53-460: United Drapery Stores , or UDS, was a British retail group that dominated the British high street from the 1950s to the early 1980s. In 1925, Charterhouse Bank set up Charterhouse Investment Trust. The trust started buying up department stores : Hinds & Co, John Blundell, Shinners, S. Young & Son and Hawes Brothers, as well as retailers Walker & Penistans and Joseph Carton and Co, in
106-524: A House of Commons committee concluded that the loss of small shops on high streets in favor of chain stores contributes to the formation of clone towns , leading to "a loss of sociability ". In 2011, business consultant Mary Portas , best known for the TV series Mary Queen of Shops , was commissioned by the UK government to provide an independent review of High Street shopping. The report provided evidence for
159-978: A highway ). In most cities the main business and shopping area is rather referred to as Innenstadt (downtown) or by the specific street name. In Cologne the Hohe Straße (literally, High Street) is the main shopping street, but was named after a gate at its southern end (the Hohe Pforte , or High Gate). The term High Street is far less commonly used in Ireland. There, like in the United States, Main Street tends to be used instead. Neither of Dublin's two main shopping streets ( Grafton Street and Henry Street ) carry this name, for example, nor does its main thoroughfare ( O'Connell Street ). While Dublin has street named High Street near Christchurch , formerly
212-555: A bid of £264 million and was largely broken up. John Collier was sold to the management in a £47.5 million buyout in September 1983, (before being sold onto the Burton Group in 1985). Richard Shops was sold to Sir Terence Conran 's Habitat Mothercare Group plc after a failed management buyout. Along with the sales of William Timpson and Orbit, the total return of £152 million was raised. High street High Street
265-401: A major shopping street named High Street ( Irish : An tSráid Ard ), including Killarney , Galway , Wexford , Ballinrobe , Westport , Bagenalstown , Macroom , Tuam , Wicklow , Trim , Monaghan , Kilkenny , and Kilrush . Bantry, County Cork is an interesting variant; the main shopping street is called High Street in its western part and Main Street in its eastern part. The same
318-408: A number of different variables. Research has highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by towns and cities and suggested that "[t]he town centre serves not only social, utilitarian or hedonic shopping purposes but also supports out-of-hours entertainment and leisure services. The way that consumers perceive and use town centres has also fundamentally changed." In order to address the issues threatening
371-585: A preponderance of stores selling luxury branded goods. In the United Kingdom, geographic concentration of goods and services (including at industrial estates and out of town shopping centres) has reduced the share of the economy contributed to by workers in the high street. High Street refers to only a part of commerce. The town centre in many British towns combines a group of outdoor shopping streets (one or more of which may be pedestrianised ), with an adjacent indoor shopping centre. High Streets through
424-481: A street where the most important shops and businesses were located. In Britain, the term 'high street' has both a generic and a specific meaning: people refer to 'shopping on the high street' both when they mean the main retail area, as well as the specific street of that name. Many former British colonies, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US region known as New England (especially Massachusetts ), adopted
477-615: A trading name of Arcadia Group Brands Ltd , part of the Arcadia Group . Sir Philip Green acquired the Arcadia Group in 2002, and it became the sole owner of Burton. In 2021, Boohoo.com acquired the brand after Arcadia went into administration . There were over 400 stores in the UK. The company was founded by Sir Montague Maurice Burton in Chesterfield in 1903 under the name of The Cross-Tailoring Company. It
530-404: A typical high street to differentiate them from more specialised, exclusive and expensive outlets (often independent stores) – for example, "High Street banks " (instead of the less-common private or investment banks ) or "High Street shops" (instead of boutiques ). The phrase "High Street banks" is used to refer to the retail banking sector in the United Kingdom. Alongside High Street ,
583-558: Is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth . It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping . It is also a metonym for the retail sector. While many streets, such as Camden High Street (in London). bear this name, streets with similar function but different names are often referred to as "high street". With
