William Lefevre was a

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 in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, which later became part of Debenhams.

History

William Lefevre was born in Canterbury in 1847 and whose father was a grocer. After serving his apprenticeship with a draper in the

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

area of London, William returned to Canterbury in 1875 to open his own drapery business. William's family followed suit by opening drapery and wool business' in other parts of the city. By 1899 the business had stores in Sun Street, Mercury Street and Guildhall Street. William died in 1911 and his son Charles took over the running of the business. In the 1920s the business took on a massive project by combining their Guildhall store with the Philosophical and Literary Institution and Museum, the Theatre Royal & the Guildhall Tavern. The new store with amended frontage was opened in 1926 and designed by local architects Jenning & Gray, however parts of the original buildings can still be seen, including the Egyptian Windows from the original Institute building. It was during this time that the business was sold to Debenhams who continued to operate the business under the William Lefevre name until 1973 when the business was re-branded as part of the rationalisation programme.

References

{{reflist Lefevre William Lefevre William Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom