Author Archives: buildingourpast

The London Central Meat Co. Ltd. (Baxters)

Posted on July 28, 2025 by buildingourpast

The London Central Meat Co. Ltd., renamed Baxters in the 1950s, was one of England’s biggest multiple butchery chains. Traces of its highly branded shops – ofter the simple initials ‘L. C. M. Co. Ltd.’ – can still be discovered … Continue reading →

Posted in Butchers' Shops | 1 Comment

Smith & Jones: A Brief History of W. H. Smith’s High Street Shops

Posted on July 10, 2025 by buildingourpast

After months of anticipation, the process of changing the identity of W. H. Smith’s shops to ‘T. G. Jones’ is underway. The new fascia is yet to be installed on my own local high street, where W. H. Smith continues … Continue reading →

Posted in CTN (Confectioners, Newsagents, Tobacconists) | 2 Comments

Mac Fisheries’ ‘Blue and White’ Shops

Posted on June 27, 2025 by buildingourpast

For decades, the best known and most artistic chain of fish shops in the United Kingdom was Mac Fisheries, widely advertised as ‘the blue & white shop you’ll find in town & country’. Mac Fisheries was the brainchild of William … Continue reading →

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Alexandre, Alexander the Great Tailor, and Claude Alexander ‘The Scottish Tailors’

Posted on June 16, 2025 by buildingourpast

The need for uniforms during the Great War gave multiple tailors the opportunity to develop their manufacturing facilities. Its aftermath, with a renewed demand for ‘civvies’, allowed them to build up chains of shops offering affordable ‘bespoke’ tailoring, made in … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion and Clothing | 1 Comment

Sainsbury’s Story

Posted on June 2, 2025 by buildingourpast

Sainsbury’s underwent a radical transformation from humble origins in the dairy trade to win favour in London’s polite suburbs and, eventually, become one of Britain’s favourite supermarkets. The founder, John James Sainsbury, began his career as a shopboy. Towards the … Continue reading →

Posted in Grocers, Provision Dealers and Dairies, Sainsbury's, Self-Service Shopping | Leave a comment

The Sumptuous Shops of The Mazawattee Tea Co.

Posted on May 28, 2025 by buildingourpast

Thumbing through their daily newspapers, Victorian consumers were assailed by pictorial advertisement for Mazawattee tea. Indulging nostalgia and sentiment, some featured a dear old lady enjoying tea with her granddaughter, while in others a young woman happily read the future … Continue reading →

Posted in Grocers, Provision Dealers and Dairies | Leave a comment

House of Fraser Stores

Posted on May 21, 2025 by buildingourpast

In 1927 Hugh Fraser II, the head of Fraser, Sons & Co. Ltd., died, leaving the established family business in Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, Glasgow, in the hands of his entrepreneurial son Hugh Fraser III. Over the next 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Department Stores, House of Fraser | Leave a comment

Looking Back at Beales and Bealesons

Posted on May 5, 2025 by buildingourpast

Introduction The impending closure of Beales in Poole – the last store to bear that well-known name – offers an opportunity to reflect upon the history of this important British department store group. Throughout its existence it opened (and closed) … Continue reading →

Posted in Department Stores | Leave a comment

Stores of The Debenhams Group

Posted on February 13, 2025 by buildingourpast

In 1823 the drapers Clark & Debenham of Cavendish House, Wigmore Street, London, opened a branch in Cheltenham. This precocious move did not trigger the birth of Debenhams’ store group. Instead, in 1883, the Debenham family withdrew from the Cheltenham … Continue reading →

Posted in Debenhams, Department Stores | Leave a comment

Stores of the John Lewis Partnership

Posted on January 30, 2025 by buildingourpast

The John Lewis Partnership currently (2025) operates 36 stores in the UK, mainly in England. Many of these stores occupy sleek modern buildings in shopping centres or retail parks, in marginal positions with ample parking. A dwindling minority still occupy … Continue reading →

Posted in Department Stores, John Lewis Partnership | Leave a comment