House of Fraser (rebranding to Frasers) is a British

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

chain with 23 locations across the United Kingdom and 2 in Ireland, part of

Frasers Group Frasers Group plc (formerly known as Sports Direct International plc) is a British retail, sport and intellectual property group, named after its ownership of the department store chain House of Fraser. The company is best known for trading pr ...

. It was established in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland, in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891, it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century and in 1936 began a period of growth through acquisition which would continue for over forty years. House of Fraser Ltd was incorporated in 1941 and first listed on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

six years later. After the Second World War a large number of acquisitions transformed the company into a national chain. Purchases included Scottish Drapery Corporation (1952),

Binns Binns may refer to: * Binns (surname), English surname * Binns (department store), British retailer * Binns Hall, Virginia, United States * House of the Binns, historic estate near Linlithgow, Scotland {{disambig ...

(1953), Barkers of Kensington (1957) and the

Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...

group (1959). Later acquisitions included

J J Allen J J Allen was a small retail group that formed in 1860 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The business was incorporated in 1899 by Mr J J Allen as a furniture shop, removal company and funeral directors (which still exist as an independent company ...

(1969), Dingles (1971), Howells of Cardiff (1972) and Army & Navy Stores (1973). The group was purchased by the

Al Fayed Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed (; 27 January 192930 August 2023) was an Egyptian businessman whose residence and primary business interests were in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s. His business interests included ownership of the Hôtel R ...

family in 1985 for £615 million, beating out

Tiny Rowland Roland Walter "Tiny" Rowland (; 27 November 1917 – 25 July 1998) was a British businessman, corporate raider and the chief executive of the Lonrho conglomerate from 1962 to 1993. He gained fame from a number of high-profile takeover bids, in p ...

for control. By 1993, the management of the group were making attempts to purchase the group from the Al Fayeds, and a floatation was agreed, with the group initially trading separately as House of Fraser Holdings with the Fayed group. The public float happened in 1995, when it was listed in the FTSE Index as House of Fraser plc, with Harrods moved into the private ownership of the Al Fayeds. In the 1990s, several stores were closed and fifteen stores transferred to a joint venture with

British Land Company The British Land Company Public Limited Company is one of the largest real estate development, property development and investment companies in the United Kingdom. The firm became a real estate investment trust when REITs were introduced in the ...

, which then continued operating under their old name. The former Harrods group store

D H Evans D H Evans was a department store located in Oxford Street, London, England, which later became part of House of Fraser. The store was rebranded as House of Fraser in 2001. History D H Evans was opened in 1879 by Dan Harries Evans at 320 Oxford ...

on Oxford Street, London was re-branded as House of Fraser in 2001 and became the chain's flagship store. In 2005, the group acquired

Jenners Jenners was a department store in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated on Princes Street. It was Scotland's oldest independent department store until the retail business was acquired by House of Fraser in 2005. It closed in December 2020 and was vacat ...

(£46m), and

Beatties Beatties was a small British department store group located primarily in the Midlands of England. In 2005, when it had 12 stores, the group was acquired by House of Fraser. On 14 January 2006, the Birmingham store closed, because a similar Hous ...

(£69m). In 2006, the firm was acquired by a consortium of investors (Highland Group Holdings) including Icelandic based

Landsbanki Landsbanki (, ), also commonly known as Landsbankinn (, ) was one of the largest Icelandic commercial banks; it failed as part of the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis when its subsidiary sparked the Icesave dispute. On October 7, 2008, t ...

(35%). An online store was launched in 2007. In 2014, the group (as Highland Group Holdings Ltd) was sold to Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store Co. (Sanpower Group), a leading chain of Chinese department stores for approximately £450 million. In May 2018, the group entered a

company voluntary arrangement Under UK insolvency law an insolvent company can enter into a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). The CVA is a form of composition, similar to the personal IVA (individual voluntary arrangement), where an insolvency procedure allows a compa ...

, and in June the closure of 31 stores was announced. On 10 August 2018, Mike Ashley's

Sports Direct Sportsdirect.com Retail Limited, trading as Sports Direct, is a British retail company owned by Frasers Group. The company was founded in 1982 by Mike Ashley (businessman), Mike Ashley and was originally based in Maidenhead, England. It specialises ...

chain agreed to buy the business (stores, stock, brand) for £90 million after the chain went into administration earlier that day. In 2023, it was announced that the business would re-brand under the Frasers name-plate after a successful trial.

History

The early years

The company was founded by Hugh Fraser and James Arthur in 1849 as a small drapery shop on the corner of Argyle Street and

Buchanan Street Buchanan Street is one of the high street, main shopping thoroughfares in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. It forms the central stretch of Glasgow's famous shopping district with a generally more upmarket range of shops than the neighbou ...

in Glasgow,

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

, Scotland, trading as Arthur and Fraser. Hugh Fraser had been apprenticed to Stewart & McDonald Ltd, a Glasgow

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period ...

y warehouse where he eventually rose to the position of warehouse manager. It was from here that he brought many of his new company's initial customers. James Arthur also owned a retail drapery business in Paisley, a

Greater Glasgow Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...

suburb: he appointed a manager to oversee the Paisley business while he focused on his new business. The company established a

wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

trade in adjoining premises in Argyle Street. In 1856 the wholesale business moved to a larger site in Miller Street,

, and started to trade under the name Arthur & Co. The retail side of the business expanded into the vacant buildings left by the wholesale side. During the late 1850s and early 1860s, the retail business was run by a professional manager – first Thomas Kirkpatrick and then Alexander McLaren. In 1865 the partnership between the partners was dissolved and Fraser assumed control of the retail business leaving Arthur with the wholesale business. In 1865 McLaren joined the retail business and the name was changed to Fraser & McLaren.

Fraser & Sons

When the first Hugh Fraser died in 1873, his three eldest sons, James, John and Hugh, acquired stakes in the business. James and John Fraser were initially directors in the business and employed Alexander McLaren and later John Towers to manage it for them. In 1891 Hugh also joined the partnership which by then was called Fraser & Sons. In 1879, the current flagship store on Oxford Street in London was opened by Dan Harries Evans, a 23-year-old from Whitemill in Carmarthenshire, Wales who had previously been apprenticed to a

in Forest Hamlet near

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

, Wales. He moved to London in 1878 to set up his own business in

Westminster Bridge Road Westminster Bridge Road is a road in London, England. It is on an east–west axis, and passes through the northern extremities of the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. Between 1740 and 1746, the Commissioners of Westminster Bridge bought lan ...

. The store traded under the

name until 2001. By 1900, Hugh Fraser II was in charge: he incorporated the business as Fraser & Sons Ltd in 1909 and introduced the famous stag's head motif. After Hugh Fraser II died in 1927, his son Hugh Fraser III, an accountant, became chairman of the business. He opened new departments, enlarged the tearoom, opened a restaurant and also began to look at possible acquisitions. In 1936 he purchased Arnott & Co Ltd and its neighbour Robert Simpson & Sons Ltd in nearby Argyle Street, merging the companies to help improve trade. In 1948 the company, now named House of Fraser, was first listed on the

1950s to 1970s

In 1951, the Company purchased McDonald's Ltd, and with it a branch in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

. Fraser then purchased the Scottish Drapery Corporation in 1952, followed by the

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

based

group of stores in 1953. Fraser sold the property sites to insurance companies, leasing them back for long terms at advantageous rates. This enabled the release of capital for the purchase of new premises and the modernisation of existing stores. In 1957, the

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

store group of John Barker & Co Ltd was acquired and in 1959

and

Dickins & Jones Dickins & Jones was a high-quality department store in London, England, which traded between 1835 and 2007, although tracing its origins to 1790. From 1835, the main store was in London's Regent Street. In its final years the store had branches a ...

also joined the Group. Sir Hugh Fraser succeeded his father as chairman of the company when his father died in 1966. Sir Hugh resumed the expansion of the company in 1969 with the takeover of J. J. Allen Ltd, a

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

based group, also including

Colsons Colsons, later Dingles and House of Fraser, was a department store located in Exeter, Devon, England. Located on the High Street, the store was founded in 1792, then expanded after damage in the Second World War. It was later acquired by House ...

of Exeter and

Brights The Brights movement is a social movement whose members since 2003 refer to themselves as Brights and have a worldview of philosophical naturalism. Most Brights believe that public policies should be based on science (a body of knowledge obtain ...

of Bristol and Bournemouth. During the 1970s, the House of Fraser Group acquired more companies including T. Baird & Sons Ltd of Scotland, Switzer & Co. Ltd of Dublin, Ireland, and E. Dingle & Co. Ltd, Chiesmans Ltd, Hide & Co and the Army & Navy Stores in southern England, as well as a number of independent stores, totaling over fifty stores during the decade. In 1973, the House of Fraser Group was considering merging with the British pharmacy company

Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

, and was even subject to a written answer in the House of Commons. The government decided to block the proposed merger in 1974.

