42-539: EWM may refer to: Edinburgh Woollen Mill , a British retailer Ellsworth–Whitmore Mountains , in Antarctica Exploding wire method European Women in Mathematics Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title EWM . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
84-695: A Monaco resident, received a £1.2 billion dividend from Arcadia. On 27 February 2009, it was announced that the company would be integrated into the Arcadia Group. Central support functions were merged and selected BHS stores housed selected Arcadia brands; for example, in July 2009, BHS stores in Solihull in the West Midlands and Bexleyheath in South London both opened Evans and Wallis concessions. In August 2009,
126-567: A buyer. British Home Stores was founded in 1928 by a group of U.S. entrepreneurs who wanted to follow the successful model set by Woolworths . They did not want go into direct competition with Woolworths, so set their highest price at a shilling . The first store opened in Brixton , and by 1929 the price limit had been lifted to five shillings to allow the business to offer more goods. The business expanded by opening further branches, all offering small cafeterias and grocery departments, and in 1933
168-513: A directly related sharp fall in turnover. The nearby West Bromwich store closed around the same time, its fortunes also affected by the Merry Hill development and smaller developments around nearby Oldbury , which had begun with the SavaCentre hypermarket in 1980. In the mid-1990s, the brand saw a further reinvention under guidance from retail design house '20:20'. The new look was showcased with
210-609: A final decision will be made on the total amount to be paid by the two men. As of April 2019 , the bhs.com website is operated by Litecraft Group Limited, using the BHS logo and "BRITISHOMESTORE LONDON 1928" brand name under licence. The website sells lighting and selected homewares. In December 2014, New Zealand-based childrenswear brand Pumpkin Patch was introduced into larger stores and online. The company had an independent furniture website, bhsfurniture.co.uk. The stores and website sold
252-616: A franchise store in Dublin's Jervis Centre ). In 1985, the first overseas franchise store opened in Gibraltar . Such stores, not directly owned by the BHS company itself, have operated over Europe and the Middle East. In 1986, BHS merged with Habitat and Mothercare to form Storehouse plc . Soon afterwards, the British Home Stores registered company name and branding across its shops
294-590: A number of leading brands including Italsofa , G-Plan , Relyon and Silentnight . Larger homes stores, such as the Barton Square branch in the Trafford Centre, Greater Manchester, also sold the Welle cabinet range and had Sharps showrooms. In its stores, BHS sold a mixture of basic electricals based primarily on kitchen products such as kettles and toasters. Latterly the range had begun to increase, particularly in
336-568: A number of years of tough trading, Philip Green bought BHS from Storehouse Plc in May 2000 for £200 million. He then changed the company from public (Plc) to private (Ltd). In 2002, Green went on to acquire the Arcadia Group of high street retailers, which included Topshop , Burton , Evans , Dorothy Perkins and Wallis among others, to form Britain's second largest clothes retailer, after Marks and Spencer . Alan Smith, chairman of Storehouse at
378-437: A position with the clothing arm of Tesco ; former BHS Chief Operating Officer Darren Topp was confirmed as the interim Chief Executive. Shortly after the takeover, 51 of the company's 171 stores were reported as being under threat of closure. In September 2015, BHS owners Retail Acquisitions announced another rebrand, as part of a £60m rejuvenation plan, which resulted in the full British Home Stores name being resurrected on
420-451: A total of 163 stores, mainly in high streets or shopping centres , by the time of its closure in 2016, as well as 74 overseas stores in 18 territories. BHS was previously a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index , but was bought by Sir Philip Green in 2000 and taken private. The company became part of Green's Arcadia Group in 2009. Following a number of loss-making years, the company was sold to
462-632: A website, bhs.com, under the new brand name "The British Home Store" in September 2016. Al Mana announced that the website would close by 27 June 2018, shifting focus to their international franchise business. In July 2016, a committee of the UK parliament issued a report titled "Leadership failures and personal greed led to collapse of BHS". The Guardian reported "Sir Philip Green's reputation ripped apart in damning report on BHS demise. MPs say retailer’s former owners subjected it to 'systematic plunder' and describe
