The House of Fraser department store in Central London has bid its final farewell, as its last remaining location in the city has permanently closed. The store, situated in the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd’s Bush, marks the end of an era for the renowned retailer in the capital. The 115,000 sq ft space will now be taken over by the famous nightclub brand Ministry of Sound, who plans to transform it into flexible offices, a gym for “fitness raves,” an exclusive members’ bar, and a rooftop bar/restaurant that will open to the public in 2024. This shift from retail to leisure and office facilities is becoming a common trend.
House of Fraser, owned by Frasers Group, had previously closed its flagship store on Oxford Street a year ago and its century-old department store in Victoria last summer. The company’s City of London store near London Bridge had also shut down three years earlier.
The closure of House of Fraser in Westfield signifies a significant moment in the decline of department stores in central London. Other major players in the industry have also made their exit in recent years, such as Debenhams, which left Oxford Street after being acquired by online-only retailer Boohoo Group. Fenwick has plans to close its Bond Street store, and John Lewis intends to downsize its Oxford Street flagship. Liberty on Regent Street had already made this move, while Dickins & Jones on Regent Street is now just a distant memory.
With the closure of House of Fraser in Westfield, the Croydon branch becomes the nearest location to Central London. The retail chain now operates approximately 30 stores across the UK, about half the number it had before being rescued from administration by Frasers Group for £90 million in 2018. In recent months, House of Fraser has also closed several other stores in Leeds, Norwich, and Huddersfield, with the High Wycombe branch also set for closure.
This decline in department stores is not limited to Central London but reflects the overall contraction of the sector across the UK. The days when every high street boasted a department store and every major shopping center had one as an anchor tenant are long gone. Instead, anchor tenants are more likely to be prominent fashion retailers like H&M, Zara, and Primark, as well as multi-category stores like Next and Marks & Spencer. In contrast, Frasers Group is expanding its high-end specialist Flannels business, which is taking on many characteristics of a department store as it expands into key categories such as beauty.
Useful links:
– Ministry of Sound website
– Frasers Group’s Flannels website
