Bearmans

Bearmans was a small department store located in Leytonstone, London.

History
Blue plaque erected by Waltham Forest Council on 17 December 2012 at the site of Bearmans Department Store, 829-837 High Road, Leytonstone

In 1898, Frank Bearman a 27-year-old draper opened a shop on the north side of Leytonstone High Street on the site of a former vicarage.[1] By 1906 the business had purchased a nearby furniture shop, and in 1910 opened an arcade to match the larger department stores in London.[1] Between 1908 and 1921, Frank Bearman jointly owned with J W Holdron, a store owner in Peckham, the Croydon department store Allders.[2]

During the Second World War the store survived the Blitz, and in 1957 expanded again by building a store extension in Kirkdale Road, which Bearmans claimed had the first Escalators outside London.[1]

In 1956 Frank Bearman died, and with increased competition in the area, in 1956 the Bearman Store started Lord Brummell; a high-end bespoke line to create more business. The company was sold to the London Co-operative Society for £1 million in 1962. The Co-operative continued to run the store until 1982 when they closed the operation. The building was demolished and replaced, and is now home to Matalan. A Blue Plaque has been placed on the outside of the new building reminding people of Bearmans by the Leyton & Leytonstone Historical Society.[1]

References
  1. "Bearmans Department Store in Leytonstone Remembered - Guardian p.17 Dec 2012". Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  2. "The Story of a Store - Kerry McQueeney p.29 December 2004". Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2012.

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