List of Department Stores of The United Kingdom - Defunct Department Store Groups

Defunct Department Store Groups

  • Allders Department Stores (Croydon and branches) - Group went into administration on 29 January 2005. All branches were subsequently sold or closed. The flagship Croydon store which was independently owned and continued to trade after 2005 as Allders, finally closed on the 22nd September 2012.
  • J J Allen (Bournemouth and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Army & Navy Stores (Victoria Street, London and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Arnotts (Glasgow and branches) - Group created by House of Fraser.
  • T Baird & Sons (Wishaw and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser and subsequently incorporated into the Arnotts group. The branch in Hamilton is now an independent department store trading as Bairds.
  • John Barker & Co. (Kensington and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Bentalls (Kingston upon Thames and branches) - Group acquired by Fenwick. Stores in Kingston upon Thames and Bracknell continue to trade as Bentalls.
  • Benzie & Miller (Inverness and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser and subsequently incorporated into the Arnotts group.
  • H Binns Son & Co (Sunderland and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Bobby & Co. (Margate and branches) - Group acquired by Drapery Trust and amalgamated with Debenhams.
  • Brighton Co-operative Society (Brighton and branches) - Group merged with Co-operative Wholesale Society.
  • Brown Muff (Bradford and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Chiesmans (Lewisham and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • James Colmer (Bath and branches) - Group of 4 department stores acquired by Owen Owen.
  • The Co-operative Group (Manchester) - Operators of 36 department stores, most trading under the "Living" brand, 7 of which were sold to Anglia Regional Co-operative Society in 2005, all others closed.
  • Co-operative Retail Services (Manchester) - Merged with Co-operative Wholesale Society to form The Co-operative Group.
  • Co-operative Wholesale Society (Manchester) - Merged with Co-operative Retail Services to form The Co-operative Group.
  • E Dingle & Co. (Plymouth and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Doggarts (Bishop Auckland and branches)
  • Drapery Trust - Holding company of a group of department stores amalgamated with Debenhams.
  • Eaden Lilley (Originally Cambridge then reduced to Saffron Walden and branches)
  • East of England Co-operative Society (Ipswich and branches) - Department store operations of the group, comprising 9 department stores, sold to Vergo Retail in 2009.
  • Edward Grey (Birmingham and branches) - Group acquired by Debenhams.
  • Harrods (Knightsbridge and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser. The flagship Knightsbridge store is now independently owned and continues to trade as Harrods.
  • Hide & Co. (Kingston upon Thames and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Kennards (Croydon and branches) - Group acquired by Drapery Trust and amalgamated with Debenhams.
  • Lewis's (Liverpool and branches) - Group went into administration in 1991. A number of stores were subsequently acquired by Owen Owen. The flagship Liverpool store was last owned by Vergo Retail and closed on 29 May 2010.
  • London Co-operative Society (Stratford and branches) - Group amalgamated with Co-operative Retail Services in 1981.
  • William McIlroy (Reading, Swindon and branches)
  • Macowards (Cardiff and branches) - Group of 35 department stores, 8 of which were acquired by Owen Owen.
  • Marshall & Snelgrove (Oxford Street, London and branches) - Group merged with Debenhams.
  • Merchant Retail Group (Sunderland and branches) - Owner of 6 department stores, 2 of which (Joplings and Robbs) were sold to Owen Owen.
  • Owen Owen (Liverpool and branches) - Group went into administration on 28 February 2007. 3 stores subsequently acquired by Vergo Retail.
  • Plummer Roddis (Bournemouth and branches) - Group acquired by Debenhams.
  • Plymouth and South West Co-operative Society (Plymouth and branches) - Department stores sold to Vergo Retail.
  • Mathias Robinson (West Hartlepool and branches) - Group acquired by Debenhams.
  • Peter Robinson (Oxford Circus, London and branches) - Group acquired by Burton.
  • J F Rockhey (Torquay and branches) - Group acquired by Harrods and merged with trading operations of D H Evans (Oxford Street). Subsequently acquired by House of Fraser and incorporated into the Dingles group.
  • Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (Woolwich and branches) - Merged with Co-operative Wholesale Society in 1985.
  • Schofields (Leeds and branches) - Group acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Scottish Drapery Corporation - Holding company acquired by House of Fraser.
  • Scottish Midland Co-operative Society (Edinburgh and branches) - Group of 20 department stores closed in 2000.
  • Selfridge Provincial Stores (Oxford Street, London and branches) - Branches acquired by John Lewis Partnership in 1940. Selfridges flagship department store was not part of this acquisition and was acquired by Lewis's in 1951.
  • Sheffield Co-operative Society (Sheffield and branches) - Merged with United Co-operatives in 2007.
  • Shephards (Gateshead and branches)
  • South Suburban Co-operative Society (Croydon and branches) - Merged with Co-operative Wholesale Society in 1984.
  • Joshua Taylor (Cambridge and branches)
  • Sunwin House (Bradford and branches) - Department store operations of United Co-operatives. Stores sold to Anglia Regional Co-operative Society and T J Hughes.
  • United Drapery Stores - Holding company of a number of businesses including department stores. Department store operations merged to form Allders group.
  • Vergo Retail (Liverpool and branches) - Group of 19 department stores: former Owen Owen, Plymouth and South West Co-operative Society and East of England Co-operative Society department stores. Robbs in Hexham sold to J E Beale and all other stores closed.
  • Westgate Department Stores (Peterborough and branches) - Group of 28 department stores operated by Anglia Regional Co-operative Society. 20 of these stores were sold to J E Beale in 2011.
  • Whiteleys (Bayswater and branches) - Group of 4 department stores acquired by Selfridges in 1927.

Read more about this topic:  List Of Department Stores Of The United Kingdom

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