Bentalls

Bentalls is a British department store chain with a branch in Kingston upon Thames. The well regarded 'county' department store began as a drapery shop, founded by Frank Bentall in 1867. The company was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange, but since 2001 has been owned by the private Fenwick group.

Bentalls plc
Unlisted public company
IndustryRetail
GenreDepartment Store
Founded1867
FounderFrank Bentall
HeadquartersKingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
Number of locations
1
Key people
Leonard Edward Rowan Bentall (Chairman 1968-78, President 1978-93)
ParentFenwick
Websitewww.bentalls.co.uk

History

Bentalls was established in 1867 by Frank Bentall who purchased a drapery shop in Kingston upon Thames. The principal buildings of the Kingston store were completed in 1935 to a design by architect Maurice Webb (son of Sir Aston Webb) and inspired by Wren's design for Hampton Court. The fine stonework on the façade was the work of Eric Gill. Between 1935 and 1976 it was the UK's largest department store outside central London. It became a Grade II listed building in 2011.

The facade of the original store has been retained as part of the Bentall Centre shopping development which was opened in 1992, in which the principal Bentalls store is now located. The store previously occupied buildings covering the entire site of the development.

The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1946, but the Bentall family retained a controlling interest.

Bentalls established their first branch store in 1947 when the Worthing department store of Bentall & Sons was acquired from family cousins who had decided to retire. The Worthing business was significantly extended with the purchase of the Jordan & Cook furniture store in later years. The Ealing department store of Eldred Sayers & Son was acquired in 1950. Mary Lee of Tunbridge Wells was purchased a decade later. Under the association with Frank Bentall's grandson Rowan Bentall, who was Chairman between 1968-1978, the company expanded with a new purpose-built Bentalls department store opening in Bracknell in 1973. Further stores were opened in Chatham, Tonbridge and Lakeside. As a result, the group's turnover more than doubled from £14.5 million to £35.1 million.[1]

The company subsequently opened a store in Bristol and closed the stores in Chatham and Tunbridge Wells.[2]

In 2000, the chain rejected a £27 million offer from its rival Allders.

In January 2001, Bentalls sold their loss-making Bristol store to rival House of Fraser for £16.35 million.[3]

In June of that year, the family-owned rival department store chain Fenwick purchased Bentalls for £70.8 million. The Bentall family's shareholding at the time was 38%, with Frank Bentall's great grandson Edward Bentall being the Chairman. The company's turnover was £108.2 million.[4] The chain then consisted of six stores: Bracknell, Ealing, Kingston upon Thames, Lakeside, Tonbridge and Worthing.[5]

Fenwick subsequently sold the Lakeside store to Allders and the leases of the Bentalls sites in Ealing, Tonbridge and Worthing to the Bournemouth based Beales group.[6] The successful stores in Kingston upon Thames and Bracknell were retained.

The Bracknell branch was replaced in September 2017 by a new Fenwick store as part of The Lexicon development.

Current operations

Kingston is one of the largest retail centres in the south-east and Bentalls itself is popular among many shoppers. In the days approaching Christmas, Bentalls Kingston is said to take over £1 million per day.

Department store locations

Singer Dusty Springfield once worked at Bentalls in Ealing and singer Petula Clark gave her first public performance as a child at Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames.

Bentalls is mentioned by the character Chubb in the Anthony Blunt episode (A Question of Attribution) of the stage play Single Spies by Alan Bennett.

Bentalls features in the Ladybird Books People at Work series, appearing in In A Big Store

Bentalls Wood Street entrance also features in the Ladybird Books People at Work series " The Police". A night time scene where two police constables are arresting what appears to be some burglars.

  • A Bentalls delivery lorry in Kingston upon Thames
  • Bentalls' 1935 facade inspired by Hampton Court Palace
gollark: I mean, 90% of the time you can just have them boot from HTTP or something.
gollark: Who are you talking to and what about?
gollark: <@386884302228684800> 104... machines?
gollark: <@184468521042968577>
gollark: I mean, you can hook up a remote shell of some sort and run shatter on the overlay glasses connected to that.

References
  1. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-rowan-bentall-1488052.html
  2. Berry, Aidan (1999). Financial Accounting: An Introduction. Cengage Learning EMEA. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-86152-479-9. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2001/mar/31/10
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2001/jun/29/1
  5. http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-1552372/Fenwick-buys-Bentalls-in-16370m-deal.html
  6. "Allders PLC Acquisition of New Store". Investegate. 1 May 2002. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
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