» Crompton Place to close its doors for last time today

The watch repair shop, TimePiece, has been situated in Crompton Place for 19 years and is the final operating business left in the shopping centre, which was built in 1971.

Crompton Place was purchased by Bolton Council for £14.8m in 2018.

Speaking to The Bolton News the manager of TimePiece Steven Warren thanked his loyal customer base for their continued support of the business since moving to the unit in 2006.

Robert (left) and Steven (right) have been working at TimePiece since it moved to Crompton Place in 2006. (Image: Leah Collins) He said: “We have been here in Crompton Place for 19 years now, we’ve seen other businesses come and go in the time that we’ve been situated here.

“We’re the last tenants standing, apart from those along the front of the store facing Victoria Square. It’s sad really, we’re a family business but we hope to find another location in Bolton so that we can continue to operate.

The watch and jewellery repair shop hopes to move to another site in Bolton. (Image: Leah Collins) “I want to give a massive thank you to all our loyal customers for their support over the last 20 years or so. We appreciate it, we have lots of nice, pleasant and loyal customers and we appreciate their service.

“Our customers have really kept us going.”

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Demolition of Crompton Place is expected to begin in the summer to make way for a new development that the council envisages will be made up of a mixed-use scheme.

The flagship regeneration project could include food and drink outlets, offices, more than 270 car parking spaces and even rooftop football pitches.

Crompton Place will close its doors for good later today. (Image: Leah Collins) A £250m planned revamp of the site was scrapped after the coronavirus pandemic meant the scheme was no longer viable.

The rise in online shopping has resulted in the closure of multiple shops in Bolton town centre.

Earlier this year, high street bank Halifax announced that it was closing its doors, just days after NatWest announced it was also quitting the town.

The closure was described as a ‘body blow’ to Bolton’s once bustling retail sector.

That loss was compounded earlier this week when Lloyds, around 100 metres away on the same street, said it would also close on May 28 this year.

The regeneration scheme of Crompton Place is set to begin in summer. (Image: Leah Collins) Popular retailer WHSmith also closed its doors at its Crompton Place location for good last month after decades of business.

Bolton Council’s website states: “The successful delivery of the Crompton Place scheme is also expected to be a catalyst for further private-sector investment in other areas of the town centre.

“Crompton Place is the key project in the wider regeneration masterplan developed by Bolton Council, which has already delivered a number of schemes in the town centre and beyond.”