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#1732801338376636-715: Is a term used in smaller towns and villages in Scotland , while in North East England Front Street is common. In Cornwall , some places in Devon and some places in the North of England, the equivalent is Fore Street; in some parts of the UK Market Street is also used, although sometimes this may be a different area where street markets are currently (or were historically) held. Following
689-498: Is found in Athlone and Birr, County Offaly . In Jamaica, the main commercial district is Front Street (especially in cities located alongside a waterway). In Norway, the main commercial and administrative street is most often 'Storgaten/Storgata' (Grand Street) In Sweden, the main street is often 'Storgatan' (Grand Street), but as common is 'Drottninggtan' (Queen's street) and 'Kungsgatan' (King's Street)' The equivalent in
742-510: Is frequently used in Quebec towns, and "a village where the main street is still Main Street" is a phrase that is used in respect for small towns. In some sections of Canada, the main commercial district is Front Street (especially in cities located alongside a waterway). In Germany , the equivalent is Hauptstraße (Main Street), though this can also refer to a road with a lot of traffic (i.e.,
795-814: Is used across various types of settlements; from densely populated inner suburbs of Dublin such as Ranelagh , to satellite suburbs of the capital such as Swords , and also in villages and small towns throughout the country. For example, the OSI North Leinster Town Maps book lists sixteen "Main Streets" and only two "High Streets" in its thirty-town index of street names. Similarly, the OSI Dublin Street Guide (covering all of Dublin City and County Dublin) lists twenty "Main Streets" and only two "High Streets". Some Irish towns do have
848-604: The Allders name during the 1970s and 80s. In 1959 the business failed in a takeover of rival department store group Harrods , rivalling Debenhams and eventual winner House of Fraser , after Joseph Collier sold the shares owned by United Drapery Stores to Hugh Fraser . UDS continued the policy of expansion through acquisitions, purchasing Cardiff department store Mackross and Alexander Sloan , an Irish clothing and household retailer in 1959, Portsmouth department store Landport Drapery Bazaar in 1960, credit drapers Lawsons and
901-756: The COVID-19 lockdown and planned hundreds of job cuts to minimise costs. As financial difficulties worsened, Arcadia entered administration on 30 November 2020. In February 2021, Boohoo.com announced it was buying the Burton brand from Arcadia (along with the Wallis and Dorothy Perkins brands) for £25.2 million, with the loss of around 2,450 jobs. All Burton stores closed as the company became an online only retailer. Beginning in 1923, Burton began to acquire freehold sites in order to build its own custom designed stores. Prominent town centre corner sites were preferred and
954-563: The Fifty Shilling Tailors brand, with 404 stores and 12 factories across the country. After the takeover by UDS, the chain was gradually renamed John Collier . In 1954 UDS acquired Alexandre Limited , a Leeds-based multiple tailor with over 88 stores owned by Bernard and Jack Lyons and their families. Joseph Collier, the United Drapery Stores chairman, was struggling to turn around Prices Tailors and saw
1007-506: The Great Fire of London (1666), the city of London was completely rebuilt. New planning laws, governing rebuilding, designated four types of street based on the size of their carriageways and the types of buildings. Shops were permitted in the principal street or 'high street', but not in the by-lanes or back streets. This may have been based on the need for high visibility in order to regulate retail trade, as well as to avoid congestion in
1060-539: The Industrial Revolution , the department store became a common feature in major High Streets across Britain, with Harding, Howell & Co. , opened in 1796 on Pall Mall , London, a contender for the first department store. Founded in London in 1792, bookseller and stationers WHSmith is the world's oldest national retail chain . The 19th century was a "golden era" for High Street shops. The rise of
1113-533: The United States is Main Street . In some sections of the United States, the main commercial district is Front Street (especially in cities located alongside a waterway). Burton (clothing) Burton is a British online clothing retailer, former high street retailer and clothing manufacturer, specialising in men's clothing and footwear. The company was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index , but became
