Beales (department store) explained

New Start 2020 Limited T/A Beales
Type:Limited company
Foundation:
in Bournemouth, Hampshire, UK
Founder:John Elmes Beale
Area Served:UK
Location:Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Locations:2 (Poole and Southport)
Key People:Andrew Perloff (Chairman)
Tony Brown[1]
Industry:Retail
Genre:Department store
Num Employees:1000
Num Employees Year:2020
Parent:Panther Securities

Beales is an English department store chain, which currently operates 2 branches, in Poole and Southport.[2] The former flagship store, Beales in Bournemouth, was established as The Fancy Fair by John Elmes Beale in 1881 and was the biggest department store in Dorset. The chain expanded through acquiring other department stores and continued to run two stores branded as Palmers in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft until its closure.

The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange until its private equity takeover. Beales entered administration on 20 January 2020 and finally closed their remaining stores on 18 March 2020.[3] It formerly operated 23 branches before entering administration. However, a new company, New Start 2020 Limited, reopened the Beales store in Poole in August 2020.[4]

History

Beales was established in 1881 by John Elmes Beale when he opened a store, initially known as a Fancy Fair and Oriental House, on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth, Dorset.[5] The company was run by the Beale family during the 20th century; Bennett Beale took over from his father, then by his John's grandson Frank.[5] Frank Beale trained at Macy's in New York City before returning to lead the company.[5] In the 1980s Nigel Beale, grandson of the company's founder, led the company.[5]

Beales claims to be the first department store in the world to feature a live Father Christmas character, dating back to 1885.[6] During the Second World War the company's Bournemouth store was bombed on 23 May 1943.[5]

The company floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1995.[7] Whitakers, the Bolton department store opened in 1829 was bought by Beales in 1996, with the name changed to Beales in 2011.[8]

Early 21st century expansion

The group acquired the Bentalls department stores in Ealing (closed October 2007), Tonbridge and Worthing from Fenwick in 2002 and closed its Walton-on-Thames store in January 2006.

A new Beales store opened in Horsham in September 2006 in premises formerly occupied by Allders. On 4 June 2010, Beales acquired the Robbs department store in Hexham from Vergo Retail which was in administration, for £250,000.[9] In August 2010, Beales expanded further by acquiring the Westgate Department Store in Rochdale from the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society.[10]

As of 5 April 2011, Beales acquired 19 additional Westgate stores, securing its long-term future.[11] In May 2012, Beales announced it would be opening an outlet store in the former T.J. Hughes store in The Mall Maidstone. This store closed in June 2013.[12] In addition a branch in Skipton closed in November 2012, a branch in Cinderford closed in July 2013.[13]

In summer 2014, the large Harrogate store closed for re-development of the land by the landlord. In June 2016, a planning application submitted by AEW UK for 76 flats in Bournemouth's Beales store was unanimously rejected[14] [15] after a campaign by locals and the owners of Beales backed by Conor Burns MP.[16] The 65 studio and 11 one bedroom flats with no parking which were described by AEW UK as "an environmentally sustainable approach" which "made the best use of the building"[17] were rejected by councillors as "shabby" and "appalling".[15]

On 28 November 2018, Beales bought Palmers.[18] Tony Brown took the company into private ownership in 2018.[7] Beales was a member of Associated Independent Stores (a buying group) which enables Beales to benefit from the cost savings of buying textiles and other non-food goods in bulk.

2020 closure and reopening

On 12 January 2020, Beales warned that the company with 23 stores in the UK could collapse into administration, if a buyer for the business could not be found.[19]

On 20 January 2020, Beales formally entered administration, appointing KPMG as the administrators.[3] It was understood that there would be no immediate store closures and Beales stores would continue to trade as normal in the short term.[3] On the same date, the beales.co.uk customer-facing website also went offline. At the time of entering administration, Beales had 23 stores and employed in excess of 1,000 people whose jobs were at risk.[3]

On 7 February 2020, it was announced that Beales was closing 12 stores, due to failure to sell the chain as a whole. This included Beales’ flagship store and many other significant locations.[20] On 18 February it was announced that, although negotiations with a number of parties were continuing, the remaining 11 stores would close within the following 8 weeks selling their remaining stock.[21]

The COVID-19 pandemic hastened the closure of the remaining Beales stores, with the last stores closing on 18 March and the website going offline shortly afterwards.[22] Beales owed £12.6million, and during a month of closing down sales took £9.6 million in revenue.[23]

However, a new company, New Start 2020 Limited, owned by Panther Securities reopened a Beales store in Poole in August 2020.[4] Panther Securities' chairman Andrew Perloff owned Beales for three years previously.[4] The new company hired Beales' former CEO Tony Brown to run the Poole project.[4]

