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Michael Tait on Queens and GEM: Building Asda,… buildingourpast on Queens and GEM: Building Asda,… Michael Tait on Queens and GEM: Building Asda,… Tony Bishton on Remembering Littlewoods Stores Michael McGrath on The Story of Dunn’s the H…
Search Results for: British Home Stores
British Home Stores Part 3: 1960 to 2016
The last of BHS’s war-damaged stores to be rebuilt was Bristol, where a ‘temporary’ store had traded for many years. The new building opened in 1960 on a corner site and had an attractive concave frontage with a sweeping canopy … Continue reading
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British Home Stores Part 2: the 1940s and 1950s
At the end of 1939 British Home Stores (BHS) was operating 58 stores in England and Wales. Two stores were still under construction in the early war years and one of these – in Lewisham – was requisitioned and not … Continue reading
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British Home Stores Part 1: 1928-39
British Home Stores, commonly known as ‘BHS’, was registered as a private company in London in April 1928. The exact circumstances of its foundation remain mysterious, as do the personalities involved, but the intention from the outset seems to have … Continue reading
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‘The Greatest Grocers in the World’: International Tea Company’s Stores
‘International Stores’ was a common sight on English high streets from 1878, when the first shop opened in Brentford, until 1988, when all remaining outlets were rebranded ‘Gateway’. To give the company its full name, ‘International Tea Company’s Stores’ was … Continue reading
Star Supply Stores
Stumbling across the wonderful Star Supply Stores on Lowestoft’s historical High Street – now Raphael Crafts – prompted a bit of research into this retail business. Star was one of many chains of grocers and provision dealers that thrived in English towns during the late … Continue reading
Remembering Littlewoods Stores
For much of the 20th century, the Moores family operated a number of highly profitable businesses under the ‘Littlewoods’ name, including football pools and mail-order catalogues. The most visible aspect of their lucrative empire, however, was the chain of Littlewoods … Continue reading
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The Legacy of Home & Colonial Stores
Introduction Decades have passed since large superstores asserted their dominance over the retail food market, yet attractive remnants of old grocery and provision chains can still be spotted on shopping streets throughout the UK. One of the most recognisable is … Continue reading
Dolcis: The World of Fashion at your Feet
Some of the most adventurous and exciting shoe shops of the 20th century – and especially of the 1950s – belonged to Dolcis. Once ubiquitous but ultimately ephemeral, scant trace of these can be found on the present-day high street. … Continue reading
Posted in Shoe Shops
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Queens and GEM: Building Asda, 1965-1970
When Asda (capitalised as ASDA from 1985) came into being in 1965 the grocery and provisions trade was undergoing a radical transformation throughout the British Isles. Small counter-service shops were gradually being superseded by self-service ‘supermarkets’, defined as having a … Continue reading
Posted in ASDA, Grocers, Provision Dealers and Dairies
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Buttercup Dairy Company
A Potted History of the Buttercup Dairy Co. Ltd. The Buttercup Dairy Co. devised one of the most artistic and coherent retail house styles to be found on Scottish high streets in the 20th century. The shops of few other … Continue reading
Building Our Past 