1980–1985

In 1981, Roland Smith succeeded Sir Hugh Fraser as chairman. A takeover bid by

Lonrho Lonrho is a London-based conglomerate that was established in 1998 as Lonrho Africa plc. It is engaged in multiple business sectors in Africa, mainly agribusiness, infrastructure, transport, hospitality and support services. History Lonrho ...

was referred to the

Monopolies and Mergers Commission The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under UK competition law, competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competiti ...

and declared to be contrary to the public interest. Four new stores opened between 1980 and 1984, including D H Evans in Wood Green, North London in 1980, Dickins & Jones in Milton Keynes in 1981, Frasers in Perth in April 1984, and Army & Navy in Epsom, Surrey in May 1984. The company, by then House of Fraser PLC, diversified into sports goods under the name of Astral Sports and Leisure (subsequently sold to

Sears plc Sears plc was a large British-based conglomerate. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was acquired by Charles Clore in the 1950s who expanded the company to be one of the lar ...

, owned Olympus Sport division) and into funerals with Wylie & Lochhead. It also launched the 'You' range of cosmetics and jewellery shops, and in 1985 acquired Turnbull & Asser Holdings Ltd, shirt makers of

Jermyn Street Jermyn Street is a One-way traffic, one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing r ...

, London and Kurt Geiger Holdings Ltd, shoe retailers. Other developments during the 1980s included the introduction of "Lifestyle" merchandise ranges and a huge investment in store refurbishment nationwide. In 1983 the Company introduced the Frasercard (later renamed Recognition), valid at all stores, and administered from a central facility based in

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

1985–2006: Al Fayed ownership

In 1985, the

family bought the business for £615 million. The Al Fayeds supported the continuing expansion of the company and replaced the stag's head logo with a stag leaping from a green triangle with shop signs of this period using a double-layered sans-serif typeface. In 1988, a five-year strategic business plan was announced which saw a rationalisation of stores. Small branches were to be relinquished and replaced with larger units. In September 1990, two new department stores were opened, a House of Fraser in the

Meadowhall Shopping Centre Meadowhall is an indoor shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It lies north-east of Sheffield city centre, and from Rotherham town centre. It is the largest shopping centre in Yorkshire, and currently the twelfth-largest in ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, and Schofields in Leeds. In 1991, a new House of Fraser store was opened at the Lakeside Shopping Centre in West Thurrock, Essex. In 1994, before House of Fraser PLC was relisted on the

, Harrods was moved out of the Group so that it could remain under the private ownership of the Al Fayed family. John Coleman, who was appointed chief executive of the House of Fraser Group in 1996, launched the Linea brand in 1997, along with Platinum and Fraser the following year. The House of Fraser logo was revised in 1996 with the leaping stag now going over an "F" shadow and shop signs using a serif typeface. There were many store closures in this period which included the closure or selling off of branches in locations including

(House of Fraser), Newcastle (Binns),

(Binns),

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

(Rackhams) and

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

(Schofields which had closed only six years after opening although House of Fraser continued to have a presence with their Rackhams (now House of Fraser store) in the city) with the loss of around 1,000 jobs. House of Fraser set up BL Fraser, a 50–50 joint venture with the

, in 1999 to buy 15 House of Fraser stores that would continue to be operated by House of Fraser. The Company added to its private-label brands in 2000 with House of Fraser womenswear, The Collection menswear, and a Linea Home. In 2003,

Tom Hunter Sir Thomas Blane Hunter (born 6 May 1961) is a Scottish businessman and philanthropist. Sports Division Hunter set up his first business after graduating from the University of Strathclyde as he was, in his own words, "unemployable". With a ...

put forward a hostile bid for the Group, with the possible intention to merge with

Allders Allders was an independent department store operating in the United Kingdom. The original store was established in 1862 in Croydon by Joshua Allder. In the second half of the 20th century, this parent store was developed into a chain of depart ...

, another department store in which he had shareholdings. In addition, there was a large reduction in the number of House of Fraser stores in Scotland which included the sell off or closure of branches in Aberdeen (Frasers), Dundee (Arnotts), Inverness (Frasers), Paisley (Arnotts) and Perth (Frasers). In 2005, the House of Fraser acquired the four

department stores in April for £46m, and

, a mainly

Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefor ...

based department store chain of 12 sites, for £69.3m in the summer of 2005. In addition to buying companies, House of Fraser continued its own development programme and opened several more stores including its first store outside the UK (since the disposal of the Switzer business in Ireland in 1991) in

Dundrum Town Centre Dundrum Town Centre is a shopping mall, shopping centre located in Dundrum, Dublin, Dundrum, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of Ireland's two largest shopping centres with over 131 shops, 47 restaurants, 3 amusement facilities ...

, Dublin, Ireland. as well as stores in

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

and

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

. In 2006, the Company consolidated its portfolio by closing the 135-year-old Barkers business in

Kensington High Street Kensington High Street is the main shopping street in Kensington, London, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Kensington High Street is the continuation of Kensington Road and part ...

on 2 January 2006. and on 14 January 2006, closed its

store in London's Regent Street following a substantial rent increase. In addition, the Company closed its

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

Beatties store in January 2006 (although retained the House of Fraser store in Birmingham).

2006–2014: Highland Group Holdings

In February 2006, the Group announced that it had received a preliminary bid approach valuing it at £300 million and, in August 2006, the House of Fraser confirmed a takeover approach from the Highland consortium who acquired the company for £351.4 million in November 2006. Highland Group Holdings Limited was 35% owned by

. As part of the Highland takeover all brand names for their stores, including most of the Beatties branches, would be replaced with the House of Fraser name (with the exception of

) with the stag logo axed and a new sans-serif typeface used on shop signs. In September 2007, House of Fraser launched its online store. The company had four major openings in 2008, including its first store in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

in the newly built

Victoria Square Shopping Centre Victoria Square is a shopping complex located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The area includes over 55+ shops, 16 restaurants and an Odeon cinema. Opened on 6 March 2008, Victoria Square is a commercial, residential and leisure development tha ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

in March. At it was the largest store that House of Fraser had opened (as opposed to taken over) in the UK. Also in March 2008, the Company opened a store in High Wycombe. On 25 September 2008 the Company opened a store in the

Cabot Circus Cabot Circus is a covered shopping centre in Bristol, England. It is adjacent to Broadmead, a shopping district in Bristol city centre. The Cabot Circus development area contains shops, offices, a hotel, 250 apartments and a cinema (currently v ...

development in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, and a branch in

Westfield London Westfield London is a large shopping centre in White City, west London, England, developed by the Westfield Group at a cost of £1.6bn, on a brownfield site formerly the home of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition. The site is bounded by the ...

, a new store, on 30 October 2008. House of Fraser launched the HouseofFraser.com "Buy & Collect" concept shop in October 2011 with its first location in Aberdeen. A further site, in Liverpool, opened in 2012. These small shops were equipped with computer terminals to allow customers to order from the House of Fraser website. Both shops had closed by the summer of 2016. In December 2013, talks to takeover House of Fraser were held by French department store

Galeries Lafayette Galeries Lafayette () is an upmarket French department store chain, the biggest in Europe. Its flagship store is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris but it now operates a number of locations in France and other countries ...

with House of Fraser also exploring a floating on the

once more in the summer of 2014 if the takeover was to be abandoned.

2014–2018: Sanpower Group ownership

In April 2014, it was reported by

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

that House of Fraser would be sold to Chinese conglomerate Sanpower Group, who would obtain 89% share in the company which would value the business at about £450 million. Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store Co will buy an 89% stake in Highland Group Holdings Ltd, which owns House of Fraser. The purchase was worth £450 million. Sanpower Group is a 22 per cent shareholder of the Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store Co. On 2 September 2014. Don McCarthy, retiring Executive Chairman of House of Fraser, announced the completion of the sale of 100% of the preferred ordinary shares and B ordinary shares, and approximately 89% of the A ordinary shares and preference shares of Highland Group Holdings Ltd, to Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store Co, a leading chain of Chinese department stores and part of the Sanpower Group, for an enterprise value of approximately £480 million. In 2017, a new department store opened at the Rushden Lakes development in Rushden, Northamptonshire. The closure of House of Fraser Outlet in Leicester also took place during the year and a further closure, in Aylesbury, was announced for 2018, however, this never materialised following the acquisition by

Sports Direct International Frasers Group plc (formerly known as Sports Direct International plc) is a British retail, sport and intellectual property group, named after its ownership of the department store chain House of Fraser. The company is best known for trading pr ...

