Leather Satchel Company to close flagship store and relocate
The Leather Satchel Company has revealed it will close its flagship Royal Albert Dock Liverpool store later this month, and move to a new location.
The 55-year-old company, which is the UK’s oldest satchel maker and whose fans include the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has its sights currently set on a new city centre location in the heart of Liverpool’s retail district. It hopes to confirm this in the coming weeks and it comes after five years as a firm favourite at the Dock.
The current shop and workshop at the Dock will close on Thursday, September 30, for the last time.
Keith Hanshaw, owner, said: “We are very proud of the time we have spent at the Dock and like to think that we played a part in its recent growth as a popular leisure destination.
“After five years, we’ve agreed on a move to a new location, this time in the heart of the city’s shopping district. Of course the pandemic has hit high streets hard worldwide, but if any city can survive, it’s Liverpool, and we want to be part of its comeback.
“Today the high street is all about customer experience as it competes with online. Shoppers are looking for more reasons to leave their computer screens and venture into the city centre. Leather Satchel Company has always been about giving customers that personal experience – and we feel we can bring something truly unique and special to the city centre.”
The business started out as a chance order of 200 school satchels, but founder and Keith Hanshaw’s uncle, Steve Hanshaw, quickly turned a market stall hobby into a thriving business and a Liverpool institution. Fans include royalty, Freddie Mercury, Oasis and TV star Fearne Cotton among others.
