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76-518: The founding Labovitz family sold Maurices to the Brenninkmeijer family 's American Retail Group in 1978. Ascena Retail Group acquired it from American Retail Group in 2005. Maurices was founded by Emanuel Morris “E. Maurice” Labovitz (1900-1993), who opened his first store under the name Maurices Dress Shop, 1931 in Duluth. The name was shortened to simply Maurices by the late 1960's. In 2011, Maurices

152-843: A ban on private vehicles during daytime hours on weekdays and Saturdays (in place since the 1970s), widened pavements and improved pedestrian crossings. Oxford Street runs for approximately 1.2 mi (1.9 km) and is entirely within the City of Westminster . The road begins at St Giles Circus as a westward continuation of New Oxford Street, meeting Charing Cross Road , Tottenham Court Road (next to Tottenham Court Road station ). It runs past Rathbone Place , Wardour Street and Great Portland Street to Oxford Circus , where it meets Regent Street . From there it continues past New Bond Street , Bond Street station and Vere Street , ending at Marble Arch . The route continues as Bayswater Road and Holland Park Avenue towards Shepherd's Bush . The road

228-642: A billion euros to the Catholic church. Since 1995, the Brenninkmeijers' philanthropic activities have been managed more centrally via Porticus and Benevolentia. Until the mid-nineties only male descendants in a direct line of Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer could become shareholders. C&A is an apparel company with headquarters in Vilvoorde and Düsseldorf . In 2017 it operated approximately 1,575 stores in 18 European countries. These companies are linked through

304-449: A centre of protest against the lack of suitable accommodation in central London. In 2015, building work began to convert it into residential flats, with development initially expected to finish in 2017. The restoration and conversion was completed in March 2018. Much as had been the case at its original opening, the refurbished tower remains largely empty, with few windows lit in the evenings,

380-462: A cluster of taller tower blocks provided office space. Begun in 1959 the work was largely completed within two years; it was one of the largest post-war redevelopment projects to be undertaken in the West End. From August 1963 until April 1968 part of Oxford Street had to be closed to traffic so that Oxford Circus tube station could be rebuilt to incorporate the new Victoria line , which began serving

456-604: A company (C&A) and stocked their goods in a warehouse, eliminating the need to travel. Around 1853 Clemens lived in Mettingen and August in Sneek, at a distance of 200 km to the NW. This small town in the north of the Netherlands became the location of their first shop in 1860; selling linen and cotton fabrics , sheets, bedding but also complete wedding suites. (Clothing manufacturers were

532-504: A cousin of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands , on 21 April 2012 in Wijk bij Duurstede . From 1988 to 2011, Mother Theresa Brenninkmeyer was the prioress, later abbess, of a convent in Sostrup Castle (Denmark). Two family members have entered the entertainment industry , producer Stephan Brenninkmeijer and actor Philippe Brenninkmeyer . Oxford Street Oxford Street

608-522: A flagship Next store was opened on the site. The principal Topshop store by Oxford Circus shut in late 2020 after its parent company, Arcadia Group went into administration. A year later, following the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant , the Government introduced new lockdown restrictions, which caused problems with businesses along Oxford Street, which had been hampered by the pandemic since

684-527: A live music venue since 24 October 1942. It was thought to be safe from bombing threats because of its underground location, and played host to jazz musicians, including Glenn Miller . It was renamed the London Jazz Club in 1948, and subsequently the Humphrey Lyttelton Club after he took over the lease in the 1950s. Louis Armstrong played at the venue during this time. It became a key venue for

760-457: A major coaching route, there were several obstacles along it, including the bridge over the Tyburn. A turnpike trust was established in 1721 to improve upkeep of the road. It became notorious as the route taken by prisoners on their final journey from Newgate Prison to the gallows at Tyburn. Spectators jeered as the prisoners were carted along the road, and could buy rope used in the executions from

836-622: A period of time Eastern Mountain Sports , Steinbach , Ohrbach's , Maurices , Miller's Outpost and others were owned through the American Retail Group. In the 1980s and 1990s, they owned the Comark group in Canada, which included Bretton's department stores, Clark Shoes and Collacut luggage stores. The Canadian operations were sold in 2005 to KarpReilly, LLC of Greenwich, Connecticut . In 2009,