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#17328013383761166-598: The Worldwide and Atlas Agency mail order businesses in 1965, with the twenty-seven shops of Brooks Brothers joining the forty-five stores of the Peter Pell clothing chain in 1967. It was reported that in 1966 alone UDS sold over 1,119,000 men's suits in Britain, making it one of the biggest clothing retailers in Britain at that time, rivalled only by the likes of Burtons and Hepworths . Whiteleys of Bayswater,
1219-561: The rapid increase in consumer expenditure the number of High Streets in England grew from the 17th century and reached a peak in Victorian Britain where, drawn to growing towns and cities spurred on by the Industrial Revolution , the rate of urbanisation was unprecedented. Since the latter half of the 20th century, the prosperity of High Streets has been in decline due to the growth of out-of-town shopping centres , and, since
1272-462: The John Collier chain, with a loss of 100 stores and 500 jobs. The credit operations were sold to Citibank , John Myers was sold to Great Universal Stores while plans were made to sell John Collier to Burtons, although a management buyout was attempted but rebuffed. In 1983 the group was acquired after a takeover battle by Hanson Trust , beating Gerald Ronson 's Heron International with
1325-563: The London suburbs under the stewardship of Charterhouse chairman Sir Arthur Wheeler, 1st Baronet . In 1927, the trust floated United Drapery Stores as the holding company for these businesses. In 1928, Henry Glave, a department store in New Oxford Street acquired the business under the management of Sir Arthur Wheeler, 1st Baronet , who had recently resigned from Charterhouse. The company in 1930 reported profits of £102,413. By 1931, this had grown to 112 retail outlets, however Wheeler
1378-671: The Lyons as the men to turn it around. Bernard Lyons took control of the menswear operations and later became group chairman and chief executive, while Jack moved to London and took on a variety of group roles. A notable takeover by the UDS group came in 1958 when Joseph Collier negotiated a takeover of the Allders department store in Croydon , followed by Newcastle upon Tyne department store John Farnon . The Lyons would eventually start to rebrand United Drapery Stores department store businesses under
1431-567: The United Kingdom , with the balance shifting towards the latter. In the early 21st century, bricks and mortar retailers confronted another major threat from online retailers operating in a global marketplace. To confront this threat, High Street precincts have been forced to evolve; some have become smaller as shops shut their doors, while others have become more like social spaces with a concentration of retail services including cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues while yet others have positioned themselves as more up-market shopping precincts with
1484-602: The business in 1950 when it took over the Scottish clothes chain Claude Alexander , while Reading department store Heelas was bought from Charles Clore , but sold three years later to the John Lewis Partnership . 1953 saw its biggest expansion through the acquisition of Prices Tailors Limited , a Leeds multiple tailoring firm. Prices had been founded in 1907 by Henry Price , and traded under
1537-688: The business of Stewart's Clothiers Ltd , bringing its number of outlets to 232. Control of the John Anstee group of large drapery outlets and department stores, including Arding & Hobbs in Battersea and Owles & Beaumont, drapers in Brompton Road London, was secured in 1948. They purchased the Richard Shops chain of ladieswear stores in 1949 from Charles Clore for £800,000. A further thirty-seven shops were added to
1590-529: The business officially changed its name from United Drapery Stores to UDS and acquired the shoe repair business of Timpson for £28.6 million. However the company was dragged into the collapse of London and County Securities bank in the same year. In 1975 the company's subsidiaries were: However, for the UDS menswear business the main rival was the Burton Group , and there were several attempts by UDS to take over Burton's, most notably in 1967. This attempt
1643-458: The centre of the medieval city, it is not a shopping street. The city of Cork 's main shopping street is St Patrick's Street . The city's oldest streets are named North Main Street and South Main Street. Limerick 's principal thoroughfare, like Dublin, is also O'Connell Street (the name is used in a number of other Irish towns in honour of Daniel O'Connell ). The term Main Street ( Irish : An tSráid Mhór , literally "The Big/Great Street")
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1696-404: The centuries The popularity of shopping malls in the mid-20th century, combined with the rise of online retail at the turn of the century has threatened the viability of high street retail precincts. Initiatives to preserve the traditional British High Street are evident. Research into the customer's shopping preferences and patterns reveals that the continued vitality of towns is predicated on
