Bratts: Northwich on road to recovery one year after closure

Having been a permanent fixture in the town for more than 160 years, the Gray family made the difficult decision to close the Witton Street store, but continue to operate from its branch in Nantwich. 

Initially founded in 1860, the Gray family became owners in the mid-1920s and from then on prided themselves on putting family at the very heart of everything they did.

The building is now on the market with offers in the region of almost £1 million being invited.

The former Bratts store in Northwich - Photo: Rightmove/Fifield Glyn Limited

At the time of the closure, a spokesman for the family said the decision had been 'incredibly difficult to make'.

They said: "Many people will remember visiting Bratts of Northwich as a child, shopping for gifts and enjoying afternoon tea, and the Bratts team have dedicated many years of their lives to helping other families to create warm memories under their roof.

"It’s a very sad day for Northwich, our surrounding areas and the Bratts family."

One year on, Adam Gerrard, project manager at Northwich BID, reflected on the closure, saying: "Last year was turbulent for businesses in Northwich and saw them facing many challenges, but confidence in the town is growing, with 13 new businesses opening in the past 12 months.

"The cost-of-living rising will see people looking at ways to save money.

"Shopping locally is a great way to do this. Online isn’t always cheaper and doesn’t come with the benefits of dealing with a real person.

"This year has so much to offer with many of the towns favourite free events like Now Northwich (April 30), Krazy Races (June 26), Rotary’s River Festival (July 9/10) and Pina Colada Festival (August 20) to name a few.

"If local people want to see their town continue to grow and thrive, then there is one way to achieve this – visit the town and shop local."

Northwich mayor and chair of the town centre regeneration forum, Cllr Sam Naylor, added: "We just hope someone sees some potential and has a vision for this great old building.

"Something like a bespoke hotel would seem ideal, while there's also been talk of the market going in there when Weaver Square eventually gets developed.

"It's a great building and it will have great access at the rear once we are able to finally sort out Weaver Square.

"At the time, it was looking really gloomy for that part of town but there's plenty of new tenants in the buildings that suffered floods last year too.

"So things are looking a lot more hopeful now."