SHOPPERS were this week hit with the news that Bolton's Topshop store is set to close later this year.

The decision left many frustrated but it's not the first time that a major brand has disappeared from the town's high street.

Here we look at ten big names of the past that you won't find in the town these days.

The Bolton News:

Woolworths

Woolworths was one of Britain's most loved shops and had a heritage of nearly 100 years on the nation's high streets.

But in 2008 - in the midst of the global financial crisis - the company dropped into administration and was forced to closed all of its stores.

The Bolton branch, found at Britannia House, in Deansgate, had been trading in the town for almost a century but was one of 806 Woolworths stores across the country which were ultimately closed.

These days the brand can only be found online at www.woolworths.com.

The Bolton News:

Beales

Most people in Bolton remember Beales department store as being one of the landmark shops in the town centre.

The iconic store, formerly called Whitakers, opened on November 7, 1907.

But, signs went up in the windows of Beales in July 2016, informing customers that it will be shutting down, with plans to cease trading the following January.

At the time, company bosses explained that they were disappointed to be closing the Bolton store, but said difficulties had arrived after the landlord of the main building went into administration.

The iconic building was sold for £800,000 in an online property auction a few months later in October.

The Bolton News:

BHS

British Home Stores (BHS) has been seen as one of the great victims of the collapse of the traditional British high street.

The Bolton branch sat proudly with its entrance fronting onto Victoria Square.

But, in 2015 the company fell on hard times and owner Sir Philip Green made the decision to sell up.

Following a tough few years BHS was sold to Retail Acquisitions Ltd led by the serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell for the nominal price of £1.

In April 2016, just 13 months after the purchase by Retail Acquisitions, the company entered administration following unsuccessful attempts to continue trading and it began to close its stores across the nation.

More recently, Bolton's BHS store has been transformed into the setting for a number of popular TV shows.

The Bolton News:

Prestons

The jewellers was one of Bolton’s most iconic shops until it closed its doors after nearly 150 years of trading in the town.

Prestons of Bolton jewellery store was often referred to as the ‘Diamond Centre of the North’.

The store had been a fixture in the town centre since 1869 when it was founded by goldsmith James Preston.

However, in August 2016, after battling with growing online companies and a shrinking high street economy, Prestons closed its doors for good.

The Bolton News:

Crawshaws

Crawshaws may not have been as iconic as some of the other names on this list but it was a popular shop for those looking for a bite to eat.

Unfortunately, the company - which operated factory shops as part of a wider butchers business - fell into administration in November 2018.

The butchers announced that more than 600 jobs would be at risk at 50 stores around the country.

And, this included the one popular shop in Newport Street, which is now gone.#

The Bolton News:

Starbucks

This story is somewhat different to the other shops in the town centre.

The outlet was one of the first stores to open in the Marketplace Shopping Centre and spent 11 years trading.

But just last year, company bosses decided to shut Starbucks down as part of their own long term strategies.

The decision was met with confusion from both customers and staff, including manager Timothy Firth who had worked there for nine years.

He spoke to The Bolton News at the time and said: “We were shocked because we’ve had a really good couple of years with sales and things but it just comes down to the long-term future of the store. It did come completely out of the blue though.”

The Bolton News:

Bolton Post Office

Bolton's town centre Post Office was on the high street for 102 years.

However, in August 2018 it fell victim to the downsizing which can be seen around the country.

National bosses made the call to move the office from its iconic Deansgate home into a smaller unit in Oxford Street.

Now, the new store is up and running and the old Post Office is just a memory.

The Bolton News:

HMV

HMV was another of the key brands hit by the global financial crisis.

The music and DVD retailer, famed for its Nipper the Dog logo, closed in March 2013 after its final day of trade.

Ten staff with between three and 10 years’ service, lost their jobs as Bolton's branch became one of 37 stores added to a list of closures.

Overall 103 HMV shops closed with the loss of 1,500 jobs, some managed to struggle on but these days HMV is much less common a name than it once was.

The Bolton News:

Burton and Dorothy Perkins

Burton and Dorothy Perkins were a pair of shops that could be found on the corner of Bolton's Market Street.

The clothing brands were popular with shoppers but fell victim to the same high street curse that caught many shops around 2013.

Some stores still survive but have been caught up in a raft of recent closures by Arcadia, the same company which has also shut Topshop.

Most recently the unit housed Utopia Womenswear but now stands up for let.

The Bolton News:

Mothercare

Mothercare could be found in Bolton just off Victoria Square but in 2009 questions began over whether the store would be moving.

In the end, the shop's location was taken by Barclays, which moved from the Wellsprings Centre into the five-floor unit.

Mothercare owned the building at the time and bosses said they planned to find a larger location to move into but ultimately the switch would mean the end of the brand in Bolton.

Barclays move out of the Wellsprings Centre was also important as it facilitated the move of the Bolton News into the building.