Chiesmans

Last updated

Chiesmans was a department store group based in Lewisham, London. The business was established in 1884 as a general draper, expanding to become the largest department store in south-east London and operator of a network of branches stretching from Essex to the Isle of Wight. The group was acquired by House of Fraser in 1976. The former Lewisham flagship store closed in 1997. [1]

Contents

Early history

Chiesman Brothers was started by the brothers Frank and Harry Chiesman in September 1884 in Lewisham. [2] They bought Cross Brothers drapery business at 59 High Street, Lewisham, which was known as Paris House, and specialised in the sales of remnants and job lots. The brothers changed the business, selling new lines across a variety of product categories in addition to drapery.

The store expanded into neighbouring properties and in 1899, waiting rooms and a tea room were added to the store. Within a few short years the brothers had established Lewisham's leading department store. [3] By 1908 the store encompassed 41-59 High Street. The premises were divided by a road and a tunnel was constructed connecting the two buildings. The furniture department was a particularly successful part of the business and Chiesmans purchased several properties to hold their stock.

After the First World War, the brothers' sons Stewart, Russell and Howard joined the firm and in 1921 a new store was constructed. In the same year the company was incorporated as Chiesmans Limited. During the 1930s the store was extended and other properties were purchased, including property on the opposite side of the High Street. By 1939, a new bridge was built spanning Granville Grove linking the two halves of the main store. [4]

Expansion

In 1933, Chiesmans began a period of expansion beyond Lewisham with the purchase of Denniss Paine & Co. of Maidstone, Kent. [5] The next acquisition was that of Martins of Canterbury in 1949, while a third store was added in 1957 at Gravesend (previously Bon Marche).

In 1957, the business became a Public Limited Company, with most of the shares being retained by the Chiesman family. Over the next two years stores were purchased in Tunbridge Wells (Waymarks, 1958), the Isle of Wight (Edward Morris, 1959), Ilford (Burnes, 1959), Upton Park (John Lewis, 1959) and Rochester (Leonards, 1959). [6] The Lewisham store was extended again in 1960. Additions included a new fabric hall and self-service restaurant.

Takeover

In 1976 Chiesmans was purchased by House of Fraser. [7] The stores were brought under the same management as Barkers and Army & Navy as part of the Southern Division trading group of House of Fraser. The former Chiesmans offices at Lewisham became the head office for the regional group.

Further branches were added to the Chiesmans nameplate under House of Fraser's ownership. A number of the former Hide group stores in London and the south-east, which had been acquired in 1975, were initially renamed Chiesmans, including the eponymous Kingston upon Thames [8] store and the J R Roberts branch at Southend. [9] A store was also opened in Bexleyheath.

Closure

Eventually the Chiesmans stores were renamed Army & Navy. Maintenance costs and changing retail patterns led to the Lewisham store shrinking to half its size in 1993[ citation needed ] and later, closing down entirely in 1997. Lewisham Police Station sits on the former site today. All of the former Chiesmans stores are now closed.

Legacy

Harry Chiesman served as Mayor of Lewisham in 1920 and laid the foundation stone of Lewisham War Memorial, which was given Grade II listed status on 13 July 2016. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debenhams</span> Defunct British retailer

Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and grew to 178 locations across those countries, also owning the Danish department store chain Magasin du Nord. In its final years, its headquarters were within the premises of its flagship store in Oxford Street, London. The range of goods sold included middle-to-high-end clothing, beauty, household items, and furniture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GUS (retailer)</span> Former British retail, manufacturing and finance conglomerate

GUS plc was a FTSE 100 retailing, manufacturing and financial conglomerate based in the United Kingdom. GUS was an abbreviation of Great Universal Stores, the company's name before 2001, while it was also known as the Glorious Gussies amongst stockbrokers. The company started out as Universal Stores, a mail order business created by the Rose family. In 1931, Isaac Wolfson joined the mail order company and would, through a series of takeovers, turn it into a retail, manufacturing and financial conglomerate, becoming Europe's biggest mail order firm and with over 2,700 physical stores. His son, Leonard Wolfson, followed him as chairman, to be succeeded by his nephews David Wolfson (1996–2000) and Victor Barnett (2000–2002). During the 1980s, the business divested much of its physical retail and manufacturing subsidiaries under Leonard Wolfson to concentrate on mail order, property and finance. In October 2006, the company was split into two separate companies: Experian which continues to exist, and Home Retail Group which was bought by Sainsbury's in 2016.

