Hancock & Wood, the Warrington family-run department store founded in 1914, is set to close after 112 years on the town’s high street. Multiple outlets report that the business is owned and operated by the Hancock family and has been run by the same family for more than a century, described as being in its fourth generation.
The store is expected to shut its doors next month, according to reporting on its planned closure. The outlets attribute the decision to pressures facing traditional retailers, including competition from online shopping, increased costs such as business rates, and the impact of retail parks. Together, these factors are described as undermining the store’s ability to continue operating in its current high-street location.
The reports present the closure as the end of a long-running local business, with no indication of a change of ownership or a relocation, and focus on the wider challenges confronting independent department stores.