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#1732876545789504-668: A whole, from September 2005 stand-alone stores were closed and the brand integrated into BHS stores. In 2005, BHS resurrected its British Home Stores fascia, more than 20 years after it had disappeared from the UK high street. The move followed the purchase of several former Allders at Home sites from the department store chain. These projects were designed to build upon the success of the homewares and lighting that BHS stores currently offered and to tap into new areas of business such as furniture, curtains, rugs, and wall art. Brands sold included Denby, Maxwell Williams, Typhoon, Brabantia, Terence Conran and Jasper Conran. In 2005, Green's wife,
546-457: Is a Carlisle -based retailer specialising in clothing, along with interests in homewares and destination shopping for tourists. It was previously owned by the Dubai based British businessman Philip Day . The company's core Edinburgh Woollen Mill stores have traditionally targeted men and women over the age of 40, but the business has expanded into new markets in recent years, most notably through
588-422: Is an online store and formerly a British department store chain, primarily selling clothing and household items. In its later years, the company began to expand into furniture, electronics, entertainment, convenience groceries and fragrance and beauty products. BHS traded from 1928 to 2016; the brand was later licenced to an online retailer. The company was founded in 1928 by a group of U.S. entrepreneurs, and had
630-850: The BHS premises in Guildhall Square, Carmarthen , which will house Peacocks, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Ponden Home, Jane Norman, and Austin Reed brands. This was intended to be the first of a chain of Days department stores. In May 2020, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association in a letter to Philip Day had warned that they would blacklist EWM for non-payment of suppliers in Bangladesh and not returning their calls. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in orders being cancelled or retailers asking for heavy discounts which led to workers going without pay or being fired. In November 2020, Edinburgh Woollen Mill
672-584: The British fashion retailer founded in 1900, EWM placed Jane Norman into administration in June 2014, but retained the brand and stock to sell as an online-only business. In May 2017, it was understood that EWM had bought the Jaeger brand and debt (but not the main company, or payments to its suppliers) from its former owner, Better Capital . In May 2017, EWM opened the first Days (department store), in what had been
714-515: The SavaCentre brand. Sainsbury's took full control of SavaCentre in 1989, and later converted the stores to the Sainsbury's branding. A downturn in business in the early 1980s was fought with a revamp of the stores and the selling of goods with higher profit margins. The company closed its only overseas store, in Dublin , Ireland, during this time (although there was a rapidly aborted re-entry in 1996 via
756-454: The Canterbury branch opened Wallis and Evans concessions within the store. Other stores with Arcadia insertions included Tunbridge Wells, Oxford, Peterborough, Watford, Kilmarnock, Nottingham, Camberley, Norwich and Aberdeen. Mike Goring was appointed managing director to the chain in May 2009, and in July, Jacquie Gray was appointed Creative Director. In 2010, BHS changed its logo, resurrecting
798-613: The acquisition of value fashion retailer Peacocks in 2012. In May 2018, Edinburgh Woollen Mill announced plans to move their HQ from Langholm to Carlisle. The company was founded in 1946 by Drew Stevenson as the Langholm Dyeing and Finishing Company Limited, dyeing wool yarn to order. His eldest son David , until recently the chairman of the EWM Group, opened the first retail store in Randolph Place, Edinburgh , in 1970. In 1972,
840-486: The business (led by the existing management team). In April 2021, it was announced that Peacocks had been brought out of administration by a senior executive backed by an international consortium of investors. Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group's chief operating officer Steve Simpson took over the business, as CEO. The Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group Ltd (EWM Group) is the holding company for three core brands: Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Jane Norman and Peacocks . As of spring 2016,
882-429: The business went public. After the war, the business continued to grow, and by the end of the 1960s had 94 stores nationwide. The company expanded in the 1970s and 1980s, including the opening of stores in the newly developing wave of indoor shopping centres (such as Broadway Shopping Centre and Lakeside Shopping Centre ). A joint venture was launched with supermarket retailer Sainsbury's to create hypermarkets using