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912-645: A plush puppy as part of the collection to benefit the American Cancer Society . This cooperation is a follow-up to the maurices Main Street Model Search which occurred earlier in 2011 with Straub. This United States retail business article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Brenninkmeijer family Brenninkmeijer ( German : Brenninkmeyer ) is a Roman Catholic Dutch, German and Swiss family of manufacturers , which own an international chain of clothing stores. Originally

988-496: A real estate fund and two banks. The company focuses its efforts on real estate, sustainable energy and financial services. From the end of the 18th century, several Brenninkmeyers lived in Sneek, where Herman and his son Andreas founded a company. They were seasonal wandering merchants ( peddlers ), but forced by juridical restrictions to settle. Around 1835 they were assisted by their relatives Clemens and August from Mettingen (and surroundings). In 1841, Clemens and August founded

1064-535: A retail location, with many British retail chains having their flagship stores on the street, and has a number of listed buildings . Unlike nearby shopping streets such as Bond Street , it has retained an element of downmarket trading alongside more prestigious retail stores. Generally speaking, the eastern end of Oxford Street features a higher proportion of more downmarket retailers, fast food restaurants and souvenir shops whilst more exclusive and upmarket stores can be found towards its western end which passes close to

1140-475: Is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London , running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus . It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to the north, with Soho and Mayfair to its immediate south. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as of 2012 had approximately 300 shops. It

1216-634: Is designated as part of the A40 , a major road between London and Fishguard , though it is not signed as such, and traffic is regularly restricted to buses and taxis. The road was originally part of the Via Trinobantina, a Roman road between Essex and Hampshire via London. It was known as Tyburn Road through the Middle Ages when it was notorious for public hangings of prisoners at Tyburn Gallows . It became known as Oxford Road and then Oxford Street in

1292-708: Is part of the University of the Arts London , formerly the London Institute. The Salvation Army opened Regent Hall , its first Central London venue, at Nos. 275–279 Oxford Street in 1882. It served as a base for poverty relief , street missions and a Salvation Army band . Rebuilt in 1959–1960, the hall remains in Salvation Army use. The cosmetics retailer Lush opened a store in 2015. Measuring 9,300 sq ft (860 m ) and containing three floors, it

1368-570: Is the company's largest retail premises. Two large hotels dominate the western (Marble Arch) end of the street: the red brick Mount Royal Hotel (now the Amba) was built in 1933–1934 to a design by Francis Lorne ; while the Portland stone -fronted Cumberland Hotel, by F. J.Wills, opened in 1933 (it was renamed the Hard Rock Hotel in 2018). Oxford Street has several Grade II listed buildings. In addition,

1444-612: Is the single largest groundfish permit holder in New England. In 2017, Alain Caparros succeeded Philippe Brenninkmeijer as CEO of C&A Europe; he was the first non-family member at the helm of the company. In 2019 the CEO Post for C&A Europe was held by Edward Brenninkmeijer; in 2021 by Giny Boer, the first woman at the top. Meanwhile C&A sold its Mexico and China businesses to local investors. In addition to textile retailer C&A,

1520-613: Is within the London Congestion Charging Zone . It is part of the A40 , most of which is a trunk road running from London to Fishguard (via Oxford , Cheltenham , Brecon and Haverfordwest ). Like many roads in Central London that are no longer through routes, it is not signposted with that number. Numerous bus routes run along Oxford Street, including the 55, 73, 94, 98, 159, 390 and Night Buses N8, N55, N73, N98 and N207. {{{annotations}}} Oxford Street follows

1596-824: The Cofra group, based in Zug , a tax haven in Switzerland. The company closed its stores in the United Kingdom and Denmark in 2000. In the 21st century many new stores have been opened in Eastern Europe countries. The company has also opened stores in China (2007). C&A-Online launched in Germany in 2008. Across their businesses, the Brenninkmeyers employ more than 35,000 people worldwide. For

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1672-474: The Northern line thirty years later). Development continued through the first half of the 20th century, with Bourne & Hollingsworth opening in 1902. When Waring & Gillow opened their new store in 1906 it became the first West End store to occupy an entire city block . Selfridges opened on 15 March 1909 at No. 400; it promptly had a 'transformative influence on Britain's retail scene, elevating

