Kendals

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Kendals
TypePrivate company
IndustryRetail
GenreDepartment store
Founded1836; 185 years ago (1836)
HeadquartersDeansgate, Manchester
ProductsQuality and luxury goods
OwnerMike Ashley

Kendals is the previous name of a department store in Manchester, England. Since 2005, the store now operates as House of Fraser.[1] The store had previously been known during its operation as Kendal Milne, Kendal, Milne & Co, Kendal, Milne & Faulkner, Harrods or Watts.

History[]

The store was opened as Watts' in 1832, and became Kendal, Milne & Faulkner when three employees bought out the business and re-opened it in 1836.[2] The founder John Watts had begun a drapery business in Deansgate in 1796 which became prosperous and was later known as "The Bazaar" and expanded onto a site on the other side of Deansgate.[3] The store building of 1836 (on the east side) was reconstructed after the street widening of 1873 by the architect E. J. Thompson. The site of the present store was occupied by the cabinet showrooms, workshops and packing departments.[4]

It was purchased by Harrods in 1919, and was called Harrods for a period in the 1920s, but the name swiftly reverted to Kendal Milne following protests from customers and staff.[2]

The Harrods group, along with Kendals, was taken over by House of Fraser in 1959.[2] The store continued trading as Kendals until 2005,[2] when, after extensive refurbishment, the store was renamed House of Fraser Manchester. Despite the re-branding of Kendals, the 'Kendal, Milne and Co' name is still clearly visible on marble fascias above the store's entrances.

The store is located in a purpose-built Art Deco building on Deansgate, with 280,000 sq ft (26,000 m2) of retail space, making it Manchester's largest department store (the previous largest being Debenhams on Market Street until its closure in 2021) at 420,000 sq ft (39,000 m2). The present store was designed by Harrods' in-house architect, Louis David Blanc, with input from a local architect J. S. Beaumont, in 1938 and completed in 1939.[5] It is a Grade II listed building.[6] It operated for many years alongside the Victorian store building on the opposite side of Deansgate (opened in 1873). A large multi-storey car park stands to the west of the store.

In October 2018, it was announced that the House of Fraser store would close in late January 2019 due to being unable to sort out a crucial restructuring deal.[7][8] However in November 2018 it was announced that the store had been saved from closure.[9]

In October 2020, plans emerged[10] which suggest the store will close once and for all, with the store refurbished, extended and repurposed as offices. The multi-storey car park to the west would be demolished and replaced by further office space and public realm created between the two buildings.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "House of Fraser premium department store in Manchester". www.houseoffraser.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Ottewell, David (28 October 2005) "Kendals name dropped forever" ManchesterEveningNews.co.uk (Retrieved: 19 February 2010)
  3. ^ Linton, Deborah. "Kendals celebrates 175 years of trading". M E N Media. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2011.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Atkins, Philip (1976) Guide Across Manchester. Manchester: Civic Trust for the North West; p. 55
  5. ^ Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Louis David Blanc
  6. ^ Historic England. "Nos. 98-116, DEANSGATE, Manchester (1200851)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Sports Direct to close House of Fraser's Manchester store". The Guardian. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  8. ^ "House of Fraser 'Kendal's' Manchester store closing after 180 years". BBC News. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Manchester's House of Fraser store Kendal's saved from closure". BBC News. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Manchester's iconic Kendals/House of Fraser building to become offices". Confidentials. Retrieved 15 October 2020.

External links[]


Coordinates: 53°28′54″N 2°14′52″W / 53.4818°N 2.2479°W / 53.4818; -2.2479

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