Fenwick, Limited () is a British chain of

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

s in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was founded in 1882 by John James Fenwick in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, and currently has nine branches. It was a member of the

International Association of Department Stores The International Association of Department Stores (IADS) is a retail trade association founded in 1928 by a group of department stores with the goal of introducing modern management methods derived from the scientific management movement to the ...

from 1988 to 2010. As of 2022, the chain is still owned by members of the Fenwick family. The company was chaired by Mark Fenwick until 2017 with Simon Calver appointed as chair in 2021. John Edgar was appointed as CEO of Fenwick in April 2020. In 2012, the Newcastle Chronicle reported that the company was valued at £452 million.

History

Fenwick's began as a Mantle Maker and Furrier, founded in 1882 by John James Fenwick. Born in Richmond,

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

in 1846, Fenwick had been a shop assistant in his father's grocer's shop, and an apprentice draper, but in 1881 or 1882 he opened his own shop in Newcastle. Initially the shop's premises were a former doctor's house at 5 Northumberland Street, purchased for £181. 4''s''. 0''d''. The shop sold fabrics, silk, clothes and trimmings. The business soon expanded into numbers 37, 38 and 40 Northumberland Street, and this remains the chain's flagship store. John's eldest son Fred Fenwick joined the business in 1890. Fred had trained in retail in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and is said to have been inspired by Le Bon Marché, which is regarded as one of the first ever department stores. Fenwick has since expanded its operations. In 1888, it opened a store in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

, but it closed within the year. In 1891, it opened a branch in

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The first fashion store on the street, it later doubled in size in 1980. The company bought the Joseph Johnson store in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

in 1962, which was subsequently rebranded as Fenwick. Fenwick was an anchor department store for the 1976 opening of

Brent Cross Shopping Centre Brent Cross Shopping Centre is a large shopping centre in Hendon, North London, owned by Hammerson and Abrdn. Located by the Brent Cross interchange, it opened in 1976 as the UK's first Out-of-town shopping centres in the United Kingdom, out-of-t ...

in London, which was the first large out-of-town shopping centre in the UK. A further store was opened in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

on the site of the F Cape & Co department store in 1978. Outlets in Windsor and

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

followed in 1980 and 1984 respectively, with a limited range of departments, specialising in clothing, fashion accessories and cosmetics. The Ricemans store in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

was acquired in 1986, and rebranded Fenwick in 2003. The

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

store opened in 1992 as part of the Royal Victoria Place development.

21st century

In 2001, Fenwick acquired the Bentalls group of department stores for £70.8 million, with stores in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

Ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...

Bracknell Bracknell () is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Re ...

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...

and Lakeside. The Lakeside store was closed, and three branches (Worthing, Ealing and Tonbridge) were subsequently sold to J E Beale, with Fenwick retaining only the stores in Kingston upon Thames and Bracknell. The Bentalls name was retained at the Kingston store until 2023, when it was rebranded as Fenwicks. In 2007, Fenwick purchased Williams & Griffin, an independent department store in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

; this continued to trade under the Williams & Griffin name until a 2016 refurbishment, after which it adopted the Fenwick identity. On 5 January 2017, Mark Fenwick announced that the historic Leicester store was to close. The store closed in March 2017. In April 2017, Fenwick announced plans to close their Windsor store. The store closed in August 2017. SOL 6619 2

The last two remaining members of the Fenwick family on the company's board stepped down in October 2017. Bentalls in Bracknell closed in 2017 with the opening of a new Fenwick store in The Lexicon Shopping Centre, located in the same town. Fenwick launches Fenwick Food, the re-launch of its own-label ventures, followed by Fenwick at Home, its inaugural homeware range, in 2021. On 6 December 2022 it was announced that the Bond Street store would close in 2024, after 133 years, having sold the store and adjoining property to Lazari Investments for an undisclosed sum. In a statement, the company said: "Amid the turbulent economic environment, fresh capital investment is required in order to return the business to profitable growth."

Current operations

Fenwick has its headquarters at the original Fenwick department store in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. The company operates eight outlets across

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

(January 2024): Newcastle upon Tyne,

in London,

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sand ...

and

as well as online. In 2022, the Bond Street store was put up for sale at £500 million, listed as a 'redevelopment opportunity' after the COVID-19 pandemic failed plans for the Fenwick family to sell the chain entirely. The store will close in February 2024. The London Head Office is now located on 103 Wigmore Street, 2nd Floor, W1U 1QS.

Fenwick Newcastle

The original and flagship store in the group occupies a large site in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. The store has expanded many times since its foundation in 1882 and now consists of several interconnected buildings with entrances onto

Northumberland Street Northumberland Street is a major shopping street in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the North East of England. It is home to a wide range of different retailers, banks and cafes. As of 2004, Northumberland Street was the most expensive l ...

, Eldon Square, Monument Metro Station and Blackett Street. Fenwick offers a wide range of goods and services with a focus on premium and luxury products. It is one of few department stores in the UK to retain a food hall. This was refurbished in 2015. The store is known locally for its extravagant Christmas window displays, filled with detailed sets and sophisticated moving figures, which have appeared since 1971. In 2022, Fenwick announced an investment of £40 million over the next five years in the refurbishment of its Newcastle, flagship, adding two new atria and renovating the beauty hall and accessories area.

Notes

References