Bearmans

Bearmans was a small department store located in Leytonstone, London.

History

In 1898, Frank Bearman a 27-year-old draper opened a shop on the north side of Leytonstone High Street on the site of a former vicarage.^[1] By 1906 the business had purchased a nearby furniture shop, and in 1910 opened an arcade to match the larger department stores in London.^[2] Between 1908 and 1921, Frank Bearman jointly owned with J W Holdron, a store owner in Peckham, the Croydon department store Allders.^[3]

During the Second World War the store survived the Blitz, and in 1957 expanded again by building a store extension in Kirkdale Road, which Bearmans claimed had the first Escalators outside London.^[4]

In 1956 Frank Bearman died, and with increased competition in the area, in 1956 the Bearman Store started Lord Brummell; a high-end bespoke line to create more business. The company was sold to the London Co-operative Society for £1 million in 1962. The Co-operative continued to run the store until 1982 when they closed the operation. The building was demolished and replaced, and is now home to Matalan. A Blue Plaque has been placed on the outside of the new building reminding people of Bearmans by the Leyton & Leytonstone Historical Society.^[5]

References

1. "Bearmans Department Store in Leytonstone Remembered - Guardian p.17 Dec 2012". Retrieved 27 Nov 2014.
2. "Bearmans Department Store in Leytonstone Remembered - Guardian p.17 Dec 2012". Retrieved 27 Nov 2014.
3. "The Story of a Store - Kerry McQueeney p.29 December 2004". Retrieved 23 September 2012.
4. "Bearmans Department Store in Leytonstone Remembered - Guardian p.17 Dec 2012". Retrieved 27 Nov 2014.
5. "Bearmans Department Store in Leytonstone Remembered - Guardian p.17 Dec 2012". Retrieved 27 Nov 2014.