Peter Jones (department store) facts for kids
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| Industry | Retail |
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| Founded | 1877 |
| Founder | Peter Jones |
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Area served
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London, England |
| Parent | John Lewis & Partners |
Not to be confused with Peter Jones (entrepreneur)
Peter Jones & Partners is a very large and well-known department store in central London. It's like a huge shop that sells many different things! This famous store is owned by another well-known company called John Lewis & Partners. You can find it in a busy area of London called Sloane Square in Chelsea. Peter Jones & Partners even has special "royal warrants." This means that members of the Royal Family, like King Charles III (when he was Prince of Wales) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, have chosen to buy things from this store.
Contents
The Story of Peter Jones
How the Store Began
The Peter Jones store is named after a man called Peter Rees Jones (1842–1905). He was the son of a hat maker from Carmarthenshire in Wales. Peter Jones started his career by learning about selling clothes in Cardigan.
Later, he moved to London and opened a small shop. In 1877, he moved his business to 4–6 King's Road. This is the same spot where the big store stands today! His business grew very quickly. It soon took over most of the block. The store has a very long lease for this land, lasting 999 years!
Joining the John Lewis Family
After some difficult times for the business and Peter Jones's death, the store was bought. It was purchased by John Lewis, who owned the famous store on Oxford Street. In 1914, John Lewis gave the Peter Jones store to his son, John Spedan Lewis.
Soon after, Peter Jones became part of the John Lewis "profit sharing partnership." This means that the employees share in the company's profits. It was one of the first stores to join this special way of doing business.
The Unique Building
The building you see today is very special. It stands on its own block near Sloane Square. It was built between 1932 and 1936. The design was created by William Crabtree.
This building was one of the first in Britain to use a modern "glass curtain wall" design. This means the outside walls are made mostly of glass. It's now a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a very important historical building that is protected.
Peter Jones Today
The store had a big update and makeover in 2004. This work was done by a company called John McAslan and Partners. In 2009, Simon Fowler became the managing director, which is like the boss of the store. During his time, sales and profits grew a lot!
This period also marked 100 years since Peter Jones joined the John Lewis Partnership. Many people believe Peter Jones was where the idea of employees owning a part of the company first started. This special way of working is still used by John Lewis today. Tony Wheeler became the managing director in 2011.