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#1732876545789924-495: The chain would be in new ownership. UK sports chain Sports Direct was reported to be in talks to buy a number of BHS stores, but no buyer was found for the company, resulting in the closure of BHS stores. Head office staff were made redundant on the announcement that no buyer had been found, with stores expected to last up to 8 weeks selling the remaining stock. On 23 July 2016, the administrators Duff and Phelps shut 20 stores, and
966-452: The collapse as 'unacceptable face of capitalism'". In June 2024, the High Court ordered two former directors of the company, Lennart Hennington and Dominic Chandler, to pay £18m, made up of £13m for wrongful trading, and £5m for breach of corporate duties. This was as a result of legal action brought by the liquidator on behalf of the creditors. A further hearing is due in June 2024, at which
1008-520: The collapsed Rosebys home furnishings store to create Ponden Home. On 22 February 2012, it was announced that EWM had purchased the Peacocks clothing retail brand along with 388 stores and concessions, its headquarters and logistics functions. Although over 200 stores were not acquired at this time, the chain has embarked on a programme of expansion since. In 2016 EWM purchased the Austin Reed brand,
1050-447: The consortium Retail Acquisitions Ltd, led by the serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell , in March 2015 for the nominal price of £1. In April 2016, 13 months after the purchase by Retail Acquisitions, the company entered administration following unsuccessful attempts to continue trading. It was eventually wound down, and all stores were closed by late August 2016 following failed attempts to find
1092-518: The designated Home stores and larger high street branches. Ranges introduced included Breville , Russell Hobbs , De'Longhi and Vax . In addition, BHS began to sell larger electrical items through a separate website, bhsdirect.co.uk. The service was run through a third-party company, Buy it Direct, and was not directly controlled by BHS. This allowed the company to expand its product range to laptops, tablets, large kitchen appliances such as fridge-freezers, TVs and air-conditioners. In January 2014, it
1134-480: The first English store was opened in Carlisle . Having been owned by several equity holdings over the previous decade the company was bought out by the newly formed EWM Group and was then subject to a secondary, management takeover in 2002, led by the current chief executive, Phillip Day. In 2011, the group bought Jane Norman out of administration, having bought Ponden Mills, and merged it with 80 stores bought from
1176-471: The flagship Oxford Street branch by leasing excess space to other retailers. In March 2016, the company sought a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) to allow it to restructure the business. As part of its application, it revealed a deficit in its pension scheme of £207 million, and sought to transfer its schemes to the Pension Protection Fund . A consortium led by the banker Nicholas de Scossa
1218-470: The granite shop front. British Home Stores, like many other major retailers, followed a trend of opening stores at out-of-town locations since the 1980s. One of these was the two-level store at Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the West Midlands (which formed part of an Enterprise Zone ). This store opened on 14 November 1989, ultimately replacing the store in nearby Dudley , which closed in June 1990 after
1260-523: The group operates close to a thousand stores in the UK, comprising: The Peacocks brand is also franchised internationally. In April 2017, EWM made a substantial loan to Carlisle United Football Club . This was seen by some to be a move aimed at eventually taking full control of the club. In October 2020, EWM, which at that time had 24,000 employees, announced it planned to restructure. British Home Stores British Home Stores , commonly abbreviated to BHS and latterly legally styled BHS Ltd ,
1302-399: The high street for the first time since 1986. A programme of modernising stores with the new branding was announced, while plans to roll out food halls were to continue. By early 2016, periodic store closures had seen the company withdraw entirely from several city centres including Bath, Cardiff, Carlisle, Oxford, Reading and Southampton. Plans were also being made to reduce the size of
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1344-481: The launch of the "millennium concept" shopfit, initially at the Grafton Centre , Cambridge during 1995. With its softer Bhs "signature" logo and warm interior lighting, the concept attempted with varying degrees of success to meet the needs of the modern, more sophisticated shopper. During the late 1990s, the stores which formed Storehouse Plc fell on hard times; BHS and Mothercare were the worst affected. Following
