Business owner sees 'massive change' after decades at Wizzard cards

These are the thoughts of Denise Briscoe, who first joined the team at Wizzard Cards and Gifts in the late 1990s, back when the Ormskirk Street store had three floors of stock and had busy passing trade.

However, as the closure of Wilko comes after years of battling with retail parks and online shopping, Denise admitted that business has "never been as bad as this".

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Inside the town centre card and gift shop (Image: St Helens Star)
Denise, who took over as business owner five years ago, said: "When I first started here, the shop was absolutely booming and the town itself was thriving.

"The shops were full and the pubs were packed, so there has been a massive change and it is a real shame.

"We were getting by before, but once Wilko left [on Cotham Street] it really has died a death.

"We do get our regulars who come in from all over the North West, but these are mainly elderly people who only come out to town once a month, and we don't get much passing trade or new customers."

The store specialises in cards and gifts for special occasions (Image: St Helens Star)
Supplying a wide range of cards for special occasions, fancy dress outfits, gifts, and memorabilia, Wizzard has been a treasured part of St Helens town centre for more than four decades.

Taking over the business around five years ago after the previous owner became ill, Denise now works with her sister Sue but the pair said that the loss of Wilko is just one of the struggles facing town centre businesses.

The sisters claimed that the cost of living crisis, a lack of shopping options, anti-social behaviour, and a lack of police presence often discourages people from coming to the town centre, which inevitably has a negative effect on business.

Fancy dress options at Wizzard (Image: St Helens Star)
Aware of the difficulties facing the town centre, St Helens Council is attempting to address this with its huge £90m transformation plan.

New homes, retail and office space, a hotel and market hall are set to be built in the coming years, although Denise and Sue are not confident that the plans will benefit their business.

There is a large range of stock at Wizzard, although this has decreased over the years (Image: St Helens Star)
Denise added: "We need more shops and more opportunities for businesses in the town centre.

"There is also a lack of parking and we just aren't sure that any of these regeneration plans are going to help businesses like ours. We have had reduced business rates from the council but we haven't had anyone coming in and properly explaining the plans to us.

"Things can be really difficult, but we do have our regular customers, and we just have to take each day as it comes."