5 Darlington and County Durham 'much loved' shops we've lost

We have looked through our archives to find the shops that have left our high streets and the main shopping places that we miss.

This includes the obvious (Woolworths) but also focuses on independent shops that are exclusive to the North East. 

5 Darlington and County Durham 'much loved' shops we've lost:

Woolworths:

Perhaps starting with a straightforward - who didn't love Woolworths? 

From the pic n' mix to the fact that it seemed to sell anything and everything, people were devastated when it left the high streets of the UK.

The Darlington branch of Woolworths closed down in 2008.

The store was one of the first to close after entering into administration with Deloitte and by early January 2009 all of its stores closed down.

Other stores across the North East also closed down including Barnard Castel, Chester-le-Street, Consett, Darlington, Durham, Hartlepool, MetroCentre, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Northallerton, South Shields and Whitby.

Westgate Department Store/Beales:

Beales in Bishop Auckland (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) From a big brand to a department store - this time, one on Newgate Street in Bishop Auckland. 

Westgate Department Store was a place renowned for selling everything, with people in Bishop Auckland talking about it to this day. 

The shop, which sold clothing, homewares, and toys and had a restaurant, had been through a series of changes - which saw it first as Co-Op, then Westgate, before Beales took it over, before closing in 2016.

Dressers:

Dressers of Darlington (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Dressers announced its closure in January 2001 after accepting a conditional offer from a property developer for the company.

The 66 staff members who worked at both stores were given individual interviews and advised of their redundancy position.

The store, which sold books, maps, stationery, gifts and toys, had been in Darlington for more than 150 years.

The Northern Echo has reported extensively on people’s memories of the North East store back in 2020.

Margaret Ellerton spoke previously to The Northern Echo about her time working at Dressers, she said: “I joined Dressers for the first time in about 1962 in the store on High Row where Santander now is, and I was employed to help set up and work in the new toy department upstairs. I stayed with Dressers for about three years and then left to take up an apprenticeship in hairdressing."

Doggarts:

Doggarts had a big reach in the North East (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Doggarts, a once-thriving North East department store chain, announced an unfortunate closure in November 1980, resulting in 340 job losses.

The chain, headquartered in Bishop Auckland, served numerous mining communities.

The business had 17 different branches, run from the main Bishop Auckland store.

Throughout the 1930s, Doggarts witnessed expansion as it invested £30,000 in a new store in Gateshead.

Distinctively known for its Green Vans, Pneumatic Change dispensers, and Hand Painted Price tickets, the business in the 1970s even had its Rally Car featured in the RAC Rally.

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However, Jamie Doggart reported, "Death duties and inflation had hit the business hard, and the business was too small to bulk buy to match the big chains."

The remaining ten stores were consequently shut, with the Bishop Auckland store finally pulling the shutters down on Christmas Eve, 1980.

M&S:

An M&S store (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) While not exactly disappearing from existence like some of the other brands mentioned, M&S has closed down from a lot of the town centres of Darlington and County Durham over the years. 

This includes the M&S store on Northgate in Darlington and Silver Street in Durham, as well as the one on Newgate Street in Bishop Auckland.

This strategy from M&S has seen it change to favour stores in retail parks and food stores opening up instead of the big city and town centre offerings. 

While we can still visit M&S as a brand, not having that presence on the high street makes it feel like a loss for many.