Wainwrights corner shop still going strong after 103 years in town

Located opposite Queens Park health and fitness centre on Boundary Road, Wainwrights initially opened as a clothes shop in 1899 but became a newsagents after being signed over to another side of the family in 1921.

In the century that has passed, Wainwrights has become known as a trusted and welcoming spot for everyday essentials, with customers coming in for newspapers and cigarettes, or maybe some sweets, drinks, or a pint of milk.

Although the business has clearly stood the test of time, it is one that has faced difficulties as it has struggled with changing trends.

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Inside the Boundary Road newsagents (Image: St Helens Star)
Like many other newsagents and traditional businesses, it has been a battle to maintain Wainwright's sales and customer base following the rise of supermarkets and online shopping.

The general decline in cigarette and newspaper sales is another issue that has been difficult to manage, and these struggles can be clearly seen with the number of newsagents that have closed or turned into mini-supermarkets over the years.

With the business passing through the family, Rob Wainwright first started working in the shop in the 1980s and has witnessed firsthand the difficulties that face the industry after taking over from his dad around twenty years ago.

Rob and his mum at Wainwrights in the 1990s (Image: Rob Wainwright)
Rob, 58, said: "Things have been more difficult because a lot less people are buying newspapers than they used to, and we used to sell thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes but barely anyone smokes now in comparison.

"We still have people doing our paper rounds in all weathers, but again they are nowhere near the amount that we used to do. 

"We have tried different things to make it work and had stages where we opened later in the day, but then this can bring new problems such as young people hanging around the shop which stops others from coming in."

Boundary Road in the early 20th century, with the Wainwrights building on the far left (Image: St Helens Local Archives)
To help improve sales, there have been suggestions that the business should start selling alcohol but after opening the shop at 6:30am, the 58-year-old admitted he doesn't particularly want to be working the long hours that this would demand.

To keep costs down, the business also keeps a small team of Rob and his brother as the cost of living crisis has driven up prices for Wainwright's products and electricity bills.

While there have been struggles that the business has had to manage in order to survive, there has been a regular customer base that has helped to sustain the Boundary Road corner shop for more than a hundred years.

With many customers known on a first-name basis, it is this support and connection to the community that Rob hopes can sustain Wainwrights for the next hundred years in St Helens.

Wainwrights Newsagents, on Boundary Road (Image: St Helens Star)