A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appearance in the middle of the 19th century, and permanently reshaped shopping habits, and the definition of service and luxury. Similar developments were under way in London, in Paris and in New York (Stewart's).
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.
Dunnes Stores is an Irish multinational retail chain that primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. It was founded by Ben Dunne in 1944. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain also has operations in Spain, and formerly in England and Scotland. The format of most of the chain's stores on the island of Ireland involves a grocery supermarket operating alongside a clothing/textiles store, although some stores contain only textiles, and some contain only a supermarket. The grocery side of the business does not operate outside of Ireland, save for a limited grocery range in the Spanish stores. The larger stores usually contain a café branded as either Café Sol, Dunnes Stores Café or Baxter & Greene Market Café.
British Home Stores, commonly abbreviated to BHS and latterly legally styled BHS Ltd, was a British department store chain, primarily selling clothing and household items. In its later years, the company began to expand into furniture, electronics, entertainment, convenience groceries and fragrance and beauty products.
Harvey Nichols is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831, at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, fine wines and luxury foods. It is owned by Hong Kong luxury goods company Dickson Concepts. The chain has 14 locations worldwide, including a Beauty Bazaar in Liverpool and a brasserie in the OXO Tower, London.
Allders was an independent department store operating in the United Kingdom.
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.
Atkinsons is a family-owned department store located on The Moor in Sheffield, England. The store has been trading for around 150 years and sells an extensive range of merchandise including fashion, furniture, lighting, gifts, cosmetics & fragrance, beds, domestic appliances and cookshop. Facilities include three distinct eateries and a car park located above the store, accessible via Charter Row.
Centrale is a shopping centre in Croydon, South London, one of the largest covered retail developments in London. It is owned and managed by Hammerson and was opened in 2004. Plans were announced in January 2013 to redevelop Centrale and combine it with the Whitgift Centre.
John Lewis & Partners is a brand of high-end department stores operating throughout the United Kingdom, with concessions also located in Ireland. The brand sells general merchandise as part of the employee-owned mutual organisation known as the John Lewis Partnership, the largest co-operative in the United Kingdom. It was created by Spedan Lewis, son of the founder, John Lewis, in 1929. From 1925 to 2022, the chain had a policy that it would always at least match a lower price offered by a national high street competitor; this pledge was known by the name "Never Knowingly Undersold".
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.
Grants of Croydon is an entertainment complex at 14–32 High Street, Croydon, London. Originally built in 1894, Grants became a Grade II listed building in 1990. In 2000 Grants was re-developed into an entertainment centre. It was bought by Scottish Widows in early 2010.
Edwin Jones was a large department store in Southampton, England founded in 1860 in East Street, Southampton with further stores established in Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, and Clinton Arcade, Weymouth. The business became part of the Drapery Trust, opened by Debenhams in 1928 and was re-branded under their name in 1973.
Drapery Trust formed in 1925 by Clarence Hatry, a notorious British financier. He had made his fortune in speculating on oil stocks, and had convinced investors to promote department stores and bring them under the management of a retail conglomerate. The business was acquired by Debenhams in 1927 and was run as a subsidiary until the 1970s.
Bobby & Co. was a provincial department store group based mainly in seaside towns on the south coast of England. The business operated from 1887 until 1972.
Curl Brothers were a department store based in Norwich. The store later became part of the Debenhams chain.
Plummer Roddis was a chain of department store based in the South of England which was acquired by the Drapery Trust, before being swallowed up by its parent company Debenhams.
Griffin & Spalding was a department store located in Nottingham. It later became part of the Debenhams chain.
Department stores are an established retail format globally. The format has origins in France, the United Kingdom and United States, among many others.