. A new store in Chester was announced in February 2017 with construction due to start in mid-2018. It was announced later in 2018 that House of Fraser had pulled out of these plans due to their financial issues.

2018: Administration

On 2 May 2018, the company announced that it was to be entering into a conditional sale of a controlling stake in the firm to Nanjing Cenbest (another Sanpower Group subsidiary) to

Hamleys Hamleys of London Limited, trading as Hamleys, is a British multinational toy retailer, owned by Reliance Retail. Listed in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' as the world's oldest toy store, it was founded by William Hamley as "Noah's Ark" in H ...

owner C.banner, another Chinese firm. A condition of the sale that the company streamline its existing store portfolio and cost base was set out. The intention to launch a

(CVA) was announced on the same day. However, C.banner later pulled out. Datitude_080618_Location_of_House_of_Fraser_UK_Store_Closures

On 7 June 2018, the company announced that it would close 31 of its 58 UK stores: Altrincham • Aylesbury • Birkenhead • Birmingham • Bournemouth • Camberley • Cardiff • Carlisle • Chichester • Cirencester • Cwmbran • Darlington • Doncaster • Edinburgh Frasers • Epsom • Grimsby • High Wycombe • Hull • Leamington Spa • Lincoln • London Oxford Street • London King William Street • Middlesbrough • Milton Keynes • Plymouth • Shrewsbury • Skipton • Swindon • Telford • Wolverhampton • Worcester This included the flagship

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

branch and the largest store, Birmingham, to be closed by January 2019. Richard Lim of Retail Economics said that it remained "hard to know with any certainty just what will happen next at House of Fraser" but that without any external funding within a matter of weeks it would inevitably fall into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

. Before the intended closures the company employed 6,000 people directly, with another 11,500 employed through concessions. The subsequent administration of the business meant the CVA and associated plans for restructuring (including the previously announced store closures) came to an abrupt end.

2018–present: Sports Direct and Frasers Group PLC

On 10 August 2018, House of Fraser entered

. Later that day

agreed to buy the business' assets (brand, stock, stores) for £90 million in cash on a

pre-packaged insolvency Pre-packaged insolvency (a "pre-pack") is a kind of bankruptcy procedure, where a restructuring plan is agreed upon in advance of a company declaring its insolvency. In the United States pre-packs are often used in a Chapter 11 filing. In the Unit ...

basis. Soon after the acquisition many store closures were announced however after months of negotiations almost all were saved. House of Fraser purchased its Glasgow store building for £95 million in October 2018 and the company pledged to restore it and turn it into the '

of the north'. It was reported in May 2019 that seven House of Fraser stores were going to be rebranded into the new 'Frasers' nameplate, a new upmarket chain by the brand (at the time only the Glasgow flagship operated co-branded under the Frasers name). In July 2019 Sports Direct International expressed regret of its purchase of House of Fraser and problems at the company were described as "nothing short of terminal" it was also announced that future store closures were planned. Mike Ashley (CEO of Sports Direct) attributed the collapse of HoF to the "incompetence of previous management". Sports Direct International was rebranded to

in December 2019. The interim results in December showed signs of recovery. The first Frasers store opened on 17 October 2021 at

Mander Centre The Mander Centre is a major shopping centre in Wolverhampton City Centre, in Wolverhampton, England, developed by Manders Holdings Plc, the paint, inks and property conglomerate, between 1968 and 1974. The site occupies four and a half acres co ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

. In November 2021 HoF was given an eviction notice by their Oxford Street store's landlord with plans for the building to be redeveloped into leisure, office and retail spaces. The store was closed in January 2022. By July 2023 House of Fraser stores had almost halved in number from fifty-nine in August 2018 to just thirty-one locations. Michael Murray (Frasers Group CEO) confirmed in October 2023 that over time all remaining House of Fraser stores would convert to Frasers or would close. The House of Fraser app, website and all social media were rebranded in August 2024 to ''Frasers''.

Branches

Currently House of Fraser, House of Fraser Outlet and Frasers operate 25 stores around the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Currently operating

House of Fraser: 8 locations

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

(formerly

; acquired 2005) *

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

(opened 2004) *

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

(formerly

and originally Arthur Sanders; acquired 1953) *

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

(formerly Kendals / Kendal Milne / Kendal, Milne & Co.; acquired 1959) *

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

(opened 1997) *

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

(formerly Dingles / E Dingle & Co.; acquired 1971) *

Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...

(formerly Beatties; acquired 2005) *

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

(formerly Beatties; acquired 2005, closing September 2025)

House of Fraser Outlet: 1 location

(formerly House of Fraser and originally

Rackhams Rackhams was a British department store that opened in Birmingham, England in 1881. The business became part of the Harrods group in 1955, before Harrods was purchased by House of Fraser in 1959. As part of the Harrods grouping in House of Fraser ...

; acquired 1959; renamed House of Fraser in 2003 and converted to House of Fraser Outlet in 2023)

Frasers: 15 locations

* Balloch, Loch Lomond Shores (formerly

; acquired 2005) *

(formerly House of Fraser; opened 2008) *

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

(opened 22 November 2023 in premises previously occupied by

Debenhams Debenhams plc was a British department store chain that operated in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark, as well as franchised locations across Europe and the Asia Pacific. The company was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and gr ...

) *

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, Mahon Point (opened 3 November 2022 in premises previously occupied by Debenhams) *

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

(opened 3 December 2022 in premises previously occupied by Debenhams) *

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

(opened 3 September 2021 in premises previously occupied by Debenhams) *

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

(opened 6 June 2025 in premises previously occupied by Debenhams) *

(formerly McDonalds Wylie & Lochhead and originally the separate stores of McDonalds and Wylie & Lochhead, acquired 1951 and 1957 respectively; renamed Frasers in 1975) *

(formerly House of Fraser; opened 2005; relaunched as Frasers on 17 October 2024 following temporary closure) * Newbridge (opened 18 October 2022 in premises previously occupied by Debenhams) *

(formerly House of Fraser; opened 2005) *

Rushden Rushden is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Northamptonshire district, in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, around east of Northampton. The parish is on the border with Bedfordshire, north of B ...

, Rushden Lakes (formerly House of Fraser; opened 2017) *

, Meadowhall (opened 25 September 2024 in premises previously occupied by Debenhams) *

Telford Telford () is a town in the Telford and Wrekin borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Shropshire, England. The wider borough covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. The town is close to the county's eastern b ...

(formerly House of Fraser and originally Beatties; acquired 2005) *

(opened 12 April 2021 in premises previously occupied by Debenhams; first new Frasers location to be opened by the modern company and replaced the former Beatties store and head office acquired in 2005)

Frasers Outlet: 1 location

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

(opened 10th May 2025 in premises previously occupied by Debenhams)

Future store

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

, Frasers (opening 2025 in premises previously occupied by John Lewis & Partners)

Former branches - international

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

(

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may also refer to: Buildings * World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

– opened in October 2013 and closed in 2016. * Abu Dhabi (

Yas Mall Yas Mall () is a mall in Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It serves as a place for shopping, dining and entertainment for residents of Abu Dhabi and Yas Island. It covers approximately 235,000 square metres (2.5 million square feet). ...

), UAE – opened in June 2015, and closed in 2021. *

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

(Xinjiekou SanpowerPlaza),

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

– opened in December 2016. Later closed.

Former brands and branches

Former regional groups

House of Fraser previously traded under many different, long established brand names. A number of regional groups of stores were acquired and subsequently extended or amalgamated. The Arnotts, Frasers and Rackhams groups were created by House of Fraser from scratch. These key groups, together with the flagship store of each one, and the regions to which they are largely associated are: * Army & Navy,

Victoria Street, London Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and south-east England *

Arnotts Arnotts can refer to; * Arnott's Group, an Australian biscuit and salted snack food company * Arnotts (Ireland), a department store in Dublin, Ireland * Arnotts (Scotland) Arnotts was a department store in Glasgow, Scotland. It became part of ...

, mid-market stores in

and across Scotland *

, stores based in the Midlands. *

, the north and east of England *

Regent Street, London Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

and the home counties * Dingles,

and south-west England * David Evans,

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

and south Wales * Frasers, up-market stores in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and other principal Scottish cities *

, the Midlands and the north of England.

