Colsons
Colsons was a historic department store on Exeter High Street that later operated under the Dingles and House of Fraser names before closing in 2019.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Colsons was a long-established department store in Exeter, Devon, with origins in the late eighteenth century. The business began on Exeter High Street in 1789, when Mrs Colson took over the millinery and linen business of Mrs Coles, including a childbed-linen warehouse opposite what is now Gandy Street. The opening announcement described a broad retail assortment for its time, including drapery, haberdashery, millinery and tea. This combination of clothing-related goods, household textiles and provisions established the general-store character that later developed into a department-store format. The business remained associated with the Colson family during much of the nineteenth century, although its trading structure and name changed several times. Mrs Colson's son, John Worthy Colson, joined the enterprise and briefly operated it with a partner as Colson & Spark from 1829 to 1832. Later partnerships produced the names Colson and Gates and Colson & Co. George Colson became responsible for the business in the late nineteenth century, and the store reverted to Colson & Co after the partnership ended in 1889. The retailer was also connected to Exeter civic history: after the Exeter Theatre Royal fire in 1887, which killed 186 people, the business supplied its entire stock of calico to help wrap the victims' bodies. Colsons left family ownership in 1913, when George Colson sold it to the local magistrate Sir Edgar Plummer. In 1925, Plummer sold the business to Brights, a Bournemouth department-store company, but the Exeter shop continued trading under the Colson and Co identity. The store sustained bomb damage during the Second World War. Parts of the business continued operating, and postwar redevelopment was planned in stages so that trading could continue while the premises were rebuilt. The completed scheme absorbed neighboring shops, including Bellmans and Wymans, and substantially increased the store's footprint. In 1960, Brights was acquired by J. J. Allen. Under that ownership, Colsons incorporated additional fashion-related departments associated with the Maryon Fashion and Chanelle businesses. The retailer also opened a furniture warehouse at 22 Cathedral Yard and had established its own food hall by 1966, demonstrating the increasingly broad product range expected of a regional department store. House of Fraser acquired J. J. Allen in 1969 for £5.3 million and initially placed the Exeter operation within its Harrods group. After House of Fraser acquired the West Country department-store group E. Dingle & Co in 1971, its regional stores were reorganized under the Dingles division. By 1974, the Exeter store had been rebranded Dingles, ending Colsons' direct use as the customer-facing store name. It later became a House of Fraser branch. In 2007, after the nearby Princesshay shopping centre opened with a Debenhams store, House of Fraser invested £1.5 million in upgrading the Exeter premises and relaunched the branch under the House of Fraser name, dropping the Dingles identity. The Exeter store ultimately closed during House of Fraser's financial crisis. The group entered a company voluntary arrangement in 2018 and announced a major store-closure program. Exeter was not included in the first June announcement, and reports in early 2019 briefly suggested that the branch might survive. Closing-down signs were removed and stock was replenished, but the closure plan returned later that year. The store ceased trading on 2 November 2019. The former site remained derelict for several years before being redeveloped in 2022 by IHG Hotels & Resorts as Hotel Indigo Exeter. The hotel included a restaurant called Colson's, preserving the historic retail name as a reference to the building's past rather than reviving the department-store business.
History
Colsons originated in Exeter in 1789, when Mrs Colson acquired Mrs Coles's millinery and linen business and reopened it under the Colsons name on 3 August. The premises were on Exeter High Street, opposite the route now associated with Gandy Street. Its initial range consisted of drapery, haberdashery, millinery, tea and childbed linen, giving the business a broad retail proposition from the outset. The store's nineteenth-century history was marked by family involvement and changing partnerships. John Worthy Colson joined his mother's business and entered a partnership in 1829, trading briefly as Colson & Spark. Later, the business became Colson and Gates before reverting to Colson & Co. George Colson assumed control in 1887, and the partnership was dissolved two years later. In the same year as George's takeover, the business played a notable role in the aftermath of the Exeter Theatre Royal fire by supplying calico for the victims of the disaster. In 1913, George Colson sold the business to Sir Edgar Plummer. Plummer retained ownership for twelve years before selling the store to Brights of Bournemouth in 1925. Although ownership had moved away from the founding family, the Exeter operation continued to use the Colson and Co name. Wartime bombing damaged the premises, but the store remained partly operational. Postwar architects F. W. Beech and E. Curnow Cooke developed a phased rebuilding plan, allowing the retailer to continue trading while the site was reconstructed. The completed store incorporated neighboring businesses, including Bellmans and Wymans. Brights was acquired by J. J. Allen in 1960. Colsons then expanded its offer through departments connected with Maryon Fashion and Chanelle. It also established a furniture warehouse at 22 Cathedral Yard and had a food hall by 1966. These developments reflected the transformation of the business from a specialist textile and millinery shop into a full regional department store. House of Fraser bought J. J. Allen in 1969 for £5.3 million. The Exeter store was initially associated with House of Fraser's Harrods group. House of Fraser's acquisition of E. Dingle & Co in 1971 led to a regional reorganization, and the West Country stores were placed in the Dingles division. By 1974, the Exeter branch traded as Dingles. It subsequently operated as House of Fraser. In 2007, House of Fraser spent £1.5 million refurbishing the store following the opening of the Princesshay shopping centre nearby. The refurbishment produced a House of Fraser-branded store and removed the Dingles name from the frontage and identity. The branch was affected by House of Fraser's broader financial problems in 2018. The group proposed a company voluntary arrangement and announced numerous closures. Although Exeter was absent from the first list, closure was later confirmed. Early 2019 reports indicated a possible reprieve when closing-down material was removed and the store received new stock. The signs returned later in the year, and the store closed permanently on 2 November 2019. The former department-store site remained unused for several years. In 2022, IHG Hotels & Resorts completed a conversion into Hotel Indigo Exeter. The redevelopment included a restaurant called Colson's, a commemorative reference to the building's best-known historic retail identity. This restaurant does not represent a continuation of Colsons as an operating department-store brand.