1748-558: The Sex Pistols , the Damned and the Buzzcocks . The Flying Horse (formerly The Tottenham) is a Grade II* listed pub at No. 6 Oxford Street, near Tottenham Court Road. It was built in the mid-19th century and is the last remaining pub in the street, which once had 20. The London College of Fashion has an Oxford Street campus on John Prince's Street near Oxford Circus. The college

1824-508: The hangman in taverns. By about 1729, the road had become known as Oxford Street. Development began in the 18th century after many surrounding fields were purchased by the Earl of Oxford . In 1739, a local gardener, Thomas Huddle, built property on the north side. After Lord Oxford's death the estate was inherited by his daughter the Duchess of Portland ; it then passed down to successive dukes as

1900-615: The trad jazz revival, hosting gigs by Chris Barber and Acker Bilk . It was renamed the 100 Club in 1964 after Roger Horton bought a stake, adding an alcohol licence for the first time. The venue hosted gigs by several British rock bands, including the Who , the Kinks and the Animals . It was an important venue for punk rock in the UK and hosted the first British punk festival on 21 September 1976, featuring

1976-603: The 18th century, and began to change from residential to commercial and retail use, attracting street traders, confidence tricksters and prostitution. Department stores began to dominate the streetscape from the early 20th century, the most imposing of all being Selfridges (which opened in 1909). The street suffered heavy bombing during World War II , and several longstanding stores including John Lewis & Partners were completely destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. Despite competition from out-of-town shopping centres and online retailers , Oxford Street remains in high demand as

2052-579: The 1970s the expansion of C&A went on: also Switzerland, France, Spain and Japan were added as markets. In 1981, Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld worked for C&A. In the 1990s the company opened shops in Portugal and Mexico. According to NRC Handelsblad , the family also financed the establishment of the CDA and the Pope's arrival in the Netherlands in 1985. The Brenninkmeijers have meanwhile donated more than

2128-696: The Brenninkmeijer family founded the Draiflessen Collection in Mettingen. In 2016 Kai Bosecker published his "Family Businesses as a Phenomenon: Insights" that the family had commissioned into the role of C&A during the Nazi regime . Mark Spoerer published "C&A. Ein Familienunternehmen in Deutschland, den Niederlanden und Großbritannien 1911–1961". The Brenninkmeijers practise philanthropy (10% of

2204-509: The Brenninkmeijers own and control several companies in the private equity, real estate and financial services industries. named Anthos Fund & Asset Management, Redevco, and Bregal. Through their investment vehicles, they have stake in two of the largest fishing companies on each coast of the United States. The family seems to have 12 branches and 500 members. Albert Brenninkmeijer (born 1974), married Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma ,

2280-656: The Central London Railway (now the Central line of the London Underground), which runs under Oxford Street for part of its course, began in 1896, which necessitated the development of four new station buildings on or near the street, at Marble Arch , Bond Street , Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road . Of the three chief engineers of the project, only Benjamin Baker lived to see the railway completed. On 27 June 1900,

2356-654: The Metropolitan Police, was killed while defusing a bomb planted by the IRA in the basement toilet of a Wimpy Bar on Oxford Street. The IRA also detonated a bomb at the John Lewis department store in December 1992, along with another in nearby Cavendish Square , injuring four people. The human billboard Stanley Green began selling on Oxford Street in 1968, advertising his belief in the link of proteins to sexual libido and

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2432-717: The Netherlands, also in Groningen and Rotterdam. In 1911, the company opened the first German store in Berlin, managed by Clemens (1862-1938). In 1922, the company started a store in Oxford Street . During WWII the company profited from (expropriated) Jewish real estate and Ostarbeiter ; after the war from the economic boom. The first store in the USA was opened in 1948. In 1967 C&A cooperated with Twiggy as designer; shops were opened in Belgium. In

2508-539: The Portland Estate, before becoming the Howard de Walden Estate in 1879 (by way of the 5th Duke 's sister). The Howard de Walden Estate progressively sold off its Oxford Street holdings (which lay on the north side between Marylebone Lane and Wells Street ) in the first half of the twentieth century. Other landowning estates held sway over the western end of Oxford Street: most of the northern side west of Duke Street

