Peter Harrington, co-owner of Harrington & Hallworth, has described his delight at opening the company’s first boutique in central Manchester.
The business, run by Mr Harrington and Alf Hallworth, already operates prestige watch and jewellery stores in the Manchester satellite towns of Wilmslow and Ashton-under-Lyne.
Mr Harrington remembers walking down King’s Street in Manchester as a boy and marvelling at the beauty of the Boodles store there. Now, with Boodles re-locating to another position on the same street, Harrington & Hallworth has taken over the corner unit.
“My greatest pleasure is our new store is opposite Boodles, who I have known since I was fifteen years old , taking repairs to Mr Bancroft. If people say the shop is like Boodles of forty years ago, then I have achieved my goal,” Mr Harrington says.
The opening was originally held up by delays to Boodles moving to its location, but since then the shop fit has been completed ahead of schedule.
It was far from straightforward due to the exact requirements of Vacheron Constantin, Chopard and Breguet, and the constraints of working within a historic building.
“The shop design is influenced by the listed building status we are in. We used stone , bronze and walnut, this tied in with the building. The Chopard vitrines coordinate with the glass of Breguet, and the  walnut, cream and black of Vacheron Constantin , together with their golden bronze metal frames,” Mr Harrington explains.
“We are very pleased with the way it has turned out. It’s all about balance, brands need a certain amount of space , I hoped nothing would clash. Everything contrast very nicely and importantly it all flows,” he adds.
The shop fit was carried out by independent contractor Ward Williams with specialist lighting installed by Parify.
Mr Harrington is confident that there will be a market for the prestigious and expensive watches from Vacheron Constantin, Breguet and Chopard. “Manchester is such a hot spot for watches, but we were not prepared to compromise and we are delighted to of secured three of the finest brands. They each require a high degree of professional  handling, and I believe that is why we were given the agencies,” he describes.
The boutique will also have what Mr Harrington describes as “a serious jewellery offer.” The shop will have its own in house goldsmith and gemologist presenting a collection of  world class fine jewellery.