- 2022
Former site redeveloped as a hotel
[1]The building reopens as Hotel Indigo Exeter, including a Colson's restaurant.
- 2019
Exeter store closes
[1]The former Colsons/Dingles/House of Fraser store closes permanently on 2 November.
- 2007
House of Fraser refurbishment
[1]House of Fraser invests £1.5 million in upgrading the Exeter branch and removes the Dingles name.
- 1974
Store becomes Dingles
[1]Following House of Fraser's acquisition of E. Dingle & Co, the Exeter store is rebranded under the Dingles division.
- 1969
House of Fraser acquires J. J. Allen
[1]House of Fraser purchases J. J. Allen for £5.3 million and brings the Exeter operation into its group.
- 1966
Food hall added
[1]The Exeter store has developed a dedicated food hall as part of its expanding department-store offer.
- 1960
J. J. Allen takes over Brights
[1]Colsons becomes part of J. J. Allen following that company's acquisition of Brights.
- 1925
Brights acquires Colsons
[1]Bournemouth retailer Brights purchases the business, which continues trading under the Colson and Co name.
- 1913
Business leaves family ownership
[1]George Colson sells the store to Sir Edgar Plummer.
- 1887
George Colson takes control
[1]George Colson assumes management, while the business also supplies calico used after the Exeter Theatre Royal fire.
Products and positioning
A historic regional department store serving Exeter with a broad mix of apparel, textiles, fashion, household goods, furniture and food. Over time, its identity shifted from a locally rooted family retailer to a branch within larger British department-store groups.
Textiles · 1789
Drapery and textiles
Drapery, linen and related textile goods formed the commercial foundation of the original Colsons business. The store's later redevelopment into a department store retained this heritage within a much broader household and apparel assortment.
Fashion accessories · 1789
Millinery and haberdashery
Millinery and haberdashery were among the products offered when the store opened. These lines connected Colsons to the nineteenth-century fashion and sewing trade before the business expanded into a general department-store model.
Food retail · 1966
Food hall
By 1966, the Exeter store included a food hall, broadening its proposition beyond apparel, textiles and household goods and reinforcing its role as a comprehensive regional department store.
Home furnishings · 1960
Furniture
Colsons opened a separate furniture warehouse at 22 Cathedral Yard in 1960. The warehouse complemented the main store's department-store assortment and gave the business a dedicated location for larger household purchases.
Brand decisions
2018
Confirm closure of the Exeter storeStrategyBackground
House of Fraser entered severe financial difficulty and initiated a company voluntary arrangement alongside a broad store-closure program.
Action taken
The group confirmed that the Exeter branch would close, although it was not included in the first closure announcement.
Aftermath
After a short-lived expectation that the branch might remain open, the store closed on 2 November 2019.
2007
Rebrand and refurbish the Exeter branchStrategyBackground
The opening of the Princesshay shopping centre nearby increased competitive pressure on Exeter's existing retail offer.
Action taken
House of Fraser invested £1.5 million in the store and relaunched it under the House of Fraser name, ending the Dingles branding.
Aftermath
The branch continued operating as House of Fraser until its permanent closure in 2019.
Refurbishment investment. £1.5 million (2007)
Recent events
- 2022
Former Colsons site becomes Hotel Indigo Exeter[1]
Other
The long-vacant department-store building was renovated as Hotel Indigo Exeter, with a restaurant named Colson's in recognition of the site's retail history.
- 2019
Exeter House of Fraser store closes[1]
Other
After a temporary period in which closure signage was removed and reports suggested the shop might survive, the Exeter store finally ceased trading on 2 November 2019.
- 2018
House of Fraser confirms closure of Exeter store[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
House of Fraser's financial difficulties led to confirmation that the Exeter department store would close, despite the branch not appearing in the group's initial June closure announcement.
Sources1 sources
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