Cole Brothers was a department store located in

Sheffield Sheffield is a 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 historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Early history

The Cole brothers John and Thomas opened a silk mercer and hosier at 4

Fargate Fargate is a pedestrian precinct and shopping area in Sheffield, England. It runs between Barker's Pool and High Street opposite the cathedral. It was pedestrianised in 1973. Fargate also holds a Continental Market approximately 4 times a year, ...

, Sheffield in 1847. Their brother Skelton almost immediately joined them in the business which grew rapidly, purchasing stores along Fargate and round into Church Street. The business had grown so much that in 1869, a rebuild of the stores was commissioned with a new frontage and an extra two stories. The business continued to expand with further stores added, and rebuilt to match the architecture of the store, and by 1898 the business was incorporated. However Skelton Cole did not see this achievement, dying in 1896, while his brother John died in 1898. The business continued to be run by the Cole family, with two sons of the brothers Thomas and Thomas Skelton taking over the reins. By 1909, the business had started employing women, which was to be a benefit with the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

looming. The business had also grown to local prominence with locals regarding the area as Cole's Corner, something that lives on to today. Technology was at the forefront of the store, with delivery vans being added in 1911, while the first

cash register A cash register, sometimes called a till or automated money handling system, is a mechanical or electronic device for registering and calculating transactions at a point of sale. It is usually attached to a drawer for storing cash and other ...

s arrived in 1916. The store continued to grow with a further two stories being added to the store in 1920, however, in the same year the business was sold to

Harry Gordon Selfridge Harry Gordon Selfridge, Sr. (11 January 1858 – 8 May 1947) was an American retail magnate who founded the London-based department store Selfridges. His 20-year leadership of Selfridges led to his becoming one of the most respected and wealthy ...

. The business transferred into his

Selfridge Provincial Stores Selfridge Provincial Stores was a holding company of a group of department stores in the United Kingdom. The company was formed by Selfridge & Co. in 1926 and was active until 1940. History In 1926, financier Jimmy White convinced Harry Gordon ...

group in 1927.

Acquisition

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Selfridges Provincial Stores group was bought by

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

. The Cole Brothers store was not damaged during the war. The business struggled like many during the early 1950s, but by 1960 the partners at Cole Brothers decided to open a new store. The new store located in

Barker's Pool Barker's Pool is a public city square and street in the centre of Sheffield, England. The focus of Barker's Pool is the Grade II* listed war memorial that was unveiled on 28 October 1925 to commemorate the First World War. The Grade II* listed ...

, opposite the City Hall, was part of the drive to rebuild Sheffield. The old store was sold in 1962 for £1 million and the business moved into its new premises on 17 September 1963. In 1974, the store's offices were re-located out of the new building to increase store space. The store again expanded in 1977 when a shop was purchased on Cambridge Street to host the business's toy and sports departments. The store was refurbished in the early 1980s, however, the store struggled well into the 1990s due to the economic changes that happened in Sheffield at this time. The store continued to operate as Cole Brothers until 2002, when the store was re-branded as John Lewis.

References

{{reflist Defunct department stores of the United Kingdom Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom John Lewis Partnership Selfridges Retail companies established in 1847 1847 establishments in England