Owen Owen

Owen Owen was a British department-store operator founded by Welsh draper Owen Owen in Liverpool in 1868. It developed from a single drapery emporium on London Road into a substantial regional retail group, with operations spanning department stores, acquired retail chains, shopfitting, and, for several decades, a Canadian subsidiary. The business was notable not only for the scale of its stores but also for the way its growth was achieved: it frequently acquired established local retailers and retained, at least for a time, their original identities alongside the Owen Owen name. Owen Owen was born in Montgomeryshire, Wales, in 1847 and entered the drapery trade through his maternal uncle Samuel Evans's shop in Bath. With financial assistance from Evans, he opened his own store at 121 London Road, Liverpool, when he was 20. The business expanded rapidly; by 1873 it reportedly employed more than 120 people and occupied a large retail floor area. Owen developed a reputation for attention to employee welfare, including the introduction of a regular weekly half-day for staff and the establishment of a trust fund for retired employees. He also invested in other businesses and became involved with Evans & Owen Ltd, the Bath enterprise founded by his uncle. The company later moved its principal Liverpool presence from London Road to Clayton Square as the city's retail centre shifted. In the interwar period it acquired T. J. Hughes and used the former Owen Owen premises for that chain's Liverpool operation. Expansion continued with a Coventry store opened in 1937 and the acquisition of Frederick Matthews in Preston. The Coventry store suffered serious wartime damage after bombing and was subsequently rebuilt. After the Second World War, the group broadened its geographic reach by acquiring G. W. Robinson Ltd in Canada in 1951, while also adding British stores and rebuilding locations including Coventry and Southampton. By the 1970s, Owen Owen had become a multi-brand department-store group. Its shopfitting activities were separated into Plumb (Contract Furnishers and Shopfitters) Ltd. In 1973 the company won control of the James Colmer department-store group after a takeover contest, and in 1976 it purchased eight stores associated with the Maple Macowards group while completing a store exchange with House of Fraser. In 1979 the business operated 19 stores under the Owen Owen name or local names carrying an Owen Owen affiliation, three T. J. Hughes stores in the United Kingdom, and seven G. W. Robinson stores in Canada. Family control weakened during the 1980s. G. W. Robinson was sold in 1982, while T. J. Hughes became separate from the parent business. In 1991 Owen Owen acquired several Lewis's stores from administration, briefly producing the Lewis's Owen Owen identity. Philip Green acquired the business in 1994. Under Green, the group introduced the Kid's HQ concept in selected stores in 1995, but the wider business was subsequently reduced through asset sales and closures. The historic Liverpool flagship was closed and the estate was cut to one remaining Lewis's store in Liverpool after locations were sold to retailers including Allders and Debenhams. In early 2005, Green sold his interest to David Thompson. Thompson attempted to rebuild the group through acquisitions, including Joplings and Robbs from Merchant Retail Group and Esslemont & MacIntosh from its founding family. By this stage, however, the Owen Owen name had largely disappeared from shopfronts and remained principally the name of the operating company. The company entered administration on 28 February 2007. The disruption associated with major Liverpool city-centre regeneration works, known as the Big Dig, was cited among the factors affecting the business. The Esslemont & MacIntosh store in Aberdeen closed in May 2007, while stores in Liverpool, Hexham, and Sunderland were sold as going concerns to Vergo Retail, enabling them to continue trading. The Owen Owen brand ceased to be used in 2007. Its employee trust fund continued as a registered charity supporting former employees of the group and their families.

Owen Owen originated in the Victorian drapery trade. Its founder, Owen Owen, was born in Wales in 1847 and received his early commercial training in the Bath shop operated by his maternal uncle, Samuel Evans. In 1868, aided by Evans, he opened a drapery emporium at 121 London Road in Liverpool. The store grew quickly and became one of the city's important northern retail businesses. By 1873 it had more than 120 employees and a substantial selling area. Owen's management also included employee-welfare measures unusual for the period, such as a weekly half-day holiday and a trust fund for retired workers. Owen remained active in the Liverpool business after moving to London in 1891. He invested in other commercial enterprises and became a director of Evans & Owen Ltd in Bath. After his death in 1910, control continued through family connections, particularly the Norman family into which one of his daughters married. Duncan Norman and later John Norman guided the company during much of the twentieth century. During the 1920s, the company responded to Liverpool's changing retail geography by moving its principal store from London Road to Clayton Square. A purpose-built department store was constructed there, and the former London Road premises were later used by T. J. Hughes after Owen Owen acquired that rival chain. The group expanded beyond Liverpool with a Coventry store in 1937 and the purchase of Frederick Matthews in Preston. Coventry was attacked during the period before and during the Second World War: an IRA bombing in February 1939 caused no deaths, while another bombing in August killed five people and injured about 70. The store was later damaged by an incendiary bomb during the Coventry Blitz in November 1940 and was rebuilt after the war. Postwar expansion included the 1951 purchase of Canadian retailer G. W. Robinson Ltd. Owen Owen continued to add British department stores and developed its own shopfitting expertise into Plumb (Contract Furnishers and Shopfitters) Ltd. The group made a significant acquisition in 1973 when it defeated competing bidders for James Colmer. In 1976 it bought eight stores from Maple Macowards and exchanged Wrights of Richmond with House of Fraser for the