A SEX shop in Warrington town centre has applied to have its sex establishment licence renewed.

Boutique by Nice and Naughty has been operating as an ‘adult entertainment store’ on Sankey Street for a number of years.

It was the town's first licensed adult store when it opened on Crown Street, before moving into a modern boutique on Sankey Street 18 years later.

It has been in the unit, formerly home to an estate agent on the corner of Legh Street, since 2020.

But its continued opening requires an annual sex establishment licence to be renewed by Warrington Borough Council.

Now, the council has received an application from NNN Retail Ltd, trading as Boutique by Nice and Naughty, for this licence to be renewed.

This is under the provisions of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.

Anyone wishing to make representations about the application should make them in writing to: Licensing Section, Public Protection and Prevention, Environment and Transport, Warrington Borough Council, Town Hall, East Annexe, Warrington, WA1 1UH.

This must be done no later than December 18, with the council stating that it may not, without the consent of the objector, reveal their name and address.

In a previous article in the Warrington Guardian, owners of Boutique by Nice and Naughty said the business became a victim of its own success at its old Crown Street location.

It required the move to Sankey Street with the ‘modern-day customer demanding a more intimate, sophisticated shopping experience that a store in a railway arch cannot provide’.

A spokesman said: “We are proud to be part of the Warrington community and share the vision of equality and diversity.

“We have spent 20 years working to change the stigma and preconceived ideas of the adult retail store and have always preferred this label, but in this new era, the customer demands a boutique which is more in-line with the market we attract.

“We have worked closely with Warrington Borough Council and its licensing department to ensure the requirements of the licence we have been granted are not only met, but have been exceeded.

“After trading in the town for 20 years, we have built a loyal customer base who have been the backbone of the store along with the staff.

“Our customer loyalty was recently reinforced with the positive comments that were received during our licence application process for the Sankey Street store, with the company receiving overwhelming support from customers and businesses, many of whom demonstrated this by writing to the council in support of us.”