2584-462: The Portman Estate. The Pantheon , a place for public entertainment, opened at No. 173 in 1772. The street became popular for entertainment including bear-baiters , theatres and public houses . However, it was not attractive to the middle and upper classes due to the nearby Tyburn gallows and the notorious St Giles rookery , or slum. The gallows were removed in 1783, and by the end of

2660-574: The Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VII the following year) ceremonially opened the line and public services began on 30 July. The line's route below Oxford Street made it the first railway to provide a direct service to the theatre and shopping areas of the West End and the City. The Bakerloo line came to Oxford Circus on 10 March 1906, and the Hampstead line to Tottenham Court Road on 22 June 1907 (it became

2736-557: The UK's high streets. The frontage to Oxford Street was, on completion, the largest shop façade in London. Marks & Spencer has two stores on Oxford Street. The first, Marks & Spencer Marble Arch, is at the junction with Orchard Street; it was opened in 1930. The second branch, which opened eight years later, is between Regent Street and Tottenham Court Road, on the former site of the Pantheon. Both premises were significantly expanded in

2812-455: The West End, particularly Oxford Street. Many buildings were damaged, either from direct hits or subsequent fires, including four department stores: John Lewis, Selfridges, Bourne & Hollingsworth and Peter Robinson. George Orwell wrote in his diary for 24 September that Oxford Street was "completely empty of traffic, and only a few pedestrians", and saw "innumerable fragments of broken glass". John Lewis caught fire again on 25 September and

2888-485: The activity or ambience of its namesake; but in its central section a number of original 1840s stuccoed buildings have survived, providing a glimpse of its former character. Centre Point , at the corner of New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road, was one of London's first skyscrapers; it was designed by property developer Harry Hyams and opened in 1966. It failed to find a suitable tenant and remained empty for many years before being occupied by squatters who used it as

2964-464: The axis of Oxford Street eastwards from St Giles Circus. Previously, the route into the City of London had deviated southwards at this point, to skirt around the ancient settlement of St Giles with its leper hospital . The building of the new street involved much slum clearance , but did not entirely eradicate the notorious old rookeries. Once a fashionable shopping street, a preponderance of office buildings has led to New Oxford Street no longer sharing

3040-639: The business in leadership positions at an early age, guaranteeing that the company was fully controlled by the family. Bernard Joseph Brenninkmeijer (Mettingen 1871 - Rome 1945), the youngest son of Clemens, is considered to be the father of the C&;A formula. He started discounting in Amsterdam ( Rekenen in Centen, in plaats van Procenten ). In 1906 he repositioned the company which was the first step towards future years of exceptional successes. In his store in Amsterdam, he

3116-407: The case until their withdrawal from the UK market in 2001). It is notable that all the aforementioned department stores were or are on the north side of the street. Whether this was down to a preference for south-facing shop fronts, or there being better access routes to the north for deliveries and services, or something akin to coincidence remains an open question. Some large stores were opened on

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3192-490: The century, Oxford Street was built up from St Giles Circus to Park Lane , containing a mix of residential houses, shops and places of entertainment. Oxford Circus was designed as part of the development of Regent Street by the architect John Nash in 1810. It was later rebuilt (the four quadrants of the circus as seen today were designed by Sir Henry Tanner and constructed between 1913 and 1928). The Pantheon closed as an entertainment venue in 1814 (twenty years later it

3268-561: The company. In a public statement released after the transaction, OpCapita's CEO Henry Jackson said he would “welcome the continued support of Ascena through their retained stake and the range of services they will provide.” In November 2011, Maurices announced a cooperation with celebrity designer Christopher Straub from the reality television show Project Runway season 6, which aired on Lifetime Network . The products are labeled Christopher Straub for maurices and were released nationwide on Friday, November 25, 2011. Straub also designed

3344-487: The concept of a department store as a social and cultural institution open to everyone, with innovative window dressing, exceptional customer service and masterly advertising'. Shoemakers Lilley & Skinner acquired the lease of 358–360 Oxford Street in 1914; they later expanded into Nos. 356–366, reputedly becoming the world's largest shoe store in 1921. In 1922 C&A purchased Nos. 376–384 (before long C&A had three stores on Oxford Street, which remained

