Main entry:

Morrison, Kathryn A., author.

Title & Author:

Chain stores in the golden age of the British high street / Kathryn A. Morrison.

Publication:

Swindon : Historic England, 2025.

Description:

x, 342 pages : illustrations (some colour) ; 25 cm.

Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Menswear -- Boots and shoes -- The grocery, provision, bakery and wine trades -- Dairies -- Butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers -- Fancy goods, toys and jewellery -- Chemists, druggists and photographic dealers -- Confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents -- Household goods -- Department store groups and chains -- Womenswear and childrenswear -- Fixed-price bazaars and variety stores -- Criticism, control and placemaking.

Summary:

"Familiar multiples like Boots, Burton, Marks & Spencer and Woolworth's - plus a host of smaller chains - forged the character of Britain's high streets in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Multiple retailing was a supremely successful phenomenon, loved by thrifty shoppers but feared by independent competitors. It is explored here through the lens of its shops and stores, which are generously illustrated with archive and modern photographs. These range from the Edwardian grandeur of Boots to the art deco splendour of Burton and the utilitarian post-war buildings of Littlewoods. Smaller chains are not neglected, even if all that survives are weathered signs or mosaic pavements. The time is ripe for a study of chain stores. Britain's retail giants have been under scrutiny since the shocking collapse of Woolworth's in 2009, followed by BHS in 2016. Online shopping was already undermining bricks-and-mortar retailing when the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, accelerating the process. The recent demise of Debenhams, Arcadia, Wilko, and others leaves vast empty premises in town centres nationwide. Our high streets are changing, but their legacy of chain store buildings can play a constructive role in repurposing them for future generations"-- Back cover.

Biographical note:

Kathryn A Morrison, an architectural historian, worked in heritage for 30 years.

ISBN:

9781836244530 (hbk.)
1836244533
9781836246084 (ePub ebook)
9781836244196 (PDF ebook)

Subject:

Retail trade Great Britain History 19th century.
Retail trade Great Britain History 20th century.
Chain stores Great Britain History 19th century.
Chain stores Great Britain History 20th century.
Cities and towns Great Britain.
Commerce de détail Grande-Bretagne Histoire 19e siècle.
Commerce de détail Grande-Bretagne Histoire 20e siècle.
Villes Grande-Bretagne.
Magasins à succursales multiples Grande-Bretagne Histoire 19e siècle.
Magasins à succursales multiples Grande-Bretagne Histoire 20e siècle.

Holdings:

Location: Library main 319476
Call No.: 319476
Copy: 1
Status: Available