Bentalls

Last updated

Bentalls plc
Company type Unlisted public company
IndustryRetail
Genre Department Store
Founded1867
FounderFrank Bentall
Headquarters Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
Key people
Leonard Edward Rowan Bentall (Chairman 1968-78, President 1978-93)
Parent Fenwick
Website www.bentallcentre.co.uk

Bentalls was a British department store chain based in Kingston upon Thames. The well regarded department store began as a drapery shop, founded by Frank Bentall in 1867. The business expanded significantly throughout the 20th century and operated a group of department stores in southern England. The company was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange, but in 2001 was purchased by the private Fenwick group. The Kingston upon Thames store remained as the only store to operate under the Bentalls name until 2023, when it was changed to Fenwick.

Contents

History

Bentalls was established in 1867 by Frank Bentall who purchased a drapery shop in Kingston upon Thames. The principal buildings of the Kingston store were completed in 1935 to a design by architect Maurice Webb (son of Sir Aston Webb) and inspired by Wren's design for Hampton Court. The fine stonework on the façade was the work of Eric Gill. Between 1935 and 1976 it was the UK's largest department store outside central London.

The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1946, but the Bentall family retained a controlling interest.

Bentalls established their first branch store in 1947 when the Worthing department store of Bentall & Sons [1] was acquired from family cousins who had decided to retire. The Worthing business was significantly extended with the purchase of the Jordan & Cook furniture store in later years.

The Ealing department store of Eldred Sayers & Son was acquired in 1950. Mary Lee of Tunbridge Wells was purchased a decade later.

Rowan Bentall, grandson of founder Frank Bentall, became chairman in 1968. Under his ten-year stewardship the group's turnover more than doubled from £14.5 million to £35.1 million. [2] Developments during this time included the opening of a new purpose-built department store at Bracknell in 1973.

Further profitable stores were later opened in Tonbridge (1982) and Lakeside (1995).

The Bentall Centre

In 1987, work began on a major shopping centre development in Kingston, in collaboration with Norwich Union. [3] The present Bentalls department store opened in July 1990, with the adjoining shopping centre completed in November 1992. [4] The principal facade and main entrance vestibule of the 1935 building were retained as part of the development and listed at Grade II in 2011.

Bristol department store

The company made a substantial investment in 1998 to open a large department store in Bristol, purchasing the recently vacated premises of John Lewis and completely refurbishing it.

The group's first foray into the south-west of England was ill-fated, however, with the outlet failing to turn a profit and proving to be a financial drain on the wider business. It was closed within two years.

Recent history

In 2000, the chain rejected a £27 million offer from competitor Allders. In January 2001, the loss-making Bristol store was sold to House of Fraser for £16.35 million. [5]

In June of that year, the family-owned rival department store chain Fenwick purchased Bentalls for £70.8 million. The Bentall family's shareholding at the time was 38%, with Frank Bentall's great-grandson Edward Bentall being the chairman. The company's turnover was £108.2 million, [6] trading across six department stores.

Fenwick subsequently sold the Lakeside store to Allders and the leases of the Bentalls sites in Ealing, Tonbridge and Worthing to the Bournemouth-based Beales group. [7] [8] The successful stores in Kingston upon Thames and Bracknell were retained. The Bracknell branch was replaced in September 2017 by a new Fenwick store as part of The Lexicon development.

Department store locations

Singer Dusty Springfield once worked at Bentalls in Ealing and singer Petula Clark gave her first public performance as a child at Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames.

Bentalls is mentioned by the character Chubb in the Anthony Blunt episode (A Question of Attribution) of the stage play Single Spies by Alan Bennett.

Bentalls features in the Ladybird Books People at Work series, appearing in In A Big Store. The Wood Street entrance is also illustrated in The Police, as part of a night time scene where two police constables are arresting suspected burglars.

Arms

Coat of arms of Bentalls
Notes
Granted 10 May 1967 [10]
Crest
On a wreath Or and Vert a leopard statant Argent pellety flying from a crown about the neck Or a scarf parted Or and Vert.
Escutcheon
Or a lion rampant queue fourchee Azure ducally crowned Or and on a chief Azure a salmon naiant Argent finned Gules.
Motto
To Strive To Seek To Serve

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston upon Thames</span> Town in South West London

Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as the place where some Saxon kings were crowned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allders</span> British department store

Allders was an independent department store operating in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proffitt's</span> American department store chain

Proffitt's was a department store chain based in Alcoa, Tennessee. The chain was founded in 1919 by David W. Proffitt and James Ellis. In 2006, the Proffitt's and McRae's stores were converted into Belk after Belk had acquired the two chains in July 2005 from Saks, Inc. At the time of their demise they operated 47 Proffitts & McRae's stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Fraser</span> British department store group

House of Fraser and Frasers are a British department store chain with 25 locations across the United Kingdom and 2 in Ireland, part of Frasers Group. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891, it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century and in 1936 began a period of growth through acquisition which would continue for over forty years. House of Fraser Ltd was incorporated in 1941 and first listed on the London Stock Exchange six years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty (department store)</span> Department store in London, England

Liberty, commonly known as Liberty's, is a luxury department store in London, England. It is located on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London. The building spans from Carnaby Street on the East to Kingly Street on the West, where it forms a three storey archway over the Northern entrance to the Kingly Street mall that houses the Liberty Clock in its centre. Liberty is known around the world for its close connection to art and culture, but it is most famous for its bold and floral print fabrics. The vast mock-Tudor store also sells men's, women's and children's fashion, beauty and homewares from a mix of high-end and emerging brands and labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis's</span> Former British department store chain