3420-481: The dangers therein. He regularly patrolled the street with a placard headlined "less passion from less protein", and advertised his pamphlet Eight Passion Proteins with Care until his death in 1993. His placards are now housed in the British Museum . The opening of Britain's first out-of-town shopping centre at Brent Cross in 1976 prompted experiments with mall-style shopping precincts on Oxford Street. West One

3496-589: The destruction of the Palm Court Restaurant. The basement was converted to a communications base, with a dedicated line run along Oxford Street to Whitehall . The line allowed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to make secure and direct telephone calls to the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt . The store was damaged again on 6 December 1944 after a V2 rocket exploded on nearby Duke Street, causing its Christmas tree displays to collapse into

3572-421: The entire block between that street and Marylebone Lane, and was housed (from 1870) in a new building designed by Horace Jones and Octavius Hansard. What would now be called department stores began to appear on Oxford Street in the 1870s (the rebuilt Marshall & Snelgrove being one of the first). John Lewis started in 1864 in small shop at No. 132; he took on an adjacent property in 1878, and over

3648-573: The family came from Tecklenburger Land ( Westphalia ), selling linen in Friesland in the Netherlands. In 1840 two members of the family founded C&A company in Sneek . Their descendants discovered the potential of the stock of produced ready-made garment . Today, the family owns the Cofra Holding AG, based in Switzerland which in turn controls the C&A fashion business, a private equity company,

3724-519: The first sewing machine customers, and used them to produce the first ready-to-wear clothing.) In 1881 a branch was opened in Leeuwarden , and in 1893 and 1896 in Amsterdam; the possibility to buy on credit was abolished and the company started to sell menswear. In 1897, the family stopped to go peddling. Meanwhile more relatives arrived from Mettingen as apprentices. A carefully designed rulebook ‘Unitas’ ensured that Brenninkmeyer sons and daughters enter

3800-400: The late 1830s, remarks that almost all the street, save for the far western end, was primarily retail. Peter Robinson opened his draper's shop at 103 Oxford Street in the 1830s; by the 1890s the shop had expanded to fill the entire block between Great Portland Street and Regent Street. Likewise Marshall & Snelgrove opened on Vere Street in 1837; within 40 years it had expanded to fill

3876-440: The latter brand was withdrawn. It remained Topshop's flagship store until 2021 when (the parent company Arcadia having gone into administration) it closed. From 1970 to 1991, the fourth floor of this building was occupied by AIR Studios recording production facilities. Ikea announced they would open a store on the former TopShop site in 2023. However, this was later pushed back to the following year. The music retailer HMV

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3952-553: The most popular destinations in London for tourists, with an annual estimated turnover of over £1 billion. It forms part of a shopping district in the West End of London , along with other streets including Covent Garden , Bond Street and Piccadilly . The New West End Company, formerly the Oxford Street Association, oversees stores and trade along the street; its objective is to make the place safe and desirable for shoppers. The group has been critical of overcrowding and

4028-537: The next twenty years expanded further and began rebuilding. Dan Harries Evans opened a small draper's shop at No. 147 in 1879; as D H Evans the business swiftly expanded, taking in more than a dozen properties either side of Old Cavendish Street and becoming one of London's largest drapery establishments by the mid-1890s. At the same time, smaller independent retailers continued to thrive alongside their larger counterparts, specialising in all sorts of different goods, trades and services. Meanwhile, construction of

4104-401: The previous year. An analyst at GlobalData said the street "has been forever changed by the closure, or in some cases, downsizing of long-standing department stores". The House of Fraser store closed in January 2022 as a result. New Oxford Street was built in 1847, in accordance with a plan of James Pennethorne , to link the eastern end of Oxford Street with High Holborn . It extends

4180-480: The profit) through at least 58 foundations around the world. C&A Brazil went public. In 2011, Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer founded Little Canada. A Toronto-based organization constructing a miniature model of Canada. In 2015, Bregal Partners, an arm of Cofra Holding, began investing in the fishing industry of the United States. The firm owns stake in Seattle-based American Seafoods and Blue Harvest Fisheries in New Bedford, Massachusetts . Blue Harvest Fisheries

