Learn More About houseoffraser.co.uk
HouseOfFraseris a British department store group. It has over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is the third largest group of departmental stores in the UK with at least 60 stores. Even it has one of the fastest growing websites in the United Kingdom. It was established by a team of two people Hugh Fraser and James Arthur, in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser and later on, they changed a name to Fraser & Sons by 1891.
The HouseOfFraser Company set up its wholesale trading in adjoining premises in the Argyle Street. With time the business moved to Glasgow and they started trading with the name Arthur & Co by 1856. The other side that is a retail side of the business also developed there and expanded into the large buildings. In 1865 the partnership between the partners was dissolved and Fraser, later on, took control of the retail business leaving Arthur with the wholesale business. There after four new stores opened between the years 1980 and 1984.
The evolution took over the progress and the company grew steadily in later years during the early 20th century but after the 2nd World War huge number of acquisitions lead to the transformation into a national cluster. Between the years 1936 and 1985 over seventy companies, were acquired by them. In 1948, the company was able to get first listed on the London Stock Exchange was also included in the FTSE Index right before the company was acquired by a consortium of investors including Augur and Don McCarthy in 2006. On 2 September 2014, when Don McCarthy was retiring Executive Chairman of House of Fraser, announced the completion of the sale of 100% of their preferred ordinary shares and B ordinary shares and about approximately 89% of the A ordinary shares and preference shares of the Highland Group Holdings Ltd, to Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store Co, a leading cluster of Chinese department stores, for an enterprise value of approximately £480 million.
The HouseofFraser has purchased a number of many famous stores, such as the Army & Navy Stores, Barkers of Kensington, Dickens & Jones, Rackhams, Bins and Harrods of Knightsbridge. The Company also diversified their role in sports goods also as the name Astral Sports and Leisure and into funerals with Wylie & Lockheed. It has also launched the YOU range of cosmetics and jewelry shops. In 1985 acquired Turnbull & Asser Holdings Ltd, shirt makers of Jermyn Street, London and Kurt Geiger Holdings Ltd, shoe retailers. All the other developments during the 1980s included the introduction of new merchandize ranges named "Lifestyle” and also a huge investment in store nationwide. In 1983 the Company introduced the Fraser card, valid at all stores.
The HouseofFraser stores in Swinton and Leicester sales reduced price and the clearance items in a discount department store environment. It's the largest store is sited at Birmingham. While taking care of the growing business, they also signed a Multi-year contract with the IT Company Infosys, India based Software giant to develop its business channel and IT infrastructure. It was done to expand globally.
The company gives outstanding performance and has increasing numbers of customers’ day by day expanding their 167 years of experience. House of Fraser has never lagged in any stage of their selling, marketing and finally keeping their clientele satiated.