Former non department store businesses

House of Fraser owned several other retail businesses that were not department stores. In 1941, Fraser's purchased the furniture retailer Muir Simpson of Sauchiehall Street,

, while J & A Ogilvie Ltd was added in 1966 after the purchase of Wylie and Lochhead. Another business that was gained by purchasing Wylie and Lochhead was funeral directors, which were grown by further purchases. The company also owned clothing manufacturers Nithco Manufacturing, Arthur & Co, and John Kirsop & Son. They also operated clothing stores including: *Carswell (The Modern Man's Shop) *Cochranes Stores *McLaren & Son (closed 1981) *Forresters *Kings Fashions *Logie & Co. *Maryon Fashion Group (after purchase of J J Allen) *Chanelle (after purchase of J J Allen) In the 1980s it created the brand YOU jewellery & cosmetic stores, purchased the shoe retailer

Kurt Geiger Kurt Geiger is a luxury British footwear and Fashion accessory, accessories brand. Kurt Geiger has around 70 stores, and multiple concessions within department stores, including Harrods and Selfridges. Kurt Geiger owns three brands: Kurt Geiger L ...

, tailors Turnbull & Asser, Hawes & Curtis and James Drew, in addition to growing its sports chain Astral Sports which it had purchased in 1978.

Former branches

Closed House of Fraser store on Oxford Street October 2022

Over the years, the following branches were closed, sold as

going concern A going concern is an accounting term for a business that is assumed will meet its financial obligations when they become due. It functions without the threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, which is usually regarded as at least the n ...

s or demerged from the business and no longer trade as part of the company. All outlets were department stores unless otherwise stated. *

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

(formerly

Isaac Benzie Isaac Benzie was a department store located in Aberdeen, Scotland. History Isaac Benzie in 1894 opened a small drapery store at 185 George Street, Aberdeen, after serving an apprenticeship in a general merchant's shop in the village of Oyne. Th ...

; acquired 1955; closed 25 January 1986. The store was at 143-167 George Street) * Aberdeen, Frasers (formerly Falconers / John Falconer & Co.; acquired 1952; closed 2002. The store was at 57-67

Union Street Union Street may refer to: United Kingdom *Union Street, Aberdeen, Scotland * Union Street, East Sussex, between Ticehurst and Flimwell *Union Street, London * Union Street, Plymouth, Devon * Union Street, Reading, Berkshire United States *Un ...

) * Aberdeen, House of Fraser.com (website 'Buy & Collect' shop; opened 2011; closed 24 August 2016. The shop was at Unit 1, The Atrium, Union Square) * Aberdeen, A & R Milne (booksellers and stationers; acquired 1952 as a subsidiary of Watt & Grant. In 1966 the business was amalgamated with Wyllies and the former A & R Milne premises absorbed into the main Watt & Grant store. The shop was at 229 Union Street) * Aberdeen, J & A Ogilvie (house furnishers; acquired as a subsidiary of Wylie & Lochhead in 1957. The Union Street retail business was renamed Watt & Grant, Home Furnishing Department, in 1972; closed following a fire in 1976. The store was at 367-369 Union Street) * Aberdeen, Reid & Pearson (acquired 1952; closed 12 May 1973. The store was at 61-65 St Nicholas Street) * Aberdeen, R J Smith (women's outfitters; acquired 1980, principally to secure the premises at 7-9 Market Street for redevelopment and the expansion of Frasers onto the site; closed 1981) * Aberdeen, Watt & Grant (acquired 1952; closed 28 November 1981. The store was at 221-229 Union Street) * Aberdeen, Watt & Grant Bookshop (books and stationery; formerly A & R Milne & Wyllies and originally Wyllies / D Wyllie & Son; acquired 1966; closed 29 March 1986. The shop was originally at 247 Union Street and expanded to occupy 247-251 Union Street following the closure of Watt & Grant Man's Shop in 1981) * Aberdeen, Watt & Grant Man's Shop (menswear; opened 25 May 1966 in premises previously occupied by W J Milne; closed 28 November 1981 with the premises incorporated into Watt & Grant Bookshop. The shop was at 249-251 Union Street) * Aberdeen, Watt & Milne (acquired 1955; closed 1966. Following closure the premises were converted to Young World, an outlet of Watt & Grant devoted to children. This business was moved into the main Watt & Grant store in 1968. The store was at 166-172 Union Street) * Airdrie, Arnotts (formerly Bairds; acquired 1970; renamed Arnotts 2 August 1982. The store was at 18-20 Bank Street and 83-85 Graham Street. The Bank Street building, originally Sutter & Sons, was sold as a going concern to McMaster Stores in 1989, after which the name of the store reverted to Bairds. The Graham Street premises, originally a branch of James B Henderson of Coatbridge, housed all women's accessories departments, better clothing, furs and hairdressing departments until closure in 1984, at which time these departments were incorporated into the Bank Street store) *

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Thomas White; acquired 1973; closed 10 September 1983. The store was at 53-55 High Street) *

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...

(opened 1978; closed 31 August 2020. The store was at 2 George Street) *

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the Subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Angus, Scotland, Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast, some east-northeast of ...

, Arnotts (formerly Soutars / James Soutar & Sons; acquired 1975; closed 1986. The store was at 104-108 High Street) *

Aviemore Aviemore (; ) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and ...

, Arnotts (opened 1973; closed 1986. The store was in Allander Square, Aviemore Centre) *

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

, Arnotts (formerly Hourstons / David Hourston & Sons; acquired 1949; renamed Arnotts 22 January 1973; sold as a going concern to McMaster Stores in 1989, after which the name of the store reverted to Hourstons. The store was at 22-30 Alloway Street) *

Banbridge Banbridge ( ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. It is in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iveagh Upper ...

, Foster Newell (owned jointly with

Waterford Glass Waterford Crystal is an Irish manufacturer of Lead glass, crystal glassware, especially cut glass products. It is named after the city of Waterford in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In January 2009, the main Waterford Crystal manufacturing base o ...

; opened 1976; closed 1978. The store was at 52 Bridge Street) * Banff, Arnotts (formerly

Benzie & Miller Benzie & Miller was a small department store chain based in Scotland and became part of House of Fraser in 1958. Early history Benzie & Miller was set up as a department store in 1920 by an amalgamation of business' in Fraserburgh, Scotland. In ...

and originally Joseph Rankine; acquired 1958; renamed Arnotts 22 January 1973; sold as a going concern to McMaster Stores in 1989, after which the name of the store reverted to Benzies. The store was at 34 High Street) *

Basildon Basildon ( ) is a town in Borough of Basildon, the borough of the same name, in the county of Essex, England. It had a recorded population of 115,955 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. In 1931, the town had a population of 1,159. ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Taylors; acquired 1979; closed 1994. The store was at 3-5 Town Square) *

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, Cavendish House (acquired 1969; the business and premises were incorporated into

Jolly & Son Jolly & Son was a small department store chain based in Kent and the West Country. Jolly's historic flagship store in Bath had been part of the House of Fraser group since 1971. Following the stores closure in February 2025, it was announced tha ...

in 1974. The store was at 7-8

Milsom Street Milsom Street in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England, was built in 1762 by Thomas Lightholder. The buildings were originally grand Townhouse, townhouses, but most are now used as shops, offices and banks. Most have three storeys with mansard ...

) * Bath, Jollys / Jolly & Son (acquired 1971; closed 22 February 2025. The store was at 7-14 Milsom Street) *

Bank Buildings A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

(Robertson Ledlie Ferguson & Co. trading as Bank Buildings; acquired 1969; closed 1979. The store was at 1-27 Castle Street, Castle Place) * Belfast, Newells (acquired jointly with Waterford Glass in 1971; closed 23 December 1975. The store was at 41-51

Royal Avenue Royal Avenue is a street in the heart of Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland. It runs for about 500 metres from the junction with Castle Place and Donegall Place to the junction with Donegall Street. It lies between the Cathedral Quarter, Bel ...

) * Belfast, Savills (electrical appliances; acquired 1975; sold as a going concern to

Rediffusion Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (TV network ...

in 1978. The store was at 22 High Street) *

Bellshill Bellshill (pronounced "Bells hill") is a town in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, southeast of Glasgow city centre and west of Edinburgh. Other nearby localities are Motherwell to the south, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton to the south ...