1386-423: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=EWM&oldid=1043522243 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Edinburgh Woollen Mill Peacocks (clothing) Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM)
1428-495: The next week another 30. Closure of the final outlets was on 28 August 2016. The insolvent part of the company finally went into liquidation on 2 December 2016, with the remainder of winding up proceedings commencing on that date. The Qatari Al Mana Group purchased the company's international franchise stores and online operations in June 2016. The group formed a new business, BHS International (UK) Limited, based in London. It launched
1470-549: The time of the Bhs sale, commented, "He [Philip Green] had a crystal-clear vision and strategy. He had the guts to do the deal, to make it work when nobody else thought he could." In May 2005, Green, owner of BHS, purchased Etam UK from its French owner, Etam Développement. The Etam UK brands included Etam, Amelie May, and Tammy. The girls' fashion retailer Tammy was the strongest brand in terms of sales and consumer recognition. For this reason, and to help improve girls' perception of BHS as
1512-455: The uppercase form of the abbreviation that had not been used since the Storehouse rebrand and the later rebrand in the 1990s. A new e-commerce website was launched, and a new store design was gradually introduced across the estate. Goring left BHS in 2012 to take up the position of Retail Director for Debenhams . After he left, former Marks and Spencer Menswear Trading Director, Richard Price
1554-656: Was announced that the chain would sell branded food products; the service was to be trialled in 50 stores with the intention of making this a permanent addition in up to 150 stores. The first of three trial stores opened in Staines in March 2014, and was shortly followed by another in Warrington and a third in Romford . The BHS brand has been franchised since 1985 to stores around the world and, although they are not directly owned, products and support were supplied by BHS. The Tammy brand
1596-404: Was appointed managing director. Gray left in 2014. In January 2015, Green confirmed that he was considering selling the company following sustained losses, and that he had received a number of approaches. On 12 March 2015, it was announced that BHS had been sold to Retail Acquisitions for a nominal price of £1. It was also confirmed that Richard Price had left his post as managing director for
1638-776: Was available as a separate franchise. In early 2006 a new franchise, "Bhs Kids", was launched in the Middle East, carrying many best-selling children's lines from BHS stores. In 1995, BHS was the first high street retailer to open a branch in Moscow. The £3 million venture was the largest in the international portfolio and was quickly followed by the opening of a second store in St Petersburg . Further stores opened in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in 1998, and there were stores in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. By 2000
1680-558: Was involved in negotiations to buy the company. On 24 April 2016, Dominic Chappell (owner of Retail Acquisitions) announced that administrators would be appointed the next day. It was announced that the chain had entered administration on 25 April 2016, putting 11,000 jobs at risk. Duff & Phelps were appointed administrators and sought to sell the business as a going concern. It at this point had debts of £1.3 billion including £571 million in pension liabilities, meaning either individual assets (such as stores) would have to be sold or
1722-450: Was placed into administration . In January 2021, it was announced that Marks & Spencer had acquired the Jaeger fashion brand but not Jaeger's 63 shops and 13 concessions, for £5 million. In January 2021, it was announced that Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Ponden Homes and Bonmarché had been bought out of administration by an international consortium of investors who injected fresh funds into
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1764-463: Was replaced with "BhS" (later "Bhs", and since reverted to the all-caps "BHS", which the company used in addition to the full British Home Stores name prior to the full rebrand) and a new corporate logo . The exception was in stores that displayed a "historic" fascia, such as that in Edinburgh's Princes Street , which continued to feature the British Home Stores name in its original Roman type etched into
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