre store.

Stuart Lyons CBE, chairman of the Beales group, which owns the store, said: “We are very disappointed that we have to close the Beales store in Bolton. Our team has worked very hard over the past year to introduce new ranges of merchandise and to build sales. 

“We have received marvellous support from Bolton Council and the community. Unfortunately, our landlords of the main store building on Deansgate went into administration and we have been unable to agree rental terms with the administrator which would enable us to trade profitably. Consequently, with very great regret, we have to announce that the store will close after Christmas. I would like to thank all our staff for their loyalty and hard work during this challenging period.”

Originally, the famous black and white building opened under the name Whitakers in 1829 — with the name change taking place in 2011 in a bid to bring all stores under the Beales’ banner.

Ryan Carney, 27, from Harwood, worked at the shop when it was called Whitakers.

He said: “I worked in the menswear department from the age of 16 to 18, it was my first proper job and gave me a really good insight into the world of work and the staff were really nice.

“But it was more than just a shop, it was a community hub and people would come to meet and spend the day there together.

“It is an iconic town centre establishment and it is really disappointing to hear that it is closing down.”

The news of the Beales closure comes as a second recent blow to Bolton’s town centre economy, with Victoria Square store British Home Stores set to close on Sunday after 50 years in operation.

Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris, said: “It is very disappointing news that Beales will be leaving Bolton after such a long association with the town and we understand that this will be an incredibly worrying time for employees.

“We have offered to help support staff in any way we can and we will also work with local employers to help staff find new job opportunities in the borough. 

“The retail climate is difficult and we have done everything we can to help to keep the store open, which has been challenging as the Beales store has more than one landlord. We are now exploring all opportunities to try and find a new occupier for the store.”

This news comes as a second blow to Bolton’s town centre economy, with Victoria Square store British Home Stores set to close on Sunday after 50 years in operation.