Bolton shoe shop closes its doors after 169 years

A 169 year-old shoe retailer in Bolton has become the latest victim of turmoil on the high street.

Nelsons for Shoes, which was set up in Bolton in 1842 and has been in the hands of the Solloway family for the past 53 years, closed its doors for the final time on Saturday July 16 and has now been placed into liquidation.

Kevin Lucas and Phil Wood from insolvency firm BCR have been appointed as joint liquidators of the company and all seven members of staff have been made redundant.

Mr Lucas said: “The retail environment is not exactly easy at the moment. It has struggled for the last few years because a number of other retailers have gone out of business and footfall in the surrounding area has dropped.”

He said that the store in Bridge Street lost a lot of passing trade following the closure of the former Woolworths unit. Subsequent cashflow issues reduced its ability to buy currency or stock, which meant supplies dwindled, causing further reductions in sales.

He added that other retailers had been approached with a view to taking on the unit and retaining some of the staff but no buyer could be found.

“The store has now been emptied and we’re going to try and recoup what we can,” he said.