THE hunt is on for the face who can fight Warrington town centre's corner in an increasingly hostile shopping world.
Next month Tony Fitzgerald, the town centre manager, will step down in September after five years at the helm.
Mr Fitzgerald, who took over from Paul Rice during the summer of 1998, is set to take on a similar role for the east Lancashire towns of Blackburn and Darwen.
He has been involved in the implementation of a number of initiatives, including security radio link schemes between traders and plans to serve exclusion notices on persistent shoplifters.
In his Guardian column, he says he's confident the town centre strategy will help his patch go "from strength to strength".
Until a permanent successor can be appointed Nick White, the town centre operations manager, will take on the role on an acting basis.
Formerly the borough's head ranger, Nick has worked on town centre projects for nearly two years.
Warrington is facing increasing competition from out of town shopping parks such as Cheshire Oaks and the Trafford Centre, as well as traditional trading foes such as Chester, Liverpool and Manchester.
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