Morleys Stores Explained

Morleys Stores Ltd
Foundation:1 October 1897[1]
Location City:London
Key People:Bernard Dreesmann
Industry:Retail
Locations:8 stores (2014)
Revenue:£90.6 million
Operating Income:£5.6 million
Num Employees:1000
Subsid:Morley's of Bicester Ltd

Morleys Stores is a group of eight department stores in Greater London, a business-to-business furniture supply subsidiary called Morley's of Bicester Ltd and a department store & furniture centre called Camp Hopson of Newbury in Newbury, Berkshire.[2] The group is named after the original store that opened in Brixton, south London as Morley & Lanceley.

History

In 1854 Joseph Hopson opened a furniture business on West Street, Newbury. In 1886, Alfred Camp opened a drapery bazaar on Northbrook Street. The business ran as separate entities until 1920, when Paul Hopson, grandson of Joseph, married the daughter of Alfred, Norah, and the companies were merged to form Camp Hopson.[3]

In 1929, the Brixton store started selling contract furniture, eventually expanding and moving to Bicester. It acquired the similar businesses of Duncan Roberts Ltd in 2002 and Principal Furniture Ltd in 2005.[4]

The Brixton Road shop originally traded as Morley & Lanceley. In 2009 Morleys bought Roomes Fashion and Home in Upminster[5] and in 2010 it bought the Pearsons stores in Enfield and Bishop's Stortford.[6] Smith Bros in Tooting was rebranded Morleys on 1 November 2010[7] and the Pearsons store in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire closed during 2012.[8]

In November 2014, Morley's purchased Camp Hopson of Newbury which consists of a department store and furniture centre.[9]

In the year to January 2014 group profit was £5.6 million on turnover of £90.6 million.[10]

In November 2016, it was confirmed that Morleys had signed up for its ninth store, taking over the vacated former British Home Stores premises at Broadway Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath. The new store opened in spring 2017.[11]

In November 2023, the company made a £5.5 million investment in chocolate café chain Knoops Chocolate.[12]

Operations

Morleys is a member of the Solihull-based Associated Independent Stores buying group, the supplier of non-food goods to 350 companies with about 600 small and medium-sized independent outlets[13] with textile and other non-food goods.

List of current Morleys Group stores as of 2023.

Morleys

Other branding

Defunct

Notes and References

  1. Web site: DueDil. www.duedil.com.
  2. http://www.morleys.co.uk/morleys-stores-ltd Morleys Stores Ltd
  3. Web site: Camp Hopson of Newbury has been sold - newburytoday.co.uk 4/11/14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141104134119/http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2014/camp-hopson-of-newbury-has-been-sold-off . 4 November 2014 . 5 November 2014.
  4. http://www.morleys.co.uk/morleys-of-bicester-ltd Morley's of Bicester Ltd
  5. http://www.furnishingreport.com/roomes_acquisition_010609 London department store group targets Roomes of Upminster acquisition, The Furnishing Report, Letchworth Hertfordshire, 1 June 2009
  6. http://www.housewareslive.net/news/news.asp?id=6672&title=Morleys+acquires+Pearsons+department+stores Morleys acquires Pearsons department stores, 9 November 2010
  7. Web site: Archived copy . 22 February 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141210174546/http://ww3.wandsworth.gov.uk/committ/(S(mmnhu4ih3qozyo45zsrk0ma4))/documents/s12398/10-904%20-%20Progress%20report.pdf . 10 December 2014 . dead .
  8. Web site: Pearsons confirm closure of Bishop's Stortford store - Bishop's Stortford news.
  9. http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2014/camp-hopson-of-newbury-has-been-sold-off Camp Hopson of Newbury has been sold | Newbury Weekly News
  10. http://www.worksmart.org.uk/company/company.php?id=00054257&showSubs Morleys Stores Limited, Company report quoted by Worksmart, TUC, London, Undated
  11. Web site: Bexley.gov.uk, 2016-11-25. 28 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161129082644/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/morleys. 29 November 2016. dead.
  12. Web site: Hunt . Simon . 2023-11-27 . Hot chocolate chain Knoops in £8m funding round to double store numbers . 2024-03-13 . Evening Standard . en.
  13. http://www.aistores.co.uk/ AIS - A partnership for profit, Corporate website, undated
  14. Web site: About Morleys .