Биылғы Беалс тарихы және өзгерістері

English department store chain

Beales is an English department store chain, which currently operates 2 branches, in Poole and Southport. 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. 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.

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. 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. During the Second World War the company's Bournemouth store was bombed on 23 May 1943. Whitakers, the Bolton department store opened in 1829 was bought by Beales in 1996, with the name changed to Beales in 2011.

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. In August 2010, Beales expanded further by acquiring the Westgate Department Store in Rochdale from the Anglia Regional Co operative Society. As of 5 April 2011, Beales acquired 19 additional Westgate stores, securing its long term future. 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. In addition a branch in Skipton closed in November 2012, a branch in Cinderford closed in July 2013. 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 after a campaign by locals and the owners of Beales backed by Conor Burns MP. 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" were rejected by councillors as "shabby" and "appalling". Tony Brown took the company into private ownership in 2018. On 20 January 2020, Beales formally entered administration, appointing KPMG as the administrators. 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. 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. Beales owed £12.6million, and during a month of closing down sales took £9.6 million in revenue. However, a new company, New Start 2020 Limited, owned by Panther Securities reopened a Beales store in Poole in August 2020.