Dickins & Jones
Historic London department-store business whose name later continued as a House of Fraser women's fashion brand.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Dickins & Jones was a historic British department-store business associated principally with Regent Street in London. Its origins are traced to 1790, when Dickins and Smith operated a shop at 54 Oxford Street under the sign of the Golden Lion. The business subsequently changed its name to Dickins, Sons and Stevens in 1830 and moved to Regent Street in 1835, establishing the location with which it became most closely identified. The name Dickins & Jones emerged in the 1890s after John Jones became a partner. The store developed as a high-quality department store serving the London retail market. Its offer included fashion, home-related merchandise, beauty products and other department-store categories, with the Regent Street premises functioning as the principal flagship. In 1914 the business was acquired by Harrods, becoming Harrods' first acquisition outside its original store. A further move followed in 1919, when Dickins & Jones acquired a site at 224–244 Regent Street. A new building designed by Sir Henry Tanner opened there in 1922. The business entered the House of Fraser corporate structure in 1959, when House of Fraser acquired Harrods. Dickins & Jones and Harrods retained their established trading identities after the transaction. The department store later expanded beyond Regent Street, including a branch opened on George Street in Richmond in 1969. In its final years, Dickins & Jones also operated stores in Epsom, Richmond and Milton Keynes. The Regent Street store faced increasing pressure from its high occupancy costs. House of Fraser announced in 2005 that the site had been unprofitable since 2002 because of its high rent. The flagship closed on 14 January 2006. The property was subsequently sold for redevelopment, with plans reported for a mixed commercial scheme including retail space, apartments, offices and a substantial restaurant. The remaining Dickins & Jones branches continued trading under the name for a limited period, but were rebranded as House of Fraser stores in 2007. Although the department-store operation ended, the name did not disappear entirely. House of Fraser retained Dickins & Jones as an in-house women's fashion label. The brand therefore has two distinct historical phases: first, a long-running London department-store business with roots in late-eighteenth-century retailing; and second, a surviving private-label fashion identity within House of Fraser. The original retail estate is defunct, while the name's later use is connected to House of Fraser's own-brand merchandising rather than to an independently operating department-store chain.
History
Dickins & Jones traces its origins to 1790, when Dickins and Smith opened a shop at 54 Oxford Street in London, trading under the sign of the Golden Lion. The business was renamed Dickins, Sons and Stevens in 1830. In 1835 it moved to premises at 232 and 234 Regent Street, a newly developed London shopping thoroughfare. This relocation established the Regent Street connection that defined the business for most of its history. The name Dickins & Jones came into use in the 1890s, after John Jones became a partner. The company operated as a high-quality department store, serving customers with fashion, home goods, beauty merchandise and related retail products. In 1914 Harrods acquired the business. The purchase was significant within Harrods' development because it was the company's first acquisition outside its original store. Dickins & Jones moved again in 1919, taking a site at 224–244 Regent Street. A purpose-designed building was completed there in 1922 to designs by Sir Henry Tanner. This became the business's principal London store and its most recognizable retail location. The company later extended its physical presence beyond Regent Street. In 1969 it opened a store on George Street in Richmond, and by its final period it also had branches in Epsom and Milton Keynes. In 1959 House of Fraser acquired Harrods. Dickins & Jones consequently became part of the House of Fraser group, although it continued to trade under its own established name alongside Harrods. The store retained an upmarket identity and remained associated with central London's department-store tradition. The economics of the Regent Street operation deteriorated in the early twenty-first century. House of Fraser stated in 2005 that the flagship had been unprofitable since 2002 because of the high rental value of its location. The company announced the store's closure, which took place on 14 January 2006. The building was then sold to Shearer Property Group and Delancey Estates for redevelopment. Plans reported in 2006 described a mixed-use scheme with retail units on the lower levels, apartments and offices above, and a large restaurant within a glass extension and rooftop terrace arrangement. H&M and Nokia were among the occupiers mentioned for the redeveloped retail space. The Dickins & Jones name survived briefly at the Epsom, Richmond and Milton Keynes branches. Those stores continued under the historic identity until 2007, when they were rebranded as House of Fraser locations. The department-store business therefore ceased to operate as a separate retail chain. House of Fraser continued to use Dickins & Jones as an in-house women's fashion brand, preserving the name in a different commercial form. The modern brand identity is thus a private-label continuation of a historic retailer rather than an independent successor to the original Regent Street department store.
- 2007
Remaining stores rebranded
[1]The Epsom, Richmond and Milton Keynes locations were converted into House of Fraser stores.
- 2006
Regent Street store closes
[1]The flagship closed on 14 January after House of Fraser cited high rental costs and sustained unprofitability.
- 1969
Richmond branch opens
[1]Dickins & Jones opened a branch on George Street in Richmond.
- 1959
Enters the House of Fraser group
[1]House of Fraser acquired Harrods, bringing Dickins & Jones into the group while allowing it to retain its trading identity.
- 1922
Purpose-designed Regent Street building opens
[1]A new Dickins & Jones building designed by Sir Henry Tanner opened on the Regent Street site.
- 1919
New Regent Street site acquired
[1]The business acquired the site at 224–244 Regent Street for a new principal store.
- 1914
Acquired by Harrods
[1]Harrods purchased Dickins & Jones in its first acquisition beyond its original department store.
- 1890
Dickins & Jones name adopted
[1]The business changed its name during the 1890s after John Jones became a partner.
- 1835
Move to Regent Street
[1]The store moved to numbers 232 and 234 Regent Street, beginning its long association with the London thoroughfare.
- 1830
Business renamed Dickins, Sons and Stevens
[1]The Oxford Street business adopted the name Dickins, Sons and Stevens.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as a high-quality, upmarket London department store; later used by House of Fraser as an in-house women's fashion brand.
Department-store retail
Dickins & Jones department-store merchandise
The original business offered a broad, high-quality department-store assortment centered on fashion and supported by home goods, beauty products and related merchandise. Its Regent Street store served as the principal flagship, while later branches extended the name to other British locations.
Private-label fashion
Dickins & Jones women's fashion
After the department-store chain was absorbed into House of Fraser's store network, the Dickins & Jones name continued as an in-house women's fashion label. This use preserves the brand as a product identity rather than as a separately operated department-store business.
Brand decisions
2007
Rebrand remaining branches as House of FraserStrategyBackground
After the Regent Street closure, Dickins & Jones still operated branches in Epsom, Richmond and Milton Keynes.
Action taken
House of Fraser converted the remaining locations to House of Fraser stores.
Aftermath
The historic department-store chain ceased to trade as a separate store network, although the name remained in use as a House of Fraser women's fashion brand.
2005
Close the Regent Street flagshipStrategyBackground
House of Fraser reported that the Regent Street store had been unprofitable since 2002 and faced a high rental burden.
Action taken
The group announced the closure of the flagship, which ended its trading operations on 14 January 2006.
Aftermath
The property was sold for redevelopment, while Dickins & Jones branches outside Regent Street continued temporarily.
Sources1 sources
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