Bentalls

Bentalls was a British department store chain based in Kingston upon Thames. The well regarded department store began as a drapery shop, founded by Frank Bentall in 1867. The business expanded significantly throughout the 20th century and operated a group of department stores in southern England. The company was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange, but in 2001 was purchased by the private Fenwick group. The Kingston upon Thames store remained as the only store to operate under the Bentalls name until 2023, when it was changed to Fenwick.

History
Bentalls was established in 1867 by Frank Bentall who purchased a drapery shop in Kingston upon Thames. The principal buildings of the Kingston store were completed in 1935 to a design by architect Maurice Webb (son of Sir Aston Webb) and inspired by Wren's design for Hampton Court. The fine stonework on the façade was the work of Eric Gill. Between 1935 and 1976 it was the UK's largest department store outside central London.

The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1946, but the Bentall family retained a controlling interest.

Bentalls established their first branch store in 1947 when the Worthing department store of Bentall & Sons was acquired from family cousins who had decided to retire. The Worthing business was significantly extended with the purchase of the Jordan & Cook furniture store in later years.

The Ealing department store of Eldred Sayers & Son was acquired in 1950. Mary Lee of Tunbridge Wells was purchased a decade later.

Rowan Bentall, grandson of founder Frank Bentall, became chairman in 1968. Under his ten-year stewardship the group's turnover more than doubled from £14.5 million to £35.1 million. Developments during this time included the opening of a new purpose-built department store at Bracknell in 1973.

Further profitable stores were later opened in Tonbridge (1982) and Lakeside (1995).

The Bentall Centre
In 1987, work began on a major shopping centre development in Kingston, in collaboration with Norwich Union. The present Bentalls department store opened in July 1990, with the adjoining shopping centre completed in November 1992. The principal facade and main entrance vestibule of the 1935 building were retained as part of the development and listed at Grade II in 2011.

Bristol department store
The company made a substantial investment in 1998 to open a large department store in Bristol, purchasing the recently vacated premises of John Lewis and completely refurbishing it.

The group's first foray into the south-west of England was ill-fated, however, with the outlet failing to turn a profit and proving to be a financial drain on the wider business. It was closed within two years.

Recent history
In 2000, the chain rejected a £27 million offer from competitor Allders. In January 2001, the loss-making Bristol store was sold to House of Fraser for £16.35 million.

In June of that year, the family-owned rival department store chain Fenwick purchased Bentalls for £70.8 million. The Bentall family's shareholding at the time was 38%, with Frank Bentall's great-grandson Edward Bentall being the chairman. The company's turnover was £108.2 million, trading across six department stores.

Fenwick subsequently sold the Lakeside store to Allders and the leases of the Bentalls sites in Ealing, Tonbridge and Worthing to the Bournemouth-based Beales group. The successful stores in Kingston upon Thames and Bracknell were retained. The Bracknell branch was replaced in September 2017 by a new Fenwick store as part of The Lexicon development.

Department store locations

 * Bracknell (opened 1973; closed 2017 to coincide with the opening a new Fenwick store in the town)
 * Bristol (opened 1998 in premises previously occupied by John Lewis; sold to House of Fraser in 2001)
 * Chatham (formerly Edward Bates, acquired 1979; closed 1984)
 * Ealing (formerly Eldred Sayers & Son, acquired 1950; sold to Beales in 2002)
 * Kingston upon Thames (founded 1867; present department store building opened 1990, Bentall Centre completed 1992, renamed Fenwick, 2023)
 * Lakeside (opened 1992 in premises previously occupied by Lewis's; sold to Allders in 2001)
 * Tonbridge (opened 1982; sold to Beales in 2002)
 * Tunbridge Wells (formerly Mary Lee, acquired 1960; closed 29 July 1995)
 * Worthing (formerly Bentall & Sons, acquired 1947; sold to Beales in 2002)

In popular culture
Singer Dusty Springfield once worked at Bentalls in Ealing and singer Petula Clark gave her first public performance as a child at Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames.

Bentalls is mentioned by the character Chubb in the Anthony Blunt episode (A Question of Attribution) of the stage play Single Spies by Alan Bennett.

Bentalls features in the Ladybird Books People at Work series, appearing in In A Big Store. The Wood Street entrance is also illustrated in The Police, as part of a night time scene where two police constables are arresting suspected burglars.