Liverpool city centre has changed dramatically over the last few decades but one shop that many people will remember is Rapid Hardware.
The iconic shop was founded in 1971 and gradually expanded across the length of Renshaw Street, becoming one of the city’s retail landmarks.
As a family run department store, Rapid became famous for its DIY, garden and home improvement products.
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Google Street View images show what the shop used to look like back in 2008, before it moved into the George Henry Lee building in Basnett Street the following year.
In 2009, the Renshaw Street store appeared in an episode of BBC series The Apprentice, with all candidates having to pitch products to store managers.
The filming came after a producer from the show was struck by the DIY store's huge shop front, which stretched a third of a mile along Renshaw Street.
The Apprentice candidates pitched their products to store manager John Courtman, and director of operations Liz Jenkins.
Speaking to the ECHO at the time, Mr Courtman said: “A lot of the candidates’ inexperience came through. The products that they pitched weren’t that well-researched in terms of the actual store they were pitching to.
“They had not researched the background to the store and the products that we sell, in relation to what they were actually pitching. I don’t think they pitched the best products, but it makes for better television if they’re allowed to pitch items that aren’t the best of the bunch. We are very selective about the products we have in store.
“The candidates learnt that it’s a very tough market place for pitching anything that’s new, but they approached the task in a positive way with a lot of gusto and enthusiasm”.
After moving into the former George Henry Lee building in 2009, Rapid was hit hard by the recession.
It fell into administration in February 2013 after failing to agree a deal with its bank, Royal Bank of Scotland.
The company reopened three months later in the same building under a different name, Rapid Discount Outlet, with many of its former staff.
The department store expanded its product range in the new discount store but the company made losses in all three years of trading and closed in 2017.
A report published at the time suggested it was building works and a lack of car parking that helped push Rapid Discount Outlet out of business.
Today, the buildings that were home to the original Rapid store on Renshaw Street now belong to a range of different businesses, from the Four Seasons restaurant to M Box Karaoke and Rudy's on the corner of Bold Street.
Share your memories of shopping or working at Rapid Hardware on Renshaw Street in the comment below.