1749-516: The company acquired the Peter Robinson department store chain. Montague Burton died in 1952. By this time, the company was the largest multiple tailor in the world. The company expanded by purchasing various other brands, including competitors until it was split from Debenhams in 1998. At this time Burtons became a brand name, and the Arcadia Group name took over as the group name. The companies purchased or merged with were: Burton
1802-477: The decline of High Street precincts such as data indicating that retail spending in High Street shops had fallen to below 50 per cent. Her final report set out a vision for High Streets and a number of recommendations. However, her plan has failed to stem the number of High Street store closures, leaving authorities in a quandary about how to proceed. The term "High Street" is used to describe stores found on
1855-542: The early 21st century, the growth of online retailing, forcing many shop closures and prompting the UK government to consider initiatives to reinvigorate and preserve the High Street. High Street is the most common street name in the UK, which according to a 2009 statistical compilation has 5,410 High Streets, 3,811 Station Roads and 2,702 Main Streets. In Middle English the word "high" denoted superior rank (" high sheriff ", " Lord High Chancellor ", " high society "). "High" also applied to roads as they improved: " highway "
1908-498: The middle class in Victorian England contributed to a more favourable attitude to shopping and consumption. Shopping centres became places to see and be seen, for recreational shopping, and for promenading . By the 20th century, however, the viability of High Streets began to decline. In the second half of the 20th century, traditional British High Street precincts came under pressure from out-of-town shopping centres in
1961-489: The narrow lanes and back streets. Accordingly, from the 17th century, the term "High Street" gradually assumed a narrower meaning and came to describe thoroughfares with significant retail in large villages and towns. With the rapid increase in consumer expenditure , in the late 17th and 18th centuries the number of High Streets in England increased markedly. Britain also saw an unprecedented growth in urbanisation with people flocking to growing towns and cities. Nurtured by
2014-408: The now struggling giant department store, was purchased in 1961. In 1968, United Drapery Stores asked Joseph Kaplan from London and County Securities Group to manage the bank they inherited when purchasing Whiteleys , which saw branches opened in other department stores. The fur and leather retailer Swears and Wells was added to the business in 1969. The mail order catalogue business of John Myers
2067-404: The shops often moved a few doors along the same street in order to acquire the corner site. Leeds-based architect Harry Wilson was hired at this time and developed the Burton "house style" building design. In 1931 Burton took over Wilson's practice to make it the in-house architecture department. Wilson was replaced as chief architect by Nathaniel Martin in 1937. This Burton in-house architecture
2120-423: The sustainability of towns it is increasingly important to consider Consumer behaviour and customer experience . This is in line with research that proposes that for high street retail to thrive in spite of the growth threat of eCommerce , the sensual hedonic experiences (e.g. scent, feel, etc.) need to be presented to visitors while allowing for discovery of hidden experiences in the built environment. In 2006,
2173-418: The term Main Street is also used in smaller towns and villages. The Dutch equivalent is Hoogstraat , or in villages Dorpsstraat ("village street'). Alongside the term High Street , the terms Main Street or "Central Avenue" are also used. In Canada, east of Lake Superior, King Street and Queen Street are often major streets; rue Principale , as the literal French language equivalent of Main Street
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2226-400: The term to refer to retail shopping areas. Main street is used in the island of Ireland. In Britain, some 3,000 streets called High Street and about 2,300 streets with variations on the name (such as Upper High Street, High Street West) have been identified, giving a grand total of approximately 5,300. Of these, more than 600 High Streets are located in London's boroughs. Main Street
2279-812: The time of Arcadia's closure in 2020 (often a combined Burton and Dorothy Perkins store) but many others had changed use. McDonald's first three restaurants in the UK were opened in former Burton stores in 1974 and 1975 as the company was selling property at that time. Most of the Scottish stores are listed with Historic Environment Scotland , protecting them from changes. However, only six stores in England and Wales are listed buildings , leaving over 200 with no protection from future changes or demolition. As of 2021 , stores have been demolished in Plymouth (2004) and Neasden (2012). An early Dublin Burton's store