4256-651: The quality of shops and has clamped down on abusive traders, who were then refused licences. Several British retail chains regard their Oxford Street branch as the flagship store. In 1919 Marshall & Snelgrove merged with Debenhams (which had opened in nearby Wigmore Street in 1778). The Oxford Street store continued to trade as Marshall & Snelgrove until 1972, when the rebuilt premises were reopened as Debenhams. (Debenhams' flagship Oxford Street store closed in 2021.) The London flagship store of House of Fraser began as D. H. Evans in 1879; its current premises were designed by Louis Blanc and opened in 1937. It

4332-399: The rest in darkness, despite at least half its units being sold. This has led to its being called one of London's "ghost towers". Oxford Street is home to a number of major department stores and flagship retail outlets, containing over 300 shops as of 2012. It is the most frequently visited shopping street in Inner London, attracting over half a million daily visitors in 2014, and is one of

4408-528: The route of a Roman road , the Via Trinobantina, which linked Calleva Atrebatum (near Silchester , Hampshire ) with Camulodunum (now Colchester ) via London and became one of the major routes in and out of the city. Between the 12th century and 1782, it was variously known as Tyburn Road (after the River Tyburn that crossed it north to south), Uxbridge Road (the name still used for the road between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge ), Worcester Road and Oxford Road. Tyburn , near where Marble Arch now stands,

4484-401: The second half of the 20th century. Topshop was conceived in the 1960s as a youth brand for Peter Robinson , and a sizeable Topshop department was opened within the flagship store on Oxford Street (which had been rebuilt in the 1920s as part of the Oxford Circus improvements). Gradually Topshop took over more of the premises, operating alongside Peter Robinson for a time in the 1970s before

4560-401: The south side of the street in the 20th century: Woolworths opened its first West End store at No. 311 in 1925, followed by a handful of others in the 1930s (for example Littlewoods , which opened its first Central London store at Nos. 207–213 in 1937, later expanding into Nos. 197–205; it was rebuilt in the early 1960s but closed in the early 2000s). By the 1930s the street

4636-570: The station on 7 March 1969, its official opening. In September 1973 a shopping-bag bomb was detonated by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at the offices of the Prudential Assurance Company , injuring six people. A second bomb was detonated by the IRA next to Selfridges in December 1974, injuring three people and causing £1.5 million worth of damage. Oxford Street was again targeted by the IRA in August 1975; an undiscovered bomb that had been booby trapped exploded without any injuries. On 26 October 1981 Kenneth Howorth , an explosives officer with

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4712-432: The street outside. Damage was repaired, and the shop reopened the following day. After its main store was destroyed, John Lewis operated from properties on the other side of Holles Street (i.e. to the east) until the completion of its new store to the west. Relinquishing these properties then enabled it to purchase the whole of the west site. Subsequently the entire block between Holles Street and John Prince's Street

4788-538: The wealthy Mayfair district. Some of adjacent Tottenham Court Road's famous electronics stores have spread onto its eastern extremity. The annual switching on of Christmas lights by a celebrity has been a popular event since 1959. As a popular retail area and main thoroughfare for London buses and taxis, Oxford Street has suffered from traffic congestion , pedestrian congestion, a poor safety record and pollution. Various traffic management schemes have been implemented by Transport for London (TFL) and others, including

4864-409: Was a place of public execution from 1388 to 1783 and a set of gallows stood here. On Ralph Aggas' "Plan of London", published in the 16th century, the road is described partly as "The Waye to Uxbridge" followed by "Oxford Road", showing rural farmland at the present junction of Oxford Street and Rathbone Place. By 1678 it was known as the "King's Highway", and the "Road To Oxford" by 1682. Though

4940-500: Was almost entirely retail, a state that still obtains today. However, unlike nearby streets such as Bond Street and Park Lane, there remained a seedy element including street traders and prostitutes. Gradually, as the century progressed, the independent retailers began to be replaced by chain stores . During the Second World War , Oxford Street was bombed several times. Overnight and in the early hours of 17 to 18 September 1940, 268 Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17 bombers targeted

5016-459: Was and is owned by the Portman Estate ; while facing it (on the southern side) most of the land west of Davies Street was and is part of the Grosvenor estate . John Rocque's Map of London , published in 1746, shows urban buildings as far as North Audley Street (on the south side) and Marylebone Lane (on the north side), but only intermittent rural property beyond. Further development to the west occurred between 1763 and 1793, when building began on

