Bolton town centre has been dealt a blow as ANOTHER big  high street name is set to close its store.

WH Smith has posted closing down notices in its windows and its future in the town centre hangs in the balance.

A member of staff said the closure was due to the demolition of Crompton Place Shopping Centre.

They said: “Everything is pointing to us not reopening elsewhere, but I don’t know for sure – I live in hope, I live in hope.”

They told The Bolton News that the closure date was either February 14 or 15..

They said: “We’ve had two different dates but we reckon it will be the 15th.”

Earlier this year WH Smith announced plans to close its sale shop.

Bolton has a WH Smith in Bolton interchange hub.

A 30 per cent off sale is now on the store on Victoria Square.

READ MORE: Demolition of Crompton Place Shopping Centre expected in summer

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 WH Smith will be the latest big name to close a store in Bolton, with Marks and Spencer shutting its store in April of last year and Clinton’s Cards also leaving the town centre in 2023.

Cllr Nick Peel, leader of Bolton Council, said that the council is working with WH Smith to try and find a new premises.

He said: “We would obviously like them to remain in Bolton town centre and we will keep on working with them to see if we can accommodate their needs.

(Image: Newsquest)

“Like a lot of retail stores, the current premises are probably too big for their needs.

“We want the new Crompton Place to have a mixed use – residential, eating, leisure and retail… more open spaces so that the current footprint will look completely different in the next few years.”

The Crompton Place shopping centre was bought by Bolton Council in 2018 with plans to demolish the building and redevelop the area.

Since then a number of businesses have relocated including SpecSavers, The Works and Primark set to move into the Market Place in a matter of weeks.

However, there is still not a developer in place yet although the council hopes to have a contractor in place before demolition begins.

The former Marks and Spencer building in Deansgate is still lying empty, after the closure due to “changing shopping habits”.

Marks and Spencer had been a presence in Bolton since 1892.

Crompton Place’s flagship store Primark will be leaving the centre later this month, moving into the former Debenhams location in Market Place.

The Crompton Place shopping centre opened in 1971 as an Arndale Centre, but was renamed in 1989 after Samuel Crompton, the Bolton-born industrialist.

It contains 46 units, but few contain shops today as retailers await its demolition, which is expected to begin this summer.

Now one from WH Smiths headquarters responded to a request from The Bolton News for comment.