WARRINGTON based Dawsons Music has become the latest victim of online buying, announcing the closure of its Sankey Street HQ, ending a 121-year-presence in the town.
As one of the UK’s oldest music retailers Dawsons Music was sold last December to the private equity company, SKG Capital Nominees.
A total of three stores will be closed by the Warrington-HQ retailer, with its Altrincham and Huddersfield shops also shutting. It now has just eight shops left, the nearest being in Chester and Manchester.
A statement from the retailer said a physical presence in the town was “no longer viable”.
It read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of this store. We have tried to maintain a presence in the town for as long as we can but it is unfortunately no longer viable.
“We would like to say thank you to all of our customers and to wish you all the very best in your future musical endeavours.”
Dawsons is the latest in a long list of high street brands to close following the growth of online shopping.
The business was founded in 1898 by piano tuner John Dawson and has had a major presence from its Sankey Street HQ, since 1914.
It was family owned until 1980 when it was purchased by David Briggs MBE, and expanded to nine stores with branches in Altrincham, Bangor, Belfast, Chester, Huddersfield, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Reading.
In 2010, Briggs was appointed Lord Lieutenant for Cheshire by Her Majesty the Queen. In 2011, Mark Taylor was appointed MD.
During the 1970s and 1980s it was the “go to” store for youngsters buying their first records in Warrington.
No closure date has been announced yet although a closing down sale is already underway.
1 Comment
Pingback: You Won't Believe How Many Empty Shops There Are In Warrington - My Blog