Lewis's is an online retailer and homeware brand. It was also a chain of British department stores that operated from 1856 to 2010. The owners of Lewis's went into administration several times, including in 1991. The first store, which opened in Liverpool city centre, became the flagship of the chain. Several stores in the chain were bought in 1991 by the company Owen Owen and continued to operate under the Lewis's brand name for several years, but after the closure of the Manchester store in 2001, only the original Liverpool store continued to trade under the Lewis's name. This store was sold in 2007 to Vergo Retail Ltd and closed in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Cross Shopping Centre</span> Shopping mall in London, England

Brent Cross Shopping Centre is a large shopping centre in Hendon, north London, owned by Hammerson and Abrdn. Located by the Brent Cross interchange, it opened in 1976 as the UK's first out-of-town shopping centre. Brent Cross attracted 15–16 million shoppers a year as of 2011 and has one of the largest incomes per unit area of retail space in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fenwick (department store)</span> British department store chain

Fenwick is a British chain of department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1882 by John James Fenwick in Newcastle upon Tyne, and currently has nine branches. It was a member of the International Association of Department Stores from 1988 to 2010.

Owen Owen was a Liverpool-based operator of department stores in the United Kingdom and Canada. Beginning with a drapery shop in Liverpool, a chain of department stores was built up, often by taking over rival retailers. The company remained under Owen / Norman family control until the 1980s, and the brand ceased to be used in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeside Mall</span> Shopping mall in Michigan, United States

Lakeside Mall is a defunct super-regional shopping mall in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Located on the M-59 commercial corridor, the mall is currently anchored by Macy's and JCPenney via exterior entrances, with two vacant anchor stores previously occupied by Lord & Taylor and Sears. With 1,550,000 square feet of retail space spanning two floors, Lakeside was the largest mall in Michigan by leasable square footage at the time of its closing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lewis & Partners</span> British department store chain owned by John Lewis Partnership

John Lewis & Partners, commonly known as John Lewis, is a British chain of high-end department stores operating across the United Kingdom, with concessions in Ireland. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest employee-owned business. The brand was established in 1929 by Spedan Lewis, son of the founder, John Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beales (department store)</span> English department store chain

Beales is an English department store chain, which currently operates 2 branches, in Poole and Southport. The former flagship store, Beales in Bournemouth, was established as The Fancy Fair by John Elmes Beale in 1881 and was the biggest department store in Dorset. The chain expanded through acquiring other department stores and continued to run two stores branded as Palmers in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft until its closure.

Army & Navy Stores was a department store group in the United Kingdom, which originated as a co-operative society for military officers and their families during the nineteenth century. The society became a limited liability company in the 1930s and purchased multiple independent department stores during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1973, the Army and Navy Stores group was acquired by House of Fraser. In 2005, the remaining Army & Navy stores were refurbished and re-branded under the House of Fraser nameplate. House of Fraser itself was acquired by Icelandic investment company, Baugur Group, in late 2006, and then by Sports Direct on the 10 August 2018.

United Drapery Stores, or UDS, was a British retail group that dominated the British high street from the 1950s to the early 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fenwick Colchester</span> Large high street department store situated in Colchester, Essex, England

Fenwick Colchester is a large high street department store situated in Colchester, Essex, England, formerly known as Williams & Griffin (1963–2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentall Centre, Kingston upon Thames</span> Shopping mall in London, England

The Bentall Centre is a large shopping centre in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England, which opened in 1992. It has been built in the retail space of Bentalls department store, first established on the site in 1867. Bentalls, now part of the Fenwick group, retains a large premium department store in the development. The centre is located adjacent to John Lewis Kingston, as well as the historic market town centre. There are 75 stores within the centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston Hospital</span> Hospital in London, England

Kingston Hospital is an acute hospital in Kingston upon Thames, England. It is managed by the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. It has an Accident & Emergency Unit, a popular midwife-led Maternity unit, and an STD clinic known as the Wolverton Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden Walk</span> Shopping centre in London, England

Eden Walk is an open precinct shopping centre in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England. It opened in 1968, predating The Bentall Centre by two decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lexicon, Bracknell</span> Shopping mall in Berkshire, England

The Lexicon is a retail and leisure complex located in Bracknell, Berkshire. It was part of a wider regeneration project in the town, which saw a third of its centre demolished. The Lexicon was then constructed on the site and opened in 2017.

References

  1. "PP/WSL/WGP000653 Bentall and Company, South Street, Worthing". West Sussex Past. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  2. "Obituary: Rowan Bentall". Independent.co.uk . 29 July 1993.
  3. 1 2 "The New Bentall Centre". Flickr. Bentalls. 1987. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  4. Peacock, Grenville (30 July 1993). "Obituary: Rowan Bentall". The Independent. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  5. Snoddy, Julia (31 March 2001). "At this price? Bentalls". The Guardian.
  6. Clark, Andrew (29 June 2001). "Families tie in Fenwicks' £70m deal with Bentalls". The Guardian.
  7. 1 2 "Allders PLC Acquisition of New Store". Investegate. 1 May 2002. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Bentalls department store sold". The Argus. 1 February 2002.
  9. Berry, Aidan (1999). Financial Accounting: An Introduction. Cengage Learning EMEA. p. 32. ISBN   978-1-86152-479-9 . Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  10. "Bentalls Limited". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 18 March 2022.