British Homes Stores
 |
|
| British Home Stores | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Fate | Under new ownership |
| Founded | Brixton, London, United Kingdom (1928) |
| Headquarters | Marylebone Road, London, United Kingdom |
|
Key people
|
David Anderson (Managing Director) Sara Bradley (Trading Director) Dave West (Head of Creative) Rebecca Rajeswaran (Finance Director) |
| Products | Lighting, Homeware, Furniture, Clothing, |
| Owner | Al Mana Group |
|
Number of employees
|
100 (2017) |
| Website | https://www.bhs.com |
British Home Stores, commonly abbreviated to BHS and latterly legally styled BHS Ltd, was a British department store chain with branches mainly located in high streets or shopping centres, primarily selling clothing and household items. It was founded in 1928 by a group of U.S. entrepreneurs.
In its later years, the company began to expand into furniture, electronics, entertainment, convenience groceries and fragrance and beauty products. The company had 164 stores throughout the United Kingdom at the time it entered administration, and 74 international stores across 18 separate territories.
BHS was previously a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but was bought by Sir Philip Green in 2000 and taken private. The company became part of Green's Arcadia Group in 2009.
On 12 March 2015, BHS was sold to the consortium Retail Acquisitions Ltd for a nominal price of £1. On 25 April 2016 it was confirmed that the chain had entered administration, following the failure to bring an estimated £60 million into the business, required to safeguard its future.
On 2 June 2016 it was announced that the company would be wound down following failed attempts to find a buyer. The website was closed on 25 July 2016 and all stores had closed by 28 August 2016, bringing a close to trading after 88 years.
The overseas franchises and digital business were sold during the administration period to Al Mana Group, and continue to trade. The remainder of the business went into liquidation on 2 December 2016.
British Home Stores was founded in 1928 by a group of U.S. entrepreneurs who wanted to follow the successful model set by Woolworths. They did not want go into direct competition with Woolworths, so set their highest price at a shilling. The first store opened in Brixton, but by 1929 the price limit had been lifted to five shillings to allow the business to offer more goods.
The business expanded by opening further branches, all offering small cafeterias and grocery departments, and in 1933 the business went public. After the war, the business continued to grow, and by the end of the 1960s had 94 stores nationwide.
The company expanded in the 1970s and 1980s, including the opening of stores in the newly-developing wave of indoor shopping malls (such as Broadway Shopping Centre and Lakeside Shopping Centre). A joint venture was launched with supermarket retailer Sainsbury's to create hypermarkets using the SavaCentre brand. Sainsbury's took full control of SavaCentre in 1989, and has more recently converted the stores to the Sainsbury's branding.
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