Southend-on-Sea, commonly referred to as Southend, is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, 40 miles (64 km) east of central London. It is bordered to the north by Rochford and to the west by Castle Point. It is home to the longest pleasure pier in the world, Southend Pier. London Southend Airport is located north of the city centre.
Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, and is still operating as a franchise in seven Middle East countries. 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.
The Palace Theatre is a theatre Westcliff-on-Sea which is part of the city of Southend-on-sea in the English county of Essex. The theatre presents a range of performances, including drama, music and both local and national touring companies.
House of Fraser and Frasers are a British department store chain with 29 locations across the United Kingdom, 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.
Cavendish House was Cheltenham's oldest 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. The store closed in April 2024, after 201 years.
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.
Swan & Edgar Ltd was a department store, located at Piccadilly Circus on the western side between Piccadilly and Regent Street established in the early 19th century and closed in 1982.
United Drapery Stores, or UDS, was a British retail group that dominated the British high street from the 1950s to the early 1980s.
Wright's Biscuits was established in 1790 as L Wright & Son, in South Shields. In the 1930s they implemented intensive factory methods for production and became a national supplier of biscuits and cakes, and a leading employer in Tyne and Wear. They also ran a large chain of grocery stores under various names, and controlled fellow grocery chain Moores Stores. The business became part of James Goldsmith's Cavenham Foods group in 1971.
Keddies was a small chain of department stores in Essex, England, with its flagship store in a prime location in Southend High Street. The business had a national reputation, being recognised in The Fashion Handbook, appearing on the side of a Matchbox model 17C bus and being one of the retailers that fought to remove Retail Price Maintenance. Keddies closed for business on 26 February 1996 after going into administration.
Brightwells was a department store in Southend-on-Sea, England. The store was founded by John Rumbelow Brightwell and opened on the city's High Street in the 19th century as a drapery. This became a department store which was incorporated in 1909 as J.R. Brightwell Ltd. Its direct competitors were Keddies, J F Dixons and Thomas Brothers.
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.
J R Roberts Stores was a small department store chain operating in the South East of England, before the business was purchased by a larger department store company, Hide & Co in 1950. The Stratford store was sold off, and the Southend store continued to trade under the J R Roberts Stores name until Hide & Co were purchased by House of Fraser in 1975, and the store was rebranded.
Peter Robinson was a chain of department stores with its flagship store being situated at Oxford Circus, London. Founded in 1833 as a drapery, Robinson bought up nearby shops on Oxford Street to create a department store. The Topshop chain debuted in 1964 as a section in a Peter Robinson branch. The shop building in Oxford Circus was completed in 1912 and is Grade II listed.
James Colmer was a small group of English department stores based in the West Country with its flagship store located on Union Street, Bath, Somerset.
Plummer Roddis was a chain of department stores based in the South of England which was acquired by the Drapery Trust, before being absorbed by its parent company Debenhams.
William Lefevre was a department store located in Canterbury, which later became part of Debenhams.
Murray David Maitland Keddie, known as David Keddie, was a prominent Essex businessman, broadcaster, benefactor, magistrate, Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Essex in 1986.