, Arnotts (formerly Bairds; acquired 1970; sold as a going concern to McMaster Stores in 1989, after which the name of the store reverted to Bairds. The store was at 250-256 Main Street) *

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

, House of Fraser (formerly

and originally Allansons; acquired 2005; closed 25 March 2020. The store was at 92 Grange Road) *

, Beatties (previously the Birmingham branch of

C & A C&A is a multinational chain of retail clothing stores that originated in the Netherlands. It now has European head offices in Vilvoorde, Belgium, and Düsseldorf, Germany. The company operates approximately 1,300 stores in Europe and approxim ...

; acquired 2005; closed 2006. The store was at 14-28 Corporation Street) *

(formerly R H O Hills; acquired 1975; closed 1987. The store was at 50-68 Bank Hey Street) *

Bluewater Bluewater(s) or Blue Water(s) may refer to: Maritime * Blue water, the global deep oceans *Blue Water 24, an American sailboat design * Blue-water navy, a navy that can operate in deep waters of open oceans * , a Panamanian tanker in service 1952- ...

(opened 1999; closed 27 November 2024) *

, Dingles (formerly

; acquired 1969; closed 1981. The store was at 68-70 Old Christchurch Road) * Bournemouth, House of Fraser (formerly Dingles and originally

; acquired 1969; closed 2022. The store was at 14-24 Old Christchurch Road) *

, Rackhams (formerly Brown Muff / Brown, Muff & Co.; acquired 1977; closed 1995. The store was at 24-28 Market Street and 6 Bank Street) *

Bridlington Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...

, Binns (formerly

Hammonds Hammonds LLP, also known as Hammonds Suddards, was an international law firm headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, with offices in Beijing, Berlin, Birmingham, Bradford, Brussels, Hong Kong, Leeds, Madrid, Manchester, Munich and Paris. The fi ...

and originally Carltons; acquired 1972; closed 1995. The store was at 9-21 King Street) *

Brigg Brigg (Wikipedia:IPA for English#Key, /'brɪg/) is a market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 UK census, the population increased to 5,626 at the 2011 census. The town lies ...

, Binns (formerly Lacey & Clark; acquired 1969; closed 1981. The store was at 25 Market Place) *

, Dingles (formerly Brights, preceded by the Bristol branch of Bobby & Co. and originally John Cordeux & Sons; acquired 1969; renamed Dingles 2 September 1974; closed 15 January 2000. The store was at 46-56 Queen's Road, Clifton) * Bristol, House of Fraser (opened 2001 in premises previously occupied by

Bentalls Bentalls was a British department store chain based in Kingston upon Thames. The well regarded department store began as a drapery shop, founded by Frank Bentall in 1867. The business expanded significantly throughout the 20th century and operat ...

, preceded by

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

and originally

Lewis's Lewis's is an online retailer and homeware brand. It was also a chain of British department stores that operated from 1856 to 2010. The owners of Lewis's went into administration several times, including in 1991. The first store, which ope ...

; closed 2008 on relocation to

. The store was at 1-27 The Horsefair) * Bristol, Jollys (acquired 1971; closed 1977. The store was at 62-66

Whiteladies Road Whiteladies Road is a main road in Bristol, England. It runs north from the Victoria Rooms (Bristol), Victoria Rooms to Durdham Down, and separates Clifton, Bristol, Clifton on the west side from Redland, Bristol, Redland and Cotham, Bristol, C ...

, Clifton) * Bristol,

, House of Fraser (opened 25 September 2008; closed 14 August 2024) *

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Harrison Gibson; acquired 1973; closed 2004. The store was at 64 High Street and Ringers Road) *

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...

, Beatties (acquired 2005, closed 29 September 2012. The store was at Units 23-26, Octagon Shopping Centre) *

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Howells / James Howell & Co.; acquired 1972; closed 26 March 2023. The store was at 8-18 St Mary Street) * Cardiff, Seccombes (acquired 1975; closed 1976. The store was at 79-85 Queen Street) *

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Binns and originally Robinson Brothers; acquired 1953; closed 24 May 2024. The store was at 18-40 English Street) *

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

, Cavendish House (acquired 1969; closed 11 April 2024. The store was at 32-48 The Promenade) *

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Army & Navy and originally J D Morant; acquired 1973; closed 26 January 2019. The store was at 11-18 West Street) *

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Rackhams and originally Frederick Boulton & Sons; acquired 1975; closed 5 January 2019. The store was at 29-35 Market Place) *

Coatbridge Coatbridge (, ) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as the Monklands (popula ...

, Arnotts (formerly Bairds and originally James B Henderson; acquired 1970; renamed Arnotts 2 August 1982; closed 12 April 1986. The store was at 15-19 Sunnyside Road) *

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, A C Illum (acquired 1972; sold as a going concern in 1987. The store was at Østergade 52-54) *

, Cash's / Cash & Co. (acquired jointly with Waterford Glass in 1971, full ownership obtained in 1985; sold as a going concern to

Brown Thomas Brown Thomas & Company Limited is a chain of five upmarket department stores in Ireland, with two located in Dublin, and one each in Cork, Galway, and Limerick. Together with Dublin's Arnotts department store, it is owned by the Selfridges G ...

in 1991. The store was at 18-21

St Patrick's Street St Patrick's Street () is the main shopping street of the city of Cork (city), Cork in the south of Ireland. The street was subject to redevelopment in 2004, and has since won two awards as Ireland's best shopping street. St Patrick's Street is ...

) * Cork, Munster Arcade (Robertson Ledlie Ferguson & Co. trading as Munster Arcade; acquired 1969; closed 1979. The store was at 27-30 St Patrick's Street) *

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; ) is a large town in the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, most-populous locality in Scotl ...

, Arnotts (opened 1975 in premises previously occupied by a branch of Bows of Glasgow in

Cumbernauld Town Centre The Centre Cumbernauld (formerly Cumbernauld town centre) is the commercial centre of the new town of Cumbernauld, Scotland. It was designed in the 1950s—as what became known as a megastructure—to be a town centre consisting of "one huge mul ...

; closed 1978) *

Cwmbran Cwmbran ( ; , also in use as an alternative spelling in English) is a town in the county borough of Torfaen in South Wales. Lying within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire, Cwmbran was ...

, House of Fraser (formerly David Evans; acquired 1977, closed 29 June 2022. The store was at 17-20 Gwent Square) *

Dingwall Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...

, Arnotts (opened 11 April 1975 in premises previously occupied by C & J Urquhart, acquired March 1974; closed 31 August 1985. The store was at 4 High Street and 1-2 Hill Street) *

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

, Brown Muff (acquired 1977; closed 1978. The store was in West Mall,

Arndale Centre Arndale Centres were the first "American style" malls to be built in the United Kingdom. In total, Arndale Property Trust built 23 Arndale Centres in the United Kingdom, and three in Australia. The first opened in Jarrow, County Durham, in 196 ...

) * Doncaster, House of Fraser Outlet (formerly Binns, preceded by

Owen Owen Owen Owen was a Liverpool-based operator of department stores in the United Kingdom and Canada. Beginning with a drapery shop in Liverpool, a chain of department stores was built up, often by taking over rival retailers. The company remained u ...

and originally Verity & Sons; acquired 1976; closed 26 April 2024. The store was at 10-14 Baxter Gate) * Dorchester, Dingles (formerly Army & Navy and originally Genge & Co.; acquired 1973; closed 23 April 1988. The store was at 11-12 High West Street) *

Drumchapel Drumchapel (), known locally as 'The Drum', is a district in the north-west of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It borders Bearsden (in East Dunbartonshire) to the north-east and Drumry (part of Clydebank, in West Dunbartonshire) to the south-wes ...

, Arnotts (formerly a satellite store of Muirheads and originally a branch of Alexander Henderson of Glasgow; acquired 1970; closed 1982. The store was in Dunkenny Square, Arndale Centre) *

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Switzers / Switzer & Co. (acquired jointly with Waterford Glass in 1971, full ownership obtained in 1985; sold as a going concern to Brown Thomas in 1991. The store was at 88-95

Grafton Street Grafton Street () is one of the two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre — the other being Henry Street. It runs from St Stephen's Green in the south (at the highest point of the street) to College Green in the north (the low ...

) *

Dudley Dudley ( , ) is a market town in the West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the ...