5092-422: Was developed by the Grosvenor Estate on the corner of Davies Street as part of the rebuilding of Bond Street tube station for the Jubilee line in 1979; it opened the following year. In 1986 The Plaza shopping centre was opened within the walls of the former Bourne & Hollingsworth department store building (dating from 1925–1928), the latter having closed three years earlier. The Plaza itself closed in 2016 and

5168-429: Was erected in four stages over a twenty-two year period, having been designed by a combination of architects including D. H. Burnham & Company , Frank Atkinson , Sir John Burnet and Thomas Tait . Its construction was influenced by American high rise technology: steel framing and reinforced concrete were employed to create a large and adaptable retail space, and their use was subsequently widely adopted across

5244-480: Was one of the world's first discounters, introducing fixed prices. Instead of using a customary "keystone" gross margin of 50% he only asked for 25% or less. His insight: "you could cut your profit mark-up dramatically. Even with much a lower margin, the far greater volume of sales would still boost the bottom line profit. This major innovation has had a great impact on people's thinking within all C&A companies even to this very day." By 1910 there were ten stores in

5320-431: Was opened at No. 363 Oxford Street in 1921 by Sir Edward Elgar ; the premises were twice rebuilt by Joseph Emberton in the moderne style, first in 1935 and then again in 1938–1939 (following a fire). The Beatles made their first recording in London in 1962, when they cut a 78 rpm demo disc in the store. A larger store at No. 150 (site of the old Princess's Theatre) was opened in 1986 by Bob Geldof , and

5396-408: Was rated one of the "Top Ten Best Employers in Retail" by Forbes.com . In March 2019, Ascena sold a majority stake in Maurices to a U.S. subsidiary of London-based private equity firm OpCapita LLP at a valuation of $ 300 million. Maurices' leadership team remained in place, with the addition of former GAP CEO Jeff Kirwan as the company's new executive chairman. Ascena will retain a minority stake in

5472-518: Was reduced to a shell. It remained a bomb site for the remainder of the war and beyond, finally being demolished and rebuilt between 1958 and 1960. Peter Robinson partially reopened on 22 September, though the main storefront remained boarded up. The basement was converted into studios for the BBC Eastern Service. Orwell made several broadcasts here from 1941 to 1943. Selfridges was bombed again on 17 April 1941, suffering further damage, including

5548-922: Was reopened as a covered bazaar ); this prompted another bazaar (across the road at No. 150) to close, and in 1836 the Princess's Theatre opened on the site. Oxford Street changed in character from residential to retail towards the end of the 18th century. Recording an evening visit to the street in 1786, Sophie von La Roche described a multitude of shops lit by Argand lamps behind 'handsome glass windows': confectioners, fruiterers, watchmakers, silversmiths, 'spirit booths' (selling strong drink), glass shops, china shops, silk shops, lamp shops and others. There were also clothing retailers of various sorts, and furniture-makers (such as Gillow & Co. , established in 1769). Street vendors sold tourist souvenirs during this time. A plan in Tallis's London Street Views , published in

5624-522: Was sold by the Howard de Walden Estate to Land Securities for redevelopment: designed by T. P. Bennett & Partners, it would provide small units of retail accommodation either side of a central flagship department store (namely British Home Stores , until its closure in 2016). Atop the Oxford Street frontage a six-storey block was constructed to house the London College of Fashion , behind which

5700-465: Was the first department store in the UK with escalators serving every floor. It retained the D. H. Evans name until 2001, when it was rebranded as House of Fraser (the name of the parent company ). House of Fraser closed in 2022. Selfridges, Oxford Street , the second-largest department store in the UK and the flagship of the Selfridges chain, has been trading in Oxford Street since 1909. The building

5776-444: Was the largest music shop in the world, at 60,000 sq ft (6,000 m ). As well as music and video retail, the premises supported live gigs in the store. Because of financial difficulties, the store closed in 2014, with all retail moving to No. 363 (which itself closed in 2020). In November 2023 the store at No. 363 was reopened, branded as 'The HMV Shop'. The 100 Club , in the basement of No. 100, has been run as

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