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

House of Fraser is a British department store group with 44 locations across the United Kingdom, which is now 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 after the Second World War a large number of acquisitions transformed the company into a national chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavendish House</span>

Cavendish House is Cheltenham's oldest and leading department store, located on The Promenade. Its establishment was of great significance for Cheltenham's future reputation as a leading shopping centre. Known as 'Cavendish House' from its early days, its name was officially adopted with the registration of a limited liability company in 1883. The store became part of the House of Fraser group in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnotts (Scotland)</span> Former department store in Scotland

Arnotts was a department store in Glasgow, Scotland. It became part of the House of Fraser and one of their group brands.

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.

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.

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

Rackhams was a British department store that opened in Birmingham, England in 1881. The business became part of the Harrods group in 1955, before Harrods was purchased by House of Fraser in 1959. As part of the Harrods grouping in House of Fraser, during the 1970s the Rackhams name was selected to be used as the Midlands and parts of thr Nortb of England brand name and several stores were added to its portfolio. In 2000 the Rackhams name was retired and replaced by House of Fraser except for the Skipton and Altrincham stores.

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

H. Binns, Son & Co. was a chain of department stores based in Sunderland, later purchased and absorbed by House of Fraser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barkers of Kensington</span> Former department store in London

Barkers of Kensington was a department store in Kensington High Street, Kensington, London. It began as a small drapery business, John Barker & Company, founded by John Barker and James Whitehead in 1870. Barkers grew rapidly to become one of London's largest and most well-known department stores. The company played a significant role in establishing Kensington High Street as one of London's principal shopping destinations for most of the twentieth century. The business was purchased by House of Fraser in 1957. Barkers closed permanently in 2006. Part of the former flagship building now contains a branch of Whole Foods Market (2019).

J R Roberts Stores opened in 1870 in Stratford, London as a drapery and furniture shop at 96 Broadway, before expanding and becoming a full line department store covering 78-102 Broadway.

E Dingle & Co was a department store chain with its flagship store in Plymouth, England. It is now part of House of Fraser group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jolly & Son</span>

Jolly & Son was a small department store chain based in Kent and the West Country. Jolly's historic flagship store in Bath has been part of the House of Fraser group since 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Muff</span> Former department store chain

Brown Muff & Co,' was a small chain of department stores based in Yorkshire, England, with its flagship store located in Bradford. It was purchased by House of Fraser in 1977.

Scottish Drapery Corporation was a holding company for a group of Scottish department stores and drapers.

J F Rockhey was a department store located in Torquay, Devon with a further smaller branch in Newton Abbot.

Dalys was one of the 11 department stores of Glasgow, located on what was the grand Sauchiehall Street.

William Harvey was a department store located in Guildford.

References

  1. ↑ "HOUSE OF FRASER Archive :: Company: Chiesmans Ltd" . Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "HOUSE OF FRASER Archive :: Company: Chiesman Brothers" . Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "HOUSE OF FRASER Archive :: Company: Chiesman Brothers" . Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "HOUSE OF FRASER Archive :: Company: Chiesmans Ltd" . Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Maidstone Centre Conservation Area Appraisal - Maidstone Borough Council p.27 Feb 2009 Pg.21" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Record: Newspaper Articles (FRAS1769)". House of Fraser Archive @ University of Glasgow. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Moss, Michael and Turton, Alison, A Legend of Retailing. House of Fraser (London, 1989)
  8. ↑ "Doomed building yields treasure". News Shopper. 30 June 2000.
  9. ↑ "Company:J R Roberts Ltd". House of Fraser Archive @ University of Glasgow. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Historic England. "Lewisham War Memorial, Memorial Gardens (1435882)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 3 August 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.