Lewis's

Lewis's
Company type	Private (historically public from 1924)
Industry	Retail
Founded	1 January 1856; 170 years ago in Liverpool, England
Founder	David Lewis
Defunct	May 29, 2010
Fate	Entered administration (1991), stores sold or closed; brand relaunched as homeware retailer
Headquarters	Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom
Products	Department store goods, homeware, clothing, footwear, tobacco products
Parent	Sears Group (from 1965 until later)
Website	www.lewisshome.co.uk

Lewis's is a homeware brand and online retailer that originated as a British department store chain, operating from 1856 until 2010. The company faced multiple administrations, notably in 1991. Its flagship outlet was established in Liverpool city centre, while other branches were acquired by Owen Owen in 1991 and continued to operate under the Lewis's banner for several years. Following the closure of the Manchester branch in 2001, only the Liverpool store remained trading under the Lewis's name until it was sold to Vergo Retail Ltd in 2007 and ultimately closed in 2010.

Lewis's was briefly affiliated with the International Association of Department Stores between 1951 and 1953.

History

Established in 1856 in Liverpool by businessman David Lewis, Lewis's started as a manufacturer and retailer specializing in men's and boys' apparel. By the 1870s, the company had broadened its range to include women's clothing, footwear (1874), and tobacco products (1879), fostering an inclusive retail environment under the slogan Friends of the People.

The first store outside Liverpool opened in Manchester in 1877, followed by an outlet on Corporation Street in Birmingham in 1885. The Manchester location featured a ballroom on the fifth floor and housed buying offices until its acquisition by Liverpool competitor Owen Owen. A Sheffield branch was launched in 1884 but ceased operations by 1888 due to lack of profitability.

After David Lewis passed away in 1885, Louis Cohen oversaw consolidation efforts before Harold and Rex Cohen assumed leadership and took the company public in 1924. New stores were inaugurated in Glasgow (1929), Leeds (1932), Hanley (1934), and Leicester (1936), with Lewis's frequently ranking among the largest department stores within these cities.

In 1938, Lewis's acquired the Royal Welsh Warehouse, early innovators in large-scale mail order. The company notably refused to stock goods from Nazi Germany following the Anschluss, despite governmental pressure to do otherwise.

Expansion continued with the purchase of London’s department store Selfridges in 1951, followed by the acquisition of Moultons of Ilford in 1962, which operated under the Selfridges name. In 1965, Lewis's became part of the Sears Group, led by Charles Clore, and introduced the fashion label Miss Selfridge in 1966.

A branch opened along Blackpool promenade adjacent to Blackpool Tower in 1964, distinguished by its turquoise tile facade. After closing in 1993, this location was redeveloped for leisure and retail purposes including Mecca bingo and various shops.

The Manchester store was one of the targets during an IRA bombing on 27 January 1975.

Christmas grotto

Lewis's holds the distinction of opening the world’s first Christmas grotto, called 'Christmas Fairyland', in 1879—a concept conceived by founder David Lewis and recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. This festive attraction became a Liverpool tradition, drawing generations to see Father Christmas, with displays spanning over . In 2010, the grotto was relocated to the fourth floor of Rapid Hardware, situated within the former George Henry Lee (John Lewis) building.

Decline

Lewis's entered administration in 1991, a consequence of the early 1990s economic downturn and intensified market competition. The Liverpool-based competitor Owen Owen took over several outlets, maintaining the Lewis's branding. Sir Philip Green revitalized large-scale toy retailing by introducing Kids HQ within four Lewis's Owen Owen stores, including locations in Liverpool and Manchester. The Leicester store briefly operated independently as 'Lewis's of Leicester' following a management buyout before ultimately closing; other locations such as Birmingham also ceased operations.

In the aftermath of the 1996 Manchester bombing, Lewis's leased space to Marks & Spencer and various smaller retailers displaced from the damaged Corn Exchange. After these tenants moved out in 1999, customer traffic at Lewis's declined, leading to a partial transition toward discount retailing. The basement area housed remainder-clothing retailer TK Maxx until the Manchester branch shut its doors in 2001; the site is currently occupied by Primark.

The Liverpool store was the final outlet operating under the Lewis's name after other stores were sold by Owen Owen to companies such as Debenhams and Allders. On 28 February 2007, the Liverpool location entered liquidation but was purchased on 23 March 2007 by Vergo Retail Ltd., enabling it to continue trading. The store permanently closed on 29 May 2010 upon lease expiration. Up until closure, the building preserved its original manually operated lifts rather than modern user-controlled systems.

Rebirth

Following Vergo Retail's administration in 2010, the rights to the Lewis's brand were secured by Lewis's Home Retail Ltd. Their plans included launching a homeware store in Bury later that year, and they subsequently acquired six branches of TJ Hughes, among them the Liverpool branch, notable as the first Owen Owen site.

In 2014, Lewis's Home Retail expanded by purchasing seven Paul Simon Homeware outlets, rebranding them under the Lewis's name alongside TJ Hughes' 'Lewis's' branded homeware range. These products feature the slogan 'Established 1856', reflecting the brand’s longstanding heritage. Additionally, Lewis's Home Retail manages related brands such as 'Kids HQ' and 'Owen Owen'.

Former branches

Ranelagh Street, Liverpool (1856–2010) – currently integrated into Central Village development with tenants including PureGym and Adagio Aparthotel
Bold Street, Liverpool (1859–)
Bon Marché, Basnett Street, Liverpool (1877–1950s)
Manchester (1877–2001) – premises now occupied by Primark
Sheffield (1884–1888)
Birmingham (1885–1991) – converted into offices, retail units, restaurants, and a County Court
Glasgow (1929–1991) – transitioned to Debenhams; currently vacant
Leeds (1932–1996) – later became an Allders, now Broadgate office and retail spaces including Sainsbury's
Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent (1934–1998) – converted to Debenhams until closure
Leicester (1936–1993) – mostly demolished except for original high tower landmark
Bristol (1958–1981) – taken over by John Lewis, then occupied by Bentalls, House of Fraser, and subsequently Primark
Blackpool (1964–1993) – repurposed as Mecca Bingo and Woolworths
Weston Favell (Supa-Centre) (1975–1985)
Newcastle upon Tyne (1985–87) – replaced successively by Hamleys, then Mark One, followed by HMV, and currently JD Sports
Preston (1980s–1990s) – former Owen Owen location
Oxford (1989–1996) – originally G R Cooper; site redeveloped multiple times, later occupied by Allders and Primark until 2016
Lakeside Shopping Centre (1989–1991)
London (Selfridges)
Ellesmere Port (Supa-Centre)
Planned store in Cheadle

Current locations

Lewis's Home Retail Limited manages several non-original outlets, including the former Paul Simon Stores which have been rebranded as Lewis's in the Essex towns of Chelmsford and Harlow.

Lewis's Bank

Starting in 1928, Lewis's introduced banking services within each of its stores, establishing a subsidiary limited company by 1934. The bank was owned by Martins Bank from 1958 until 1967, after which it was purchased by Lloyds Bank, maintaining its operations well into the 1980s.

Lewis's Bank during Martins' tenure

While under Martins Bank ownership between 1958 and 1967, Lewis's Bank continued to operate independently under its original name. The Martins Bank Archive preserves employee records from this era, providing valuable resources for genealogical and staffing research.

Cultural references

The expression "Standing there like one of Lewis's" emerged from the store’s reputation as a common rendezvous point, symbolizing being stood up. It also alludes to idle employees and prominent sculptures such as Jacob Epstein’s Liverpool Resurgent in Liverpool and The Man of Fire in Hanley, along with Manchester’s Lewis's Arcade, which appeared in the 1960 film Hell is a City.
The 1990 clay animation adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Truckers features interior shots filmed at the Manchester branch of Lewis's.
The folk tune "In my Liverpool Home" mentions the statue Liverpool Resurgent with the lyric "Meet under a statue exceedingly bare," emphasizing its status as a favored city meeting location.

External links