Atkinsons is a family-owned

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

located on The Moor in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The store has been trading for around 150 years and sells an extensive range of

merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more ...

including

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating ( tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks) ...

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing dayli ...

gifts A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment or anything in return. An item is not a gift if that item is already owned by the one to whom it is given. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation ...

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protec ...

& fragrance,

beds A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many be ...

, domestic appliances and cookshop. Facilities include three distinct eateries and a car park located above the store, accessible via Charter Row.

History

John Atkinson arrived in Sheffield in 1865, and worked as an assistant at the Sheffield drapery

Cole Brothers Cole Brothers was a department store located in Sheffield in South Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Early history The Cole brothers John and Thomas opened a silk mercer and hosier at 4 Fargate, Sheffield in 1847. Their brother Skelton almost imme ...

until he was 26. In 1872 he opened his own drapery in South Street, now known as The Moor, with the store specialising in hosiery, ribbons and lace. The store started to expand by 1879 purchasing its first neighbouring store, and by 1890 had been transformed from a drapery into a department store. The business was so successful that the original shop units were demolished and replaced by a new building. John Atkinson son's Harold and Walter eventually took over the running of the business from their father, who died in 1929. During the 1930s Atkinsons' had an in-store zoo, which saw a baby crocodile escape and was found dead in the lift shaft. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the store was completely destroyed by the Blitz in 1940. The business however improvised setting up its headquarters in St. Judes Church in Milton Street, and opening departments across the city including a Kiosk outside the railway station and inside the semi-blitzed Central Cinema. The business lost all its ledgers during the blaze, however 80% of its credit accounts had been repaid within 3 months of the bombing. The business continued to be operated like this until 1960 when a new purpose built store opened on The Moor. The store had significant investment in 2017 to continue to provide a modern retail and leisure experience for customers, including the introduction of new leading brands in everything for the customer and their home.

References

External links

Atkinsons' Website
{{Authority control Department stores of the United Kingdom Companies based in Sheffield