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust set up a new ‘health village’ on the second floor of the Beales department store in Poole, in 2022, using material and equipment from decommissioned Nightingale hospitals. This 20,000 sq ft clinic will cover ophthalmology, dermatology, breast screening, and musco-skeletal services.[24]

Locations

Current Locations

Former locations

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'There'll be a difference between old Beales and new Beales': Plans laid for store's August opening . Bournemouth Echo . 7 June 2020 . 21 August 2020 . en.
  2. News: Beales department store officially opens as hundreds queue to get in . 14 August 2021 . The Guide, Liverpool . 13 August 2021 . en.
  3. News: Department store Beales falls into administration . 20 January 2020 . BBC News . 20 January 2020 . en-GB.
  4. News: Slade . Darren . Revealed: The brand names in the new Beales of Poole (along with bookshop and electricals) . 21 August 2020 . Bournemouth Echo . 22 July 2020 . en.
  5. Web site: About Us . Beales . 19 January 2020.
  6. News: PICTURES: When the Beales Christmas parades brought Bournemouth to a standstill . 20 January 2020 . Bournemouth Echo . 18 December 2016 . en.
  7. Web site: Beales Collapses Into Administration With 1,000 Jobs At Risk . www.lse.co.uk . 20 January 2020 . en . 20 January 2020.
  8. News: Bolton Town Centre Department Store Beales in Deansgate could be forced to close because of High Rents. Thompson, Stephen. Bolton Evening News. 8 March 2016. 27 May 2016.
  9. News: Beales acquires Robbs of Hexham . Retail Week. Amy Shields. 4 June 2010.
  10. News: Beales acquires Rochdale department store . HousewaresLive.Net . 9 August 2010 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723145448/http://www.housewareslive.net/news/news.asp?id=6473&title=Beales+acquires+Rochdale+department+store+ . 23 July 2011 .
  11. News: Beales to acquire 19 department stores. Drapers. Amy Shields. Nicola Harrison. 5 April 2011.
  12. Web site: Beales department store to close in Maidstone. Kent Online. 25 March 2014.
  13. Web site: Beale weather woes . Stock Market Wire . 20 January 2020 . 4 July 2013.
  14. News: Council unanimously rejects "shabby" and "appalling" Beales flats plans. 9 February 2017. The Herald Scotland. 21 June 2016.
  15. News: Council unanimously rejects "shabby" and "appalling" Beales flats plans. 9 February 2017. Lancashire Telegraph. 21 June 2016.
  16. Web site: Beales Department Store Planning Application. Conor Burns MP. 9 February 2017. 11 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081253/https://www.conorburns.com/campaigns/beales-department-store-planning-application. dead.
  17. News: Farrell. Stephen. FLATS PLANNED FOR LANDMARK DEPARTMENT STORE. 9 February 2017. Insider Media Ltd.. 22 March 2016.
  18. News: Takeover deal for Palmers in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft to complete at midnight. Coates. Liz. Great Yarmouth Mercury. 2018-11-28. en. 28 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181128130946/https://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/bournemouth-based-beales-to-takeover-palmers-in-great-yarmouth-and-lowestoft-1-5796905. dead.
  19. News: Department store Beales warns of collapse risk . 20 January 2020 . 12 January 2020.
  20. News: Beales to close more than half of its stores . 18 February 2020 . BBC News . 7 February 2020.
  21. News: Final Beales department stores set to close . 18 February 2020 . BBC News . 18 February 2020.
  22. Web site: Beales stores are all closing for good today . Bournemouth Echo . 23 March 2020 . en . 18 March 2020.
  23. Web site: Beales took £9.6m in barely a month after administrators launched clearance sales . Bournemouth Echo . 27 March 2020 . 21 August 2020 . en.
  24. News: University Hospitals Dorset becomes first NHS trust to launch 'Think Big' project . 22 April 2022 . Building Better Healthcare . 2 March 2022.
  25. Web site: Reader . Jane . Beales department store reopens in Poole's Dolphin Centre today . Daily Echo (Bournemouth) . Newsquest . 14 June 2024 . 3 August 2020.
  26. Web site: Brown . Andrew . Beales department store in Southport ready to say farewell with closing down sale for shoppers . Stand Up for Southport . 14 June 2024 . 2 June 2024.
  27. Web site: Beales’ store closing in Abingdon – few days left . Abingdon Blog . 30 June 2024 . 30 December 2016.
  28. Book: Annual Report and Accounts 2011 . Beale plc.
  29. Web site: Grubb . Sophie . Department store is gone - but it could become a furniture store . Oxford Mail . Newsquest . 6 February 2024 . 12 January 2017.
  30. Jahshan . Elias . Coronavirus prompts last 11 Beales stores to shut down 2 weeks early . Retail Gazette . 18 March 2020 . 12 February 2024.
