Keddies

Keddies was a small chain of department stores in Essex, England, with its flagship store in a prime location in Southend High Street (originally called the Broadway). The business had a national reputation (was recognised in The Fashion Handbook and had their name on the side of a Matchbox model 17C) until it closed for business on 26 February 1996 after going into administration.

The store was started by George James Keddie in 1892 at 144-146 High Street as a Drapery. The store expanded to become a full department store, selling everything from penny lines to more extravagant goods. In the 1920s Keddies opened drapery stores in London Road, Hadleigh (on the corner with Rectory Road); Market Hill, Coggeshall (Sold 1928 ) and on The Broadway, Leigh-on-Sea (on the corner with Oakleigh Park Drive). The business boomed during the 1920s even though there was competition from J L Dixons and Brightwells. With this success the main store was completely rebuilt and expanded in 1934, with an impressive frontage that aped the main Selfridges store in Oxford Street, London. People would take the train from the east-end of London to shop at Keddies.

Keddies continued to grow, and in 1960 they bought a disused cinema, the Essoldo, that was located behind their store and opened Southend's first supermarket, which was also one of the first supermarkets in the UK, Supa-Save. In addition a large extension was added to the rear of their store, including an office block called Maitland House (after the Keddie's family name) which was designed by the modernist architects Yorke, Rosenberg and Mardall. Photos of the iconic store interior in 1963 are on the RIBA picture website. An article on the design of the building appeared in the October–December 1963 edition of Concrete Monthly, the magazine from the Cement and Concrete Association. Maitland House was used by the Access (credit card) credit card company from 1972-1996.

In the 1970s Keddies opened branches in Romford, Stratford High Street (former Boardmans store) and in Queens Street, Colchester, but these had all closed by the late 1980s (the Stratford store closed in 1984 being demolished and making way for Boardman House). The Colchester store was on two sides of Queens Street, with one side now being replaced by Priory Walk, while the other side is still derelict, despite calls to knock it down in 2013.

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