Whites Sports calls ‘full time’ on trading in town centre after 113 years!

AFTER 113 years of trading in Warrington town centre Whites Sports is blowing the full-time whistle.
Current owner Susan White said: “It’s now time for me to retire and spend more quality time with my family and friends. I’m
looking forward to getting out in my garden this summer and being able to have time off to hopefully watch Warrington Wolves win the Challenge Cup and Grand Final.”
She said it hadn’t been an easy decision to call it a day but it has become increasingly difficult to compete with website based shops and the out of town multiples.
“One hundred and thirteen years is quite an achievement to sustain any family business and behalf of all the White family I’d like to say a huge thank you to all our past and present customers, staff and fellow traders that have been loyal and good friends to Whites Sports Shop over the years. ”
Adam White, Susan’s youngest son added: “We may be leaving the town centre but will still be trading and sharing our 113 year
heritage online at www.whitessports.com. The website will allow customers to continue to purchase their favourite flags, darts, bowls and snooker accessories from Whites Sports.”
Established in 1901 on Sankey Street by Mr J.E. White the shop was officially opened by Warrington Rugby League clubs top try scorer of the time, Jackie Fish.
Over the years the Wire used the Whites Sports shop window to display their silver wear to the people of Warrington. This included the Challenge Cup in 1905, 1907, 1950, 1954 and 1974. The cup made it’s the long awaited return to Whites Sports Shop in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
In 1974 most of Sankey Street was demolished to make way for Golden Square. Since then Whites Sports have been trading from their shop in Warrington Market.
For the past 113 years four generations of the White family have owned and run the shop along with sponsoring many local cricket, snooker, darts, football and rugby competitions and community events.
From the late 1960’s to the mid 1980’s they also had shops in Stockton Heath, opened by Liverpool and England ‘66 world cup winner Roger Hunt
and Knutsford (opened by rugby league legend Alex Murphy.
Meanwhile In celebration their 113 years of trading as a family business in Warrington, of which 40 years have been in Warrington Market Whites Sports have resurrected the 1974 ‘Whites Sports Darts Trophy Challenge’.
On March 15 between 12.00 – 3.00pm customers young and old, past and present are invited to come along and try and win a range of sporting prizes and trophies. If you’re lucky you might even get drawn to play against Wolfie or one a Warrington Wolves players from the past 4 decades that have agreed to come along to the celebration event.
Last year Whites Sports were invited to enter the Guinness World Records as the ‘Worlds Oldest Family Run Sports Shop’. The judges are now doing their final investigations whilst assessing the supporting evidence. The White family are now just weeks away from finding out if they have made it into the record books.
Mr J.E.White established the shop in April 1901 and eventually handed the business onto his eldest son, Norman White in 1940, who then past it onto his two sons John and Paul White in 1969.
Since losing John and Paul in 2009 and 2007, Paul’s wife Susan (68) has successfully run the business in Warrington Market.
She was a keen badminton player in the 1960’s and after marrying Paul in 1969 became a big Wires fan and took up competitive fencing during the 1970’s. She was then an aerobics instructor across the town during the 1980’s and in more recent years she has taken up yoga, pilates and aqua aerobics and was joined by several Samoan Rugby World Cup players in 2013.
Fourth generation family member Adam White with help from brother, Roger and cousin Nick White have been busy helping Susan organise the closure and also take the shop online in recent months. They are really keen to capture stories, memories and pictures of Whites Sports over the years. If you would like to share a photo or story about the shop either visit their Facebook page or drop them an email at [email protected]

White’s Sports on Sankey Street in 1964