, Beatties (acquired 2005; closed 23 January 2010. The store was at 32 Churchill Precinct) *

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

, Binns (formerly Robinson Brothers and originally William Munro; acquired 1953; closed 1990. The store was at 89-95 High Street) *

, Arnotts (formerly D M Brown; acquired 1952; renamed Arnotts in 1972; closed 2002. The store was at 74-80 High Street) * Dundee, Alexander Ewing & Co. (acquired 1941. The store was at 2 Whitehall Street) * Dundrum, House of Fraser (opened 2005; closed 2020. The store was at Unit 1,

) *

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Barkers and originally Dale & Kerley; acquired 1957; closed 28 March 1998. The store was at 177-187 Terminus Road) *

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...

, Arnotts (formerly Bairds and originally a branch of Alexander Henderson; acquired 1970; closed 30 July 1988. The store was at 3 Princes Street, Town Centre) *

, Peter Allan (acquired 1940; closed 31 August 1970. The store was at 100-106 South Bridge) * Edinburgh, North Bridge, Arnotts (formerly

Patrick Thomson Patrick Thomson was a department store located at the southern end of North Bridge in Edinburgh. In 1952, its parent company the Scottish Drapery Corporation was purchased by House of Fraser. History Patrick Thomson opened a small haberdashery ...

; acquired 1952; renamed Arnotts in 1976; closed 1982. The store was at 3-29 North Bridge) * Edinburgh, South Bridge, Arnotts (formerly J & R Allan; acquired 1952; renamed Arnotts in 1972; closed 1976. The store was at 74-87 South Bridge) * Edinburgh, J D Blair & Son (acquired 1952; closed 1968. The store was at 1-17 and, after absorbing McIntyres in 1953, 37-41 Nicholson Street, Newington) * Edinburgh, Darlings / Darling & Co. (acquired 1961; closed 1971 with the business incorporated into Smalls. The store was at 124-125

Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...

) * Edinburgh, Frasers (formerly Binns and originally Robert Maule & Son; acquired 1953; renamed Frasers in 1976; closed 10 November 2018. The store was at 144-147 Princes Street) * Edinburgh,

(acquired 2005; closed 2021. The store was at 47-52 Princes Street) * Edinburgh, McIntyres (acquired 1952 as a subsidiary of J & R Allan; absorbed by J D Blair & Son and renamed Blair's Modern Homes Store in 1953; closed 1968. The store was at 37-41 Nicholson Street, Newington) * Edinburgh, Smalls / William Small & Son (acquired 1946; closed 1977. The store was at 104-106 Princes Street) *

Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario * Elgin, Manit ...

, Arnotts (formerly Benzie & Miller and originally A L Ramsay & Son; acquired 1958; renamed Arnotts 22 January 1973; closed 1987. The store was at 121-133 High Street) *

Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans and originally Reids / H L Reid & Co.; acquired 1975; closed 1984 on relocation to

The Ashley Centre The Ashley Centre (from 2005-2009 as The Mall Ashley) is a shopping centre, in Epsom, Surrey. The Ashley Centre was opened on 24 October 1984 by Queen Elizabeth II as The Ashley Centre, a development combined of shops, a multi-storey car park, ...

. The store was at 3-5 Ashley Road) * Epsom, House of Fraser (formerly

and originally Army & Navy; opened 1984; closed 2022. The store was at Unit 42, The Ashley Centre) *

Evesham Evesham () is a market town and Civil parishes in England, parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, England, Worceste ...

, Rackhams (formerly Rightons; acquired 1975; closed 1981. The store was at Manchester House, 1-3 High Street and 3 Bridge Street) *

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Dingles and originally

; acquired 1969; closed 2 November 2019. The store was at 30-35 High Street) *

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...

, Arnotts (formerly Bairds and originally a branch of Alexander Henderson; acquired 1970; closed 1988. The store was at 43-45 High Street) * Falmouth, Dingles (formerly Cox & Horder; acquired 1971; closed 3 July 1988. The store was at 47-51 Market Street) *

Fraserburgh Fraserburgh (; ), locally known as the Broch, is a town in Aberdeenshire (unitary), Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with a population recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census as 13,100. It lies in Buchan in the northeastern corner of th ...

(acquired 1958; closed 1968. The store was at 19-29 Mid Street) *

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

, Moons / Alexander Moon (acquired jointly with Waterford Glass in 1971, full ownership obtained in 1985; sold as a going concern to Brown Thomas in 1991. The store was at 1-29 William Street) *

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

Metrocentre Metrocentre (previously styled as MetroCentre) is a shopping centre and entertainment complex in the Dunston area of Gateshead. It is located on the former site of Dunston Power Station, near to the River Tyne. Metrocentre opened in stages, ...

, House of Fraser (opened 1986; closed September 2021. The store was at Units 26-34, Cameron Walk, Metrocentre) *

, Argyle Street,

(formerly Arnott Simpson and originally the separate stores of Arnott & Co. and Robert Simpson & Sons; both businesses acquired 1936 and merged as Arnott Simpson in 1938; closed 26 February 1994. The store was at 167-201 Argyle Street) * Glasgow, 83-97

Sauchiehall Street Sauchiehall Street () is one of the main shopping streets in the Glasgow city centre, city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, Glasgow, Argyle Street. Although commonly associated with the city centre, Sau ...

, Arnotts (formerly Pettigrew & Stephens, relocated to the site in 1971 and renamed Arnotts in 1974; closed 1977 on relocation to Sauchiehall Street Centre. The premises were originally occupied by Alexander Henderson, acquired 1970) * Glasgow, 200 Sauchiehall Street, Arnotts (formerly Muirheads / Thomas Muirhead & Co.; acquired 1936; renamed Arnotts in 1972; closed 1974) * Glasgow, Sauchiehall Street Centre, Arnotts (opened 18 October 1977, originally co-located with

Dalys A disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is a measure of overall disease burden, representing a year lost due to ill-health, disability, or early death. It was developed in the 1990s as a way of comparing the overall health and life expectancy of d ...

, Arnotts occupied Ground Floor and Basement and Dalys occupied First, Second and Third Floors of a five floor department store unit. Arnotts vacated the site in 1979, enabling Dalys to expand into the former Arnotts space. Dalys ceased trading in 1982, after which Arnotts returned to the building, opening as a full-line department store in September 1982; closed 25 January 1986) * Glasgow, Colosseum (formerly Dallas's Colosseum and originally Walter Wilson & Co. The Grand Colosseum Warehouse; acquired 1942; closed 31 January 1967. The store was at 60-70 Jamaica Street) * Glasgow, Copland & Lye (premises acquired 1971, the business having already ceased trading; the purchase secured the site for redevelopment. The store was at 165-169 Sauchiehall Street) * Glasgow, Dallas's (acquired 1942; closed 1973. The store was at 160-186 Cowcaddens Street,

Cowcaddens Cowcaddens (; , )
is an area of the city of

) * Glasgow, Dalys / Daly & Sons / James Daly & Co. (acquired 1952; closed 1977 on relocation to Sauchiehall Street Centre. The store was at 199-217 Sauchiehall Street) * Glasgow, Duncans (acquired 1952; absorbed by Wood & Selby in 1952 and renamed Wood & Selby's Modern Homes Store. The store was at 1-33 Great Western Road,

St George's Cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (or the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with ...

) * Glasgow, Fraser, Sons & Co. (established 1849; closed 1975 with the business incorporated into McDonald's Wylie & Lochhead. The store was at 10-16

) * Glasgow, Muir Simpsons (house furnishers; acquired 1941; closed 1961 with the business incorporated into Wylie & Lochhead; following closure the premises were converted into showrooms for the Wylie & Lochhead motors business. The store was at 309-313 Sauchiehall Street) * Glasgow, Pettigrew & Stephens (acquired 1952; closed 1971 on relocation to 83-97 Sauchiehall Street. The store was at 171-193 Sauchiehall Street) * Glasgow, Southland (opened 1966 in premises previously occupied by Savette supermarket; closed 28 February 1968. The store was at 62-70 Kilmarnock Road,

Shawlands Shawlands () is a Southside suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, located two miles south of the River Clyde. The area, considered the "Heart of the Southside", is known for its independent restaurants and cafés, art scene, public parks, period terrace ...

) * Glasgow, Wood & Selby (acquired 1952; closed 1968. The store was at 227-235 New City Road and, after absorbing Duncans in 1952, 1-33 Great Western Road, St George's Cross) *

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans and originally Bon Marché; acquired 1975; closed 1994. The store was at 1a-1b New Road) *

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

, Arnotts (opened 1974; closed 1992. The store was at 39-40 Hamilton Way) * Greenock, Prentices / D & A Prentice (acquired 1944; closed 1974 to coincide with opening of Arnotts. The store was at 42-44 Hamilton Street) * Greenock, Shannons / J & S Shannon (acquired 1952; closed 1978. The store was at 29-31 West Blackhall Street) *

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Binns and originally

Guy & Smith Guy & Smith was a department store located in Grimsby and is now part of House of Fraser. History Joseph Guy opened a drapery store in October 1850 on North St Mary's Gate, which had been home to Mr Snow's drapery business since 1801. By 1871 h ...