  31. Web site: Ayres . Linda S. . Ezra Braggins – Founder of E Braggins & Sons . Foster Hill Road Cemetery . 20 May 2024.
  32. Web site: Bedford: Bid to make old department store space into smaller shops . BBC News . BBC . 31 January 2024 . 23 March 2023.
  33. News: Bishop Auckland's biggest high street shop Beales is to shut. Priestley, Catherine. The Northern Echo. 6 October 2016. 20 January 2020.
  34. Book: Reports and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 26 October 1985 . 1985 . JE Beale PLC.
  35. Book: Report and Accounts 1996. Beale plc.
  36. The history of Bolton's iconic Beales department store in Deansgate . The Bolton News . 29 November 2018 . 12 February 2024.
  37. Web site: Slade . Darren . 134 years of Beales: a look at the department store's long history . Bournemouth Daily Echo. 19 February 2015 . 18 December 2019 . 134Echo.
  38. News: Grassby . Jade . The Avenue shopping centre in Bournemouth is being developed . Bournemouth Daily Echo. 14 July 2019. 18 December 2019 . EchoAvenue.
  39. Book: The Forest Pioneers - The Co-Operative Movement in the Forest of Dean . 2002 . Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-Operative Society Limited . Oxford . 25 June 2024 . http://www.midcounties.coop/pdf/heritage/Oxford-Swindon-and-Gloucester/2002-The-Forest-Pioneers-O-S-and-G.pdf . 9 July 2017.
  40. Book: Annual Report 1992 . JE Beale plc.
  41. Book: Report and Accounts 2002. Beale plc.
  42. News: Beales department store has officially opened in Fareham Shopping Centre. Mckellar. Hope. 8 November 2019. Portsmouth News. 10 November 2019.
  43. News: Beales kicks off stores drive with new format. Retail Week. 12 September 2017. en.
  44. Web site: Store Finder . Beales.co.uk . Beales . 6 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110216044310/http://www.beales.co.uk/store-finder . 16 February 2011.
  45. Whelan . Grace . Coronavirus accelerates Beales stores closures . Drapers . 18 March 2020 . 12 February 2024.
  46. Book: Annual Report and Accounts 2010 . Beale plc.
  47. Book: Report and Accounts 1999. Beale plc.
  48. BREAKING NEWS: Major retailer in Horsham to close . Sussex World . 14 March 2016 . 12 February 2024.
  49. Book: Report and Accounts 1999. Beale plc.
  50. Web site: Beales reveals store’s closure . Keighley News . Newsquest . 6 February 2024 . 29 January 2014.
  51. Bargh . Becky . Beales closes 50% of stores as buyers give chain wide berth . Cosmetics Business . 10 February 2020 . 12 February 2024.
  52. News: Beales' store closing in King's Lynn. David. Bale. Eastern Daily Press. 26 April 2016. 20 January 2020.
  53. Web site: Boyle . Danny . Beales department Store to Close in Maidstone . Kent Online . KM Media Group . 6 February 2024 . 27 February 2013.
  54. News: Beales: Former Mansfield department store to become community hub . 12 February 2024 . BBC News . 7 January 2022.
  55. Book: Annual Report 1991 . JE Beale plc.
  56. Book: Reports and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 October 1993. 1993 . JE Beale PLC.
  57. Book: Reports and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 29 October 1994 . 1994 . Beale PLC.
  58. Jahshan . Elias . Beales set to open first Scottish store on site of former McEwans of Perth . Retail Gazette . 13 September 2017 . 12 February 2024.
  59. Burns . Hamish . Beales department store in Perth to close down two weeks early . The Insider . 18 March 2020 . 12 February 2024.
  60. Web site: Fish . Isabella . Beales to reopen Peterborough store . Drapers Online . Emap Publishing . 6 February 2024 . 24 March 2021.
  61. Web site: Grinnell . Paul . Furniture Retailer is Moving into Former Beales Store in Peterborough . Peterborough Today . National World Publishing . 6 February 2024 . 25 October 2023.
  62. Web site: Beales department store set to close 1st August. www.rochdaletowncentre.co.uk.
  63. News: Beales in Saffron Walden closing earlier than expected. Michael. Steward. Saffron Walden Reporter. 4 November 2016. 20 January 2020. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190702033158/https://www.saffronwaldenreporter.co.uk/news/beales-in-saffron-walden-closing-earlier-than-expected-1-4761254. dead.
  64. Web site: 'Community' store Beales announces shock closure . Surrey Live . 31 January 2024 . 16 June 2005.
  65. Web site: 14 things you'll only know if you grew up in Walton in the 1980s and 1990s . Surrey Live . 31 January 2024 . 29 April 2017.
  66. News: Beales to close store in Winchester. Napier, Andrew. Hampshire Chronicle. 26 April 2016. 20 January 2020.
  67. Web site: Beales in Yeovil closes down early amid coronavirus outbreak . Somerset Live . 24 June 2024 . 20 March 2020.

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