| Company type | Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Predecessor | Cargo |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Founder | Cyril Benson |
| Headquarters | Accrington, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
Number of locations | 270 (February 2016) |
| Products | |
| Owner | Alteri Investors |
| Website | www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk |
Bensons for Beds is a British bedroom furniture retailer. With 166 stores in the UK, it is Britain's largest [1] bed retailer specialising in beds, mattresses and pillows. [2]
Founded as a general store in 1950 by Cyril Benson, Bensons for Beds opened the first dedicated bed centre in 1972. The company is now based in Accrington, Lancashire, and operates as a chain of concessions and stand-alone stores.[ citation needed ]
By February 2015, Bensons for Beds' had over 270 stores throughout England, Scotland, and Wales, following a merger with sister company Sleepmasters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and, in October 2011 with Bed Shed in Scotland.[ citation needed ]
In November 2019, Bensons for Beds was acquired from Steinhoff International by UK-based private equity group Alteri Investors, alongside Harveys and upholstery and bedding manufacturer Relyon. [3]
On 30 June 2020, Bensons for Beds went into administration, but Alteri immediately bought it back, aiming to save between 150 and 175 of the chain's 242 stores, its Huntingdon manufacturing operation, and nearly 1,900 jobs. [4]
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.
Jessops (Group) Limited is a British photographic retailing company. It was established in 1935 by Frank Jessop in Leicester, United Kingdom. The company controls Jessops Europe Limited, which in turn control JR Prop Limited.
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Brantano Footwear was a European chain of retail stores specialising in footwear for men, women and children, that was founded in Belgium.
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T. M. Lewin Shirtmaker, commonly known as TM Lewin, is a British online menswear retailer. It was started in 1898 by Thomas Mayes Lewin who opened his first shop on London's Panton Street and later moved to Jermyn Street, renowned as a base for formal shirts. TM Lewin started out making shirts but later started to sell suits, outerwear, knitwear, jackets, chinos, ties and accessories for men.
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McColl's is a British convenience shop and newsagent operator, owned by the supermarket chain Morrisons and trading under the trading name Morrisons Daily. McColl's also operates post offices in several stores.
Harveys Furniture Ltd was a British retail chain, specialising in living room and dining room furniture, and was once the largest furniture specialist in the United Kingdom, with over 150 stores.
Officers Club was a chain of men and boys fashion stores based and operated in the United Kingdom. Its stores were mainly located in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with fewer in England where its parent retailer Blue Inc was predominant.
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Poundworld was a chain of British value variety stores that sold most of its items for £1. It was founded in 1974 by Yorkshire-based father-and-son team Chris Edwards Sr. and Chris Edwards Jr. In contrast to many high street retailers, it maintained strong sales and growth during the global recession that started in 2007. Poundworld's product range consisted of over 6,000 items including groceries, health and beauty, toiletries, cleaning products and pet care, some of them known brands. At its peak it had 335 stores in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 2014, it planned to open 150 new stores within three years.
Relyon is an English bed and mattress manufacturer based in Wellington, Somerset. As of 2009, Relyon employed 500 people.
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Steinhoff International was a multinational holding company that was dual listed in Germany and South Africa. It was officially liquidated on 13 October 2023. Its holdings were in the retail sector, primarily in furniture and household goods, and included a 43,8% stake in South Africa's Pepkor group. The company operated in Europe, Africa, Asia, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. It was well known for an accounting scandal which led to criminal charges against its former chief executive, Markus Jooste.
Philip Edward Day is a Dubai-based British billionaire businessman, and the CEO and owner of The Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group, which owns Peacocks, Jaeger, Jane Norman, Austin Reed, and other high-street retailers.
Brantano (UK) Ltd was a British shoe retailer, owned by Alteri Investors. The company was started in 1998 by the purchase of 47 Shoe City stores from the British Shoe Corporation by the Belgian retailer Brantano Footwear. It was owned by Macintosh Retail Group until it was bought by Alteri in October 2015. The company entered administration in March 2017 and closed its last store in June 2017.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a sharp economic toll on the retail industry worldwide as many retailers and shopping centers were forced to shut down for months due to mandated stay-at-home orders. As a result of these closures, online retailers received a major boost in sales as customers looked for alternative ways to shop and the effects of the retail apocalypse were exacerbated. A number of notable retailers filed for bankruptcy including Ascena Retail Group, Debenhams, Arcadia Group, Brooks Brothers, GNC, J. C. Penney, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus.
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