Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1998, hardcover, index, illustrated, 384 pages, 20.5 cms x 27.2 cms x 3.6 cms, condition: as new.
House of Fraser and Frasers are a British department store chain with 25 locations across the United Kingdom and 2 in Ireland, part of Frasers Group. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891, it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century and in 1936 began a period of growth through acquisition which would continue for over forty years. House of Fraser Ltd was incorporated in 1941 and first listed on the London Stock Exchange six years later.
After the Second World War a large number of acquisitions transformed the company into a national chain. Purchases included Scottish Drapery Corporation (1952), Binns (1953), Barkers of Kensington (1957) and the Harrods group (1959). Later acquisitions included J J Allen (1969), Dingles (1971), Howells of Cardiff (1972) and Army & Navy Stores (1973).
Published in 1989 this book gives a comprehensive history of House of Fraser from its very early days. Lavishly illustrated with numerous quality images, this book will be of interest to readers who have worked in or out of retailing. Highly recommended.
Really interesting how House Of Fraser was founded and how it adapted over 150 years... so many lessons could be learned today by retailers but most now are just owned by greedy private equity groups and banks. HoF's collapse is shocking when you read in this book far worse it contended with and just shows today's businesses really don't want to invest, evolve, or simply even care.
A great History of retailing over the lIt also demonstrateast 200 years, with, in lots of ways not a great difference in promoting business. The numerous services that were offered in those days, including Funeral Undertaking, compare it to todays large retailers who in recent years keep adding numerous additional services which appears to be never ending to the detriment of the independent retailer. A very interesting book.
