One of the new atria in Fenwick Newcastle. Photograph by Graham Soult
When thinktank Power to Change asked if I wanted to appear on a panel talking about the repurposing of old department stores I could hardly say no – after all, it’s probably my most favoured topic after Woolworths!
Regular followers will know that I am a well-known advocate for the re-use of iconic department store buildings – but I’m also a passionate champion for those that still exist.
In Newcastle, for instance, city institution Fenwick continues to innovate. It has tapped into local pride with its highly successful pop-up food and drink collaborations with fellow Geordie retailer Greggs, and has invested millions in making its Newcastle flagship fit for the future.
With the nearby John Lewis still live as well, Newcastle is an increasingly rare two-department-store city.
Why do department stores matter?
Navigating life is complicated and unsettling, and these stores have provided continuity and a sense of rootedness that is ripped away when they are no longer there.
Graham Soult
As I argued in the Power to Change event, there is reason why the loss of iconic department stores like House of Fraser and Debenhams – or, more broadly, historic retail anchors if we extend the definition to include clothing-led stores like M&S, BHS or Littlewoods – matters to people.
Navigating life is complicated and unsettling, and these stores have provided continuity and a sense of rootedness that is ripped away when they are no longer there.
Also, in many cases, they are attractive, often purpose-built, buildings that embody elements of local distinctiveness.
At the old Havens in Westcliff, for instance, which I visited back in 2021, the brand is woven into the very architecture.
These factors are why people locally are often very passionate about what happens to these buildings, and why a form of repurposing that maintains at least partial retail use and public access – or some other use as a community and social hub – is always so welcome. The ongoing debate around the future of the former Debenhams in Taunton is one such example.
Department stores still exist
Harveys of Halifax, pictured in 2018. Photograph by Graham Soult
Let’s not forget, however, that the department store format is not dead, and there is much to be learned from those businesses that continue to serve their communities while competitors have faded away.
Here in the North East, for instance, as well as Fenwick and John Lewis in Newcastle we are lucky enough to still have the beautiful independent Rutherfords in Morpeth.
Elsewhere, Harveys of Halifax is another historic but constantly evolving department store that I like very much, still owned and run by the founding family.
Recently restored 50s signage at Walker & Ling. Photograph by Graham Soult
Similarly, Walker & Ling in Weston-super-Mare – which I was delighted to work with as part of a business support project in Somerset in 2022 – combines pride in its heritage with a recognition of what modern customers require.
What makes stores like these succeed is the way that they make a real virtue of the bricks-and-mortar space, offering services and experiences that cannot easily be replicated online, and tailoring their offer to the local audience that they have got to know and understand so well over the years.
There is also a strong element of place leadership – these stores realise that they do not exist in isolation, but are important elements of a whole local business ecosystem.
So, as I always argue, all our communities will be richer if only we spend a little more time supporting and amplifying these live success stories, and a little less time expressing sadness at what we have already lost.
Agree with all this. And one really worth celebrating in 2025 is Hatchers Department Store (also in Taunton) which is celebrating its 250th Anniversary. Our understanding of ‘heritage’ in the UK is broadening beyond the built environment alone, the UK having just last year ratified the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The heritage of department stores, as well as smaller, historic and emblematic independents retailers, their buildings, archives, stories and intangible heritage, must be celebrated and communicated, for its own intrinsic value, as a competitive advantage for these businesses, and to support pride in place and identity. The House of Lords Report on High Streets: Life Beyond Retail? also recognised the role of local history in our evolving high streets so I see this as an area for huge potential in terms of collaboration and growth.
Yes, good point about Hatchers! It’s not one I know especially well, but I’ve mentioned it at least once during my BBC Radio Somerset interviews.
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Agree with all this. And one really worth celebrating in 2025 is Hatchers Department Store (also in Taunton) which is celebrating its 250th Anniversary. Our understanding of ‘heritage’ in the UK is broadening beyond the built environment alone, the UK having just last year ratified the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The heritage of department stores, as well as smaller, historic and emblematic independents retailers, their buildings, archives, stories and intangible heritage, must be celebrated and communicated, for its own intrinsic value, as a competitive advantage for these businesses, and to support pride in place and identity. The House of Lords Report on High Streets: Life Beyond Retail? also recognised the role of local history in our evolving high streets so I see this as an area for huge potential in terms of collaboration and growth.
Yes, good point about Hatchers! It’s not one I know especially well, but I’ve mentioned it at least once during my BBC Radio Somerset interviews.