£135m Wigan Galleries regen project rebranded ‘Fettlers’
The redevelopment of the council-owned shopping mall in the town centre has a fresh moniker, which references the area’s industrial heritage and work ethic.
Cllr David Molyneux, Leader of Wigan Council, explained the reasons behind renaming the project Fettlers.
“A fettler was someone who worked with metal and pottery, industries with a strong history here in our area,” he said.
“[The name] Fettlers harks back to our heritage, evoking Wigan’s history, celebrating our unique identity, and looking towards its bright future.”
Work on the first phase of the regeneration of the former Galleries project is underway. Plans from the council and developer Cityheart include a 90,000 sq ft market hall, food court 144-bed Hampton by Hilton. More than 400 homes will follow in later phases.
As construction progresses on site, work has been ongoing behind the scenes to come up with a name befitting a project with the potential to transform the town centre.
Molyneux said the Galleries rebrand was carried out with consultation with local people.
Planning permission for the redevelopment of the Wigan Galleries shopping centre site was granted in 2021. Credit: via Inform Communications
“In Wiganese, our proud local dialect, fettlin’ means to make, fix and mend or you can be ‘in fine fettle.’ We have worked really closely with our local community to find a name that really meant something to the people of Wigan.
“We heard from them the name had to speak to our values. We are authentic, inclusive and proud people. This name and brand celebrates our history, our values and looks towards our bright future of crafting, grafting, dreaming, fettlin’ and making things happen.”
Rebrands often divide opinion. Bruntwood SciTech’s decision to start calling ID Manchester Sister was a divisive one, while the internet almost exploded last year when Jaguar dared to freshen things up with a new logo. More recently, news that the WH Smith brand is set to disappear from the high street altogether has upset many.
Cityheart development director Darren Jones, said he is “delighted” with the rebrand, which was conducted in-house by the council.
“[The Fettlers brand] not only tells of the history of the town but of the creative and hard-working people that make Wigan so unique,” he said.
“We are looking forward to delivering the new market hall with our construction partners Galliford Try and seeing Fettlers start to emerge.”
