THE home of the iconic mustard brand Colman’s could be closed and its archives transferred to Wirral.

The Colman’s Mustard Shop, in the city of Norwich, has become a tourist attraction, but a review being carried out by its owners Unilever could see the shop closed down.

The local paper in Norwich has launched a campaign over fears that the shop’s collection of historical Colman’s memorabilia could end up in storage at the Unilever site, in Port Sunlight.

The Norwich Evening News reported that, if Unilever decide, to shut the shop in the city’s Royal Arcade, the “memorabilia could go to Unilever's historical archive, which is 255 miles away in Port Sunlight”. The paper said: “Once at the archive, they may never be seen by public eyes again.”

Colman’s was founded in Norwich almost 200 years ago and has become an iconic brand with its distinctive yellow packaging.

The company was granted a Royal Warrant to supply mustard to Queen Victoria and continues to supply the Royal household.

It was in 1973 that the Colman’s Mustard Shop in Norwich was first opened, later transferring to its current location in Norwich’s Royal Arcade.

Michael Nutt, managing director of VisitNorwich, said they were “very aware” of the review being carried out by Unilever into the shop’s future, but “remain hopeful it will stay in Norwich where it belongs”.

He said: “Colman’s is one of our most famous Norwich brands, albeit part of the Unilever global portfolio.”

Last night, a spokesman for Unilever said: “The review into the future of the Colman’s Mustard Shop is still ongoing.

“The review takes into consideration what action would be required to archive the history of Colman’s Mustard, should the decision be taken to close the shop.”

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