Beales (department store)

Beales is an English department store chain, currently operating 29 branches. The flagship store, Beales in Bournemouth, was established as The Fancy Fair by John Elmes Beale in 1881 and is currently the biggest department store in Dorset.

The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange until its private equity takeover.

History

Beales was established in 1881 by John Elmes Beale when he opened a store in Bournemouth. Whitakers, the Bolton department store opened in 1829 was bought by Beales in 1996, with the name changed to Beales in 2011.^[1]

The group acquired the Bentalls department stores in Ealing (closed October 2007), Tonbridge and Worthing from Fenwick in 2002 and closed its Walton-on-Thames store in January 2006.

A new Beales store opened in Horsham in September 2006 in premises formerly occupied by Allders.

On 4 June 2010 Beales acquired the Robbs department store in Hexham from Vergo Retail which was in administration, for £250,000.^[2]

In August 2010 Beales expanded further by acquiring the Westgate Department Store in Rochdale from the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society.^[3]

As of 5 April 2011, Beales acquired 19 additional Westgate stores, securing its long-term future.^[4]

In May 2012 Beales announced it would be opening an outlet store in the old T.J. Hughes store in The Mall Maidstone. This store closed in June 2013.^[5] In addition a branch in Skipton closed in November 2012, a branch in Cinderford closed in July 2013 .

In summer 2014, the large Harrogate store closed for re-development of the land by the landlord

Current operations

Beales is a member of Associated Independent Stores (a buying group) which enables Beales to benefit from the cost savings of buying textiles and other non-food goods in bulk. Beales Currently Launched Virgin Holidays In Their Stores.

Department store locations

Beales, Bournemouth

Current locations

Former locations

Beales in Harrogate in 2013. This branch closed in 2014 and was demolished in 2015.

• Cinderford (formerly Westgate, closed July 2013)
• Ealing (formerly Bentalls, closed October 2007)
• Harrogate (formerly Sunwin House and latterly Westgate, closed 2014. Building demolished 2015)
• Maidstone (Beales Outlet and formerly a TJ Hughes & Owen Owen closed June 2013)
• Skipton (formerly Sunwin House and latterly Westgate, closed November 2012)
• Walton-on-Thames (formerly Grant Warden, closed January 2006)

See also

List of department stores of the United Kingdom

References

1. ↑ "Bolton Town Cenre Department Store Beales in Deansgate could be forced to close because of High Rents - Bolton Evening News p.8 March 2016". Retrieved 27 May 2016. 
2. ↑ Amy Shields (4 June 2010). "Beales acquires Robbs of Hexham". Retail Week. 
3. ↑ "Beales acquires Rochdale department store". HousewaresLive.Net. 9 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. 
4. ↑ Amy Shields; Nicola Harrison (5 April 2011). "Beales to acquire 19 department stores". Drapers. 
5. ↑ "Beales department store to close in Maidstone". Kent Online. Retrieved 25 March 2014. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beales (department store).

• Beales website

Department stores of the United Kingdom
Beales Boswells of Oxford Browns of York W J Daniel & Co. Debenhams Fenwick Fortnum & Mason Harrods Harvey Nichols Hatchers Hoopers House of Fraser Jarrolds John Lewis Liberty Marks & Spencer Morleys Selfridges