; acquired 1969; renamed Binns 26 October 1970; closed 2020. The store was at 9-29 Victoria Street) *

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Army & Navy and originally William Harvey; acquired 1973; closed 30 September 2023. The store was at 105-111 High Street) *

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, Arnotts (formerly Bairds; acquired 1970; sold as a going concern to McMaster Stores in 1989, after which the name of the store reverted to Bairds. The store was at 1-5 Duke Street) *

, Binns (formerly McDonalds and originally Edward J Clarke; acquired 1951; closed 1987. The store was at 10-14 James Street) * Harrogate, Schofields (previously Cresta House and originally the Harrogate branch of

Marshall & Snelgrove Marshall & Snelgrove was a department store on the north side of Oxford Street, London, on the corner with Vere Street, Westminster, Vere Street founded by James Marshall (b.1806 Yorkshire – d.22 November 1893). The company became part of the ...

; acquired 1988; sold as a going concern to Sara of Bradford in 1989, after which the name of the store was changed to Hewletts. The store was at 28-32 James Street) *

Hartlepool Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...

, Binns (formerly Gray Peverell; acquired 1953; closed 27 June 1992. The store was at Victoria Road, Hartlepool /

West Hartlepool West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland. The former town was originally formed ...

) *

Helston Helston () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: ...

, Dingles (formerly B Thomas; acquired 1971; closed 3 July 1988. The store was at 37-39 Meneage Street) *

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, House of Fraser (opened 13 March 2008; closed 12 January 2023. The store was at Unit 1, Newlands Meadow,

Eden Shopping Centre The Eden Shopping Centre, commonly known as Eden, is a shopping and entertainment complex in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in the south east of England. With a floor area of , it is the 37th largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom and the ...

) *

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans, preceded by Stuart Norris and originally Driscolls; acquired 1975; closed 1990. The store was at 141-155 Church Road) *

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Beatties; acquired 2005, closed 29 August 2022. The store was at Unit 1, Kingsgate Centre) *

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

, House of Fraser (formerly

; acquired 1972; closed 4 August 2019. The store was at 1 Paragon Square) *

Ilford Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans and originally C W Burnes; acquired 1975; closed 1984. The store was at 104-108 Cranbrook Road) *

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

, Arnotts (formerly Benzie & Miller and originally Young & Chapman; acquired 1958; renamed Arnotts 22 January 1973; closed 2003. The store was at 7-17 Union Street) *

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier * Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia * Irvine Island * Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada * Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut Scotland *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotlan ...

, Arnotts (opened 2 October 1975; sold as a going concern to McMaster Stores in 1989, after which the name of the store was changed to Hourstons. The store was at 46 Rivergate) *

, Barkers / John Barker & Co. (acquired 1957; closed 2 January 2006. The store was at 63-97

) * Kensington, Derry & Toms (acquired 1957; closed 1973 with the business incorporated into Barkers. The store was at 99-121 Kensington High Street) * Kensington, Pontings / Ponting Brothers (acquired 1957; closed 1970 with the business incorporated into Barkers. The store was at 123-127 Kensington High Street) *

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

, Frasers (formerly Hugh Lauder & Co.; acquired 1972; closed 1987. The store was at 45-55 King Street) *

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans, preceded by Hide & Co. and originally Shrubsoles; acquired 1975; closed 1987. The store was at 7-9 Market Place) * Kingston upon Thames, Barkers (home furnishings; opened 1959 in premises previously occupied by Zeeta; closed 1967. The store was at 37 Thames Street) *

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

, Arnotts (formerly Barnet & Morton; acquired 1975; closed 1988. The store was at 192-196 High Street) *

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

(acquired 1959; demerged from House of Fraser in 1994. The store was at 87-135

Brompton Road Brompton Road is a street located in the southern part from Knightsbridge and in the eastern part from Brompton, London, Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and partly the City of Westminster in London. It starts from ...

) *

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...

, House of Fraser (formerly Rackhams, preceded by Army & Navy and originally Burgis & Colbourne; acquired 1973; renamed Rackhams in 1975; closed January 2022. The store was at 76-86 The Parade) *

, House of Fraser (formerly Rackhams, preceded by the temporary store of Schofields and originally the Leeds branch of Woolworths; acquired 1988; closed 2023. The store was at 140-142

Briggate Briggate is a pedestrianised principal shopping street in Leeds city centre, England. Historically it was the main street, leading north from Leeds Bridge, and housed markets, merchant's houses and other business premises. It contains many h ...

) * Leeds, Schofields (opened in the Schofields Centre in 1990; closed 1996) *

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, House of Fraser Outlet (formerly Rackhams; opened 29 February 1992; renamed House of Fraser Outlet in 2008; closed 17 July 2017. The store was at Unit 76, Highcross Leicester, Highcross Leicester / The Shires) * Leicester, Rackhams (formerly Morgan Squire; acquired 1969; renamed Rackhams in 1975; closed 31 October 1987. The store was at 15-23 Hotel Street and 26 Market Street) * Lewisham, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans; acquired 1975; renamed Army & Navy in 1982; closed 1994. The store was at 33-45 & 47-63 Lewisham High Street) * Limerick, Todds / William Todd & Co. (acquired jointly with Waterford Glass in 1971, full ownership obtained in 1985; sold as a going concern to Brown Thomas in 1991. The store was at 12-16 O'Connell Street, Limerick, O'Connell Street) * Lincoln, England, Lincoln, House of Fraser (formerly Binns and originally Mawer & Collingham; acquired 1980; closed 23 May 2025. The store was at 226-231 High Street) * Liverpool, Binns (formerly Hendersons / William Henderson & Sons; acquired 1959; renamed Binns in 1976; closed 1983. The store was at 9-15 Church Street, Liverpool, Church Street) * Liverpool, House of Fraser.com (website 'Buy & Collect' shop; opened 2011; closed 24 August 2016. The shop was at Unit 10, 2-4 Peter's Arcade, Liverpool One) * King William Street (London), London, King William Street, House of Fraser (opened 2003; closed 29 December 2018. The store was at 68 King William Street) * Oxford Street, London, London, Oxford Street, House of Fraser (formerly

; acquired 1959; closed 22 January 2022. The store was at 308-322 Oxford Street) * Regent Street, London, Regent Street,

(acquired 1959; closed 14 January 2006. The store was at 224-244 Regent Street) * Victoria Street, London, London, Victoria Street, House of Fraser (formerly Army & Navy Stores (United Kingdom), Army & Navy / Army & Navy Stores; acquired 1973, closed 2 July 2022. The store was at 97-105 Victoria Street) *

, Army & Navy (formerly T C Dunning & Son; acquired 1975; renamed Army & Navy in 1976; closed 2005. The store was at 69-77 Week Street) * Maidstone, Chiesmans (formerly Denniss Paine & Co.; acquired 1975; closed 1984. The store was at 23-27 High Street) *

, Kendals, Kendals / Kendal Milne (furniture building at 83-93 Deansgate closed 1981) * Middlesbrough, Frasers (opened 2021 in premises previously occupied by Psyche and originally Uptons; closed September 2024. The store was at 175-187 Linthorpe Road) * Middlesbrough, House of Fraser (formerly Binns and originally Thomas Jones; acquired 1953; closed 19 June 2022. The store was at 37 Linthorpe Road) * Milton Keynes, House of Fraser (formerly Dickins & Jones; opened 1981; closed 1 February 2020. The store was at 28 Acorn Walk, Central Milton Keynes shopping centre, Central Milton Keynes) * Motherwell, Arnotts (formerly Bairds; acquired 1970; closed 25 January 1986. The store was at 52-60 Merry Street) * Newcastle upon Tyne, 19-27 Market Street, Binns (formerly Coxon / James Coxon & Co.; acquired 1953; closed 1977 on relocation to 29-39 Market Street) * Newcastle upon Tyne, 29-39 Market Street, Binns (opened 31 March 1977 in premises previously occupied by Bainbridge's, Bainbridge; closed 1994) * Newport, Isle of Wight, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans and originally Morris / Edward Morris; acquired 1975; closed 1987. The store was at 34-39 High Street) * Newquay, Dingles (formerly Hawke & Thomas; acquired 1971; closed 1983. The store was at 29-31 Bank Street) * Newry, Foster Newell (acquired jointly with Waterford Glass in 1971; destroyed by incendiary bombing on 24 April 1976 and relocated to Banbridge. The store was at 43-53 Hill Street) * Newton Abbot, Dingles (formerly William Badcock & Sons; acquired 1971; renamed Dingles 26 March 1973; closed 1988. The store was at 34-38 Courtenay Street) * Newton Abbot, J F Rockhey (formerly John Mackenzie; acquired 1959; closed 24 March 1973 with the business incorporated into William Badcock & Sons. The store was at 34-42 Queen Street) * Newton Abbot, Henry Warren & Son (men's and boys' outfitters; acquired 1971; closed 1974 with the business incorporated into Dingles. After closure the premises were converted into a branch of Southwest Rentals, closing in 1977. The shop was at 8 Bank Street) * Northampton, House of Fraser (formerly Beatties; acquired 2005; closed 2014. The store was at Unit 32, Newland Walk, Grosvenor Centre) * Oswestry, Rackhams (formerly Bradleys; acquired 1975; closed 1984. The store was at 5-13 Cross Street) * Paisley, Arnotts (formerly Robert Cochran & Son; acquired 1964; renamed Arnotts 22 January 1973; closed 2003. The store was at 11-15 Gauze Street) * Paisley, Fraser & Love (17-21 Gauze Street) * Penzance, Dingles (formerly John Polglase; acquired 1971; closed 3 July 1988. The store was at 37 Market Place) * Perth, Scotland, Perth, Frasers (opened 1984 on the site of Wallaces / D A Wallace & Co., acquired 1946; closed 2002. The store was at 116-128 High Street.) * Perth, Gordon & Stanfield (acquired 1941. The store was at 32 South Methven Street) * Peterhead, Arnotts (formerly Benzie & Miller and originally Simpson & Barclay; acquired 1958; renamed Arnotts in 1972; destroyed by fire on 21 October 1977 and not reopened. The store was at 2-8 Marischal Street) * Port Glasgow, Bairds (formerly a branch of Gilchrists of Greenock; acquired 1970; closed 1977. The store was at 40-42 Princes Street) * Port Talbot, David Evans (formerly W J Williams & Son; acquired 1977. The store was at 7-11 High Street) * Portsmouth, John Anstiss (acquired 1975) * Reading, Berkshire, Reading, House of Fraser (opened in The Oracle, Reading, The Oracle shopping centre in 1999; closed 28 September 2023) * Richmond, London, Richmond, House of Fraser (formerly Dickins & Jones; opened September 1969 on the site of Gosling & Sons, acquired 1957; closed September 2020. The store was at 75-81 George Street) * Richmond, Wright Brothers (acquired 1975; sold as a going concern to Owen Owen in 1976 in exchange for Owen Owen's Doncaster store. The store was at 29-34 George Street) * Salisbury, Clark & Lonnen (acquired 1975. The store was at 33 Butcher Row and 44-54 New Canal) * Salisbury, Dingles (formerly Blooms; acquired 1975; closed 1988. The store was at 3-7 New Canal) * Scunthorpe, Binns (opened 19 September 1974; closed 1997. The store was at 28-32 Southgate) *

, House of Fraser (formerly Rackhams and originally John Walsh (department store), Walshs / John Walsh; acquired 1959; closed 1997. The store was at 50 High Street) * Meadowhall (shopping centre), Sheffield, Meadowhall, House of Fraser (opened 4 September 1990; closed 3 January 2021. The store was at Unit 1, Park Lane, Meadowhall) * Shotts, Arnotts (formerly Bairds; acquired 1970; closed 1986. The store was at 162-164 Station Road) * Shrewsbury, Grocott & Co. (acquired 1975. The store was at 1-3 The Square) * Shrewsbury, House of Fraser (formerly Rackhams and originally Joseph Della Porta; acquired 1975; closed 12 January 2019. The store was at 36-38 High Street) * Skipton, Ledgard & Wynn (acquired 1988; sold as a going concern in 1989. The store was at 53 High Street) * Skipton, Rackhams (formerly Brown Muff and originally Amblers; acquired 1977; closed 6 December 2019. The store was at 31-41 High Street) * Slagelse, A C Illum (acquired 1972; closed 1979) * Solihull, House of Fraser (formerly Beatties; acquired 2005; closed 28 August 2023. The store was at 700 Warwick Road) * Southend-on-Sea, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans, preceded by the Southend branch of J R Roberts Stores; acquired 1975; closed 1984. The store was at 90 High Street) * Southport, Binns (formerly Alexanders; acquired 1975; closed 1981. The store was at 377-389 Lord Street, Southport, Lord Street) * South Shields, Binns (formerly Fowler & Brock; acquired 1953; closed 1995. The store was at 49-61 King Street) * Stirling, Arnotts (formerly Logies / Logie & Co.; acquired 1945; renamed Arnotts in 1974; closed 1977. The store was at 61-67 Barnton Street) * Stirling, Frasers (formerly McLachlan & Brown; acquired 1946; renamed Frasers in 1977; sold as a going concern to McMaster Stores in 1989, after which the name of the store reverted to McLachlan & Brown. The store was at 8-14 Murray Place) *

, Binns (department store), Binns / H Binns, Son & Co. (acquired 1953; closed 1993. The store was at 29-32 & 33-42 Fawcett Street) *

, David Evans (acquired 1977; closed 2005. The store was at 26-36 Princess Way) *

, House of Fraser Outlet (formerly House of Fraser; opened 1996; closed November 2021. The store was at 44-54 Canal Walk, Brunel Centre) * Torquay, Dingles (formerly J F Rockhey; acquired 1959; closed 30 July 1988. The store was at 49-53 Fleet Street and 40-42 Swan Street) * Trowbridge, Dingles (formerly Fear Hill; acquired 1969; renamed Dingles in 1974; closed 1988. The store was at 2-3 Silver Street) * Truro, Dingles (formerly Criddle & Smith; acquired 1971; closed 3 October 1987. The store was at 15-16 King Street) * Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tunbridge Wells, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans and originally Waymarks; acquired 1975; renamed Army & Navy in 1983; closed 1988. The store was at 2-14 Calverley Road) * Upton Park, London, Upton Park, Chiesmans (formerly John Lewis; acquired 1975. The store was at 346-352 Green Street) * Waterford, Robertson Ledlie Ferguson & Co. (acquired 1969. The store was at 53 The Quay) * West Thurrock, Lakeside Shopping Centre, Lakeside, House of Fraser (opened 9th September 1991; closed January 2024. The store was at Unit 200, Lakeside Shopping Centre) * Whifflet, Arnotts (formerly Bairds and originally a branch of James B Henderson; acquired 1970; renamed Arnotts 2 August 1982; closed 1984. The store was at 13-15 Easton Place) * White City, London, White City,

, House of Fraser (opened 2008; closed December 2022. The store was in The Village, Westfield Shopping Centre) * Winchester, Army & Navy (formerly Chiesmans and originally D C Edmonds & Sons; acquired 1975; closed 7 April 1984. The store was at 106-107 High Street) * Wishaw, Arnotts (formerly Bairds / T Baird & Sons; acquired 1970; renamed Arnotts in 1982; closed June 1989. The store was at 86-94 Main Street) *

, Beatties, Beatties / James Beattie (acquired 2005; closed 2020. The store was at 71-78 Victoria Street) * Wolverhampton, Rackhams (formerly Army & Navy and originally Thomas Clarkson & Sons; acquired 1973; renamed Rackhams in 1975; closed 1992. The store was at 42-50 Snow Hill) * Wood Green, Bartons / A Barton & Co. (acquired 1975. The store was at 26-36 High Road) * Wood Green, D H Evans (opened 1980; closed 1996. The store was at 171-175 High Road, The Mall Wood Green, Wood Green Shopping City) * Yeovil, Dingles (formerly Gamis's; acquired 1975; closed 1987. The store was at 3 & 6 High Street and occupied the upper floors of 4-5 High Street, connecting the two premises) *

Notes

References

External links

*
House of Fraser archive project, University of GlasgowHouse of Fraser Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Fraser House of Fraser, Department stores of the United Kingdom Scottish brands Companies based in Derbyshire Companies based in Glasgow Clothing retailers of Scotland Clothing companies of Scotland Retail companies established in 1849 1849 establishments in Scotland British royal warrant holders History of Glasgow Frasers Group Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange