Radio Ulster's Wendy Austin on her feisty, independent and determined granny Mollie, who presided over the family department store in Londonderry BelfastTelegraph.co.uk There aren't many with a family history as rich and vibrant as BBC Radio Ulster's Wendy Austin, whose lineage is weaved into the very fabric that makes up the tapestry of Londonderry. Wendy, who presents Inside Business on BBC Radio Ulster, is extremely proud of her grandparents, Mollie and Glover Austin, who ran Austins Department store in the city's Diamond. The store was established in 1830 and, until 2016, remained standing as the world's oldest independent department store. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/radio-ulsters-wendy-austin-on-her-feisty-independent-and-determined-granny-mollie-who-presided-over-the-family-department-store-in-londonderry-37624511.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/article37624502.ece/fa708/AUTOCROP/h342/2018-12-14_lif_46513436_I1.JPG Email There … [Read more...] about Radio Ulster’s Wendy Austin on her feisty, independent and determined granny Mollie, who presided over the family department store in Londonderry
Takashimaya department store
Death of the department store
Department stores are in decline across the country with traditional retailers announcing store closures, job losses and falls in profits. High street giant Debenhams recently announced plans to close around 50 stores - and it seems we could be witnessing the death of the department store. But does the old-fashioned retailer still have a place on Merseyside? For a certain type of shopper, the department store plays an important role in providing quality, familiarity and a range of brands under one roof. Standing outside House of Fraser in Birkenhead, it's easy to notice a trend among the shoppers heading in and out of the store. Overwhelmingly of an older generation, the people using this local department store are far less likely to shop online. We spoke to the shoppers still relying on department stories about the decline of the traditional retailer - and why is still has a place on Merseyside. "I would be lost without this place" In its heyday, it was THE shopping destination on … [Read more...] about Death of the department store
Everything we love about department stores – and what we’re losing as they shut down
I can remember my first experience of going to a department store. My Grandma took me to the iconic Hanningtons in Brighton, and even now, I can recall the thrill of the luxury of it all.Then, as we got older, she’d also take us to Harrods, where the fancy toilets – actually requiring you to ‘spend a penny’ (and food hall of course) – were a personal highlight.As an adult, I often shop in department stores, and am sad to read that Debenhams is closing stores and reporting huge losses. It’s hot on the heels of House of Fraser, whose Oxford Street store was saved, but but fears for its future abound, as it’s taken over by Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley.The closures are no laughing matter, as jobs will, of course, be at risk, as well as the future of our high streets across the country. Department stores are something of a national treasure (I’m still not over losing BHS), and here’s what we’ll lose on a personal … [Read more...] about Everything we love about department stores – and what we’re losing as they shut down
This man will save or bury Germany’s department stores
Karstadt-Kaufhof Retail and property magnate René Benko never finished high school, but has managed to accumulate a $4 billion fortune. Can his takeover of Kaufhof department stores save the sector from terminal decline? Published on October 5, 2018 4:30 pm At the age of 41, René Benko is many things: a high-school dropout, a self-made billionaire, one of Europe’s hottest property tycoons, and a convicted criminal. He may also turn out to be the savior of Germany’s traditional department stores. For some, the Innsbruck-born Mr. Benko is an Austrian Donald Trump: a ruthless dealmaker with a €4 billion personal fortune and a taste for the high life, in command of a sprawling, opaque empire of companies and investments with revenues approaching €12 billion ($13.8 billion). It can take a while, but Mr. Benko usually gets his way. For the youthful tycoon, last month brought the fulfillment of a long-standing ambition. The successful €3.5 … [Read more...] about This man will save or bury Germany’s department stores
The decline of Wales’ department stores
The first department store arguably dates all the way back to the 1700s. But with a history that stretches so far back, was it always an inevitability that people's attitudes towards the stalwart of high street shopping would change? In recent weeks, we've heard that one of the UK's leading department stores, House Of Fraser, is closing a number of shops – including its Cardiff and Cwmbran sites – while another veteran of the Welsh shopping scene, Chepstow's Herbert Lewis, is set to shut after 140 years. And in 2016 Wildings, a Newport-based department store that had been in the city since 1874, revealed it was downsizing – closing off two of its floors just two years after a £140,000 refurbishment at the Commercial Street store. In the same year BHS – a company which dates back to 1928 – closed all of its stores. There's a lot of history Even before the more recent news there were signs that department stores had fallen out of favour. The iconic … [Read more...] about The decline of Wales’ department stores