2332-542: The upper levels, window lights showing the locations of other Burton stores, and mosaic titles – sometimes including the company logo – in the doorways. At ground level, foundation stones were often placed by Montague Burton's four children, Barbara, Stanley, Arnold and Raymond. Each store might have one or several foundation stones, each bearing one name and the year. For example: "This stone laid by Raymond Montaque Burton 1937". The children were quite young when these stones were laid. Stanley Howard
2385-418: Was Art Deco in style. Individual stores vary from the more restrained red-brick with neoclassical scroll headed columns to fully-fledged Art Deco with glazed white faience tile, geometric patterns and stylised elephant heads. However, there are also many standard elements such as a wide polished black granite band above the shop windows for signage, metal vent grates bearing the company logo, billiard halls on
2438-478: Was a new term taken up by the church and their vestries during the 17th century as a term for all public roads between settlements. From the 19th century, which saw a proliferation in the number of public roads, the term "highway" lost its specific meaning, and was legally defined as any public road (e.g., the Highway Code regulates UK public roads). The term "high street" assumed a different meaning, that of
2491-549: Was blocked by the British Government's Monopolies and Mergers Commission as being against the public interest . At this time UDS had £24.5 million of sales, compared to Burton's £47 million, and 584 menswear stores including: However by 1980, the business was starting to struggle with the growing diversification of the business, large amounts of borrowing, high interest rates and inflation and falling sales. The Alexandre and Claude Alexander stores were rebranded under
2544-614: Was born in 1914 and laid a stone for the Nottingham Beastmarket Hill store in 1924. At least six stores bear stones laid by Montague's wife "Lady Burton", and a number in the mid to late 1930s were laid by Austin Stephen Burton who may have been a grandchild. Whilst some of these Burton buildings have been destroyed over the years, many are still standing and some of them still have active snooker clubs upstairs. Some were still occupied by Burton stores at
2597-465: Was declared bankrupt and Martin Price of Viney, Price and Goodyear were instructed to resolve the affairs of Henry Glave, with United Drapery Stores sold to help pay Wheeler's debts. It had transpired that funds from United Drapery Stores had been moved to M.I.G. Trust, a company used in connection with Wheeler's investments. The business was purchased by Eagle Star Insurance Company . In 1932, it acquired
2650-473: Was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1929 by which time it had 400 stores, factories and mills. After World War II , Montague Burton was one of the suppliers of demob suits to the British government for demobilising servicemen, comprising jacket, trousers, waistcoat, shirt and underwear. It has been speculated that this is the origin of the phrase " the full monty ". In 1946,
2703-613: Was housed in the purpose-built Montague Burton Building on the corner of Dame Street and South Great George's Street . It is now on the city's list of protected structures. Burton has worked with the Bobby Moore Fund in order to publicize the issue of bowel cancer. England's World-Cup-winning football team captain Bobby Moore died of bowel cancer in 1993. The Bobby Moore Fund is an arm of Cancer Research UK . In November 2009, Burton sought to bring back "The Burton",
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#17328013383762756-458: Was purchased in 1971, however they were beaten by Great Universal Stores to A & S Henry & Co group, owners of mail order catalogue John Noble in 1971. In 1972, UDS made an offer to purchase Debenhams , along with interest from Sears plc and Tesco , but were fought off by chairman Sir Anthony Burney. Although its bid for Debenhams failed, the company purchased Telstar Colour Television and footwear retailer John Farmer in 1972. In 1973,
2809-599: Was the official clothing supplier to the England national football team for the 1966 FIFA World Cup , UEFA Euro 1996 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup championships. In 1998 the company changed its name to Arcadia Group . Philip Green purchased the company in 2002. The Burton company archives are held at the West Yorkshire Archive Service in Leeds. In July 2020, Arcadia Group, which comprised several brands including Burton, had been hit hard by
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