Randalls of Uxbridge was a family-owned British department store in Vine Street, Uxbridge, which operated for 123 years until it closed in January 2015. The store mainly sold homeware and furniture, but also sold designer menswear. [1]
Randalls originated in 1891, [1] and the current store was built in 1937–38 and designed by William Eves (1867–1950). The store was designed in the 1930s style with cream faience. [2] During the Second World War, the store was accused of adverts which made light of censorship rules at the time. [3] It was used as a location for the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses . [4] In 2008, the building became a Grade II listed building. [5]
In January 2015, the store closed down. At the time of closure only five letters in the store name were illuminated properly on the shop front. [6] The final owner of the store was MP John Randall, the fifth generation of his family to own the store. [7] [8] Randall blamed the closure of the shop on a variety of things, including the rise of online shopping, as well as zero-hour contracts. [4]
In October 2015, the building was acquired by Inland Homes, who redeveloped the building, using it as a mixed-use development since 2021. [8] [9]
Uxbridge is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated 15.4 miles (24.8 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex, and was a significant local commercial centre from an early time. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century it expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1955, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965.
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Alexander John Randall, Baron Randall of Uxbridge, is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Uxbridge from 1997 to 2010 and for Uxbridge and South Ruislip until 2015, before being awarded a life peerage in 2018. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Government Deputy Chief Whip from May 2010 and October 2013, as well as Environment Adviser to Theresa May from 2017 to 2019.
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