Bentalls facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bentalls plc

Bentalls facade in Kingston
Type	Unlisted public company
Industry	Retail
Genre	Department Store
Founded	1867
Founder	Frank Bentall
Headquarters	Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
Key people	Leonard Edward Rowan Bentall (Chairman 1968-78, President 1978-93)
Parent	Fenwick

Bentalls was a famous British department store chain. It started in Kingston upon Thames, a town in England. A department store is a large shop that sells many different kinds of things, like clothes, furniture, and toys.

Bentalls began as a small fabric shop in 1867. It was founded by a man named Frank Bentall. Over the years, the business grew a lot. It opened many department stores across southern England. In 2001, another company called Fenwick bought Bentalls. The main store in Kingston upon Thames kept the Bentalls name until 2023. Then, it was renamed Fenwick.

The Story of Bentalls Stores

Bentalls started in 1867 when Frank Bentall bought a fabric shop. This shop was in Kingston upon Thames. The main building for the Kingston store was finished in 1935. It was designed by an architect named Maurice Webb. The building's look was inspired by the famous Hampton Court Palace. The beautiful stone carvings on the outside were made by Eric Gill.

Between 1935 and 1976, the Kingston store was the biggest department store in the UK. It was the largest outside of central London.

Growing Across England

Bentalls opened its first branch store in 1947. This was in Worthing. They bought a store there from family members who were retiring. Later, they made the Worthing store even bigger.

In 1950, Bentalls bought another department store in Ealing. Ten years later, they bought a store in Tunbridge Wells.

Rowan Bentall, who was Frank Bentall's grandson, became the boss in 1968. During his ten years in charge, the company's sales more than doubled. They also opened a brand new store in Bracknell in 1973. Later, more successful stores opened in Tonbridge in 1982 and at Lakeside in 1995.

The Bentall Centre in Kingston

In 1987, work started on a huge shopping center in Kingston. This project was a partnership with another company. The current Bentalls department store opened in July 1990. The shopping center next to it was finished in November 1992.

The beautiful front of the 1935 building was kept. It is now a protected building because of its history.

A Store in Bristol

In 1998, Bentalls invested a lot of money to open a big store in Bristol. They bought a building that another store, John Lewis, had just left. They completely updated it.

However, this new store in the south-west of England did not do well. It lost money and caused problems for the rest of the business. The Bristol store closed within two years.

Recent Changes

In 2000, another store chain offered to buy Bentalls. Bentalls said no to the offer. In January 2001, the Bristol store, which was losing money, was sold.

In June 2001, the Fenwick company bought Bentalls for a large sum of money. At that time, the Bentall family still owned a big part of the company. Frank Bentall's great-grandson, Edward Bentall, was the chairman. Bentalls had six department stores at that time.

After buying Bentalls, Fenwick made some changes. They sold the Lakeside store to another company. They also sold the stores in Ealing, Tonbridge, and Worthing to the Beales group. Fenwick kept the successful stores in Kingston upon Thames and Bracknell.

The Bracknell store was replaced in September 2017. A new Fenwick store opened as part of a new shopping area called The Lexicon. The main Bentalls store in Kingston upon Thames was renamed Fenwick in 2023.

Bentalls Store Locations Over Time

Gallery

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  A Bentalls delivery lorry in Kingston upon Thames

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  Bentalls' 1935 facade, inspired by Hampton Court Palace