Last day in the High Street for historic Wellingborough shop as owners say goodbye after 157 years

Neil Warwick, 61, is the fifth generation Warwick to have been at the Wellingborough shop, however with plans to retire, and being unable to find a buyer of the business before its scheduled closing date, the shop will close today.

Neil said: “I’m looking forward to the new venture for retirement.

"It has been absolutely fantastic the support we’ve had from customers coming in to see us from miles around. We’ve been incredibly busy as you’d expect.

"’What are we going to do when you’re gone?’ is usually what they say, and ‘where are we going to go?’, and ‘you’re letting us down by closing down’ and I said we we were still profitable and successful and well patronised but I want to retire. All things have to come to a good end.”

The business announced the closure in February this year, and followed it up with a sale which Neil says has been ‘absolutely ballistic’, though the rails are still stocked with a handful of ex-hire suits, as well as other menswear items.

Having been opened by tailor Samuel Warwick in 1868, Warwicks been passed down over the years, with Neil being at the shop for over 40 years.

While Neil has three sons, each are working outside of the industry and unable to take on the role, so for the first time in over a century and a half, the business is without a successor.

James Taylor heads up the hire department, having been at Warwicks for a decade, and admits he’ll miss the role he’s held for ten years.

He said: “It’s the end of an era.

“It’s a little bit surreal, but come Monday I’ll wake up and not have to put my shirt and tie on.

“I still hope something will come of the shop, I enjoyed working here, having started selling fashion with Neil’s brother and migrating through to running hire for the remaining years.

“I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’ll be hard to find another job like this, there aren't many with this service where you’re there with customers like this.

"We’ve always had a good rapport with customers. In hire you’ll always have repeat customers, so a lot of people have come and said goodbye.

"I really don’t know where people will get their last minute hire from, so it will be extremely difficult. As much as I’ll miss it, other people will miss it too.”

The sale remains in place today with discounts to formalwear including shoes, suits, and accessories, and Neil expects the final day to be a busy one. Currently there are no plans in place for the building, and so it is expected that it will remain vacant until a new buyer is found.

When asked what he would say to customers who have supported the shop over the years, Neil added: "Thank you for your custom, not only them but sometimes three generations of customers. I had a guy in the other day who first came into the shop in 1952 to buy his school uniform with his mum, and he’s been coming in odd times ever since.

“We’re not closing for the usual reason. We've been in this building since 1896, so most businesses close for the wrong reason but we’re simply closing because I’m retiring.

“The saddest thing is that a successful business that is profitable, we still can’t find anybody who wants to go forward and carry on with it, but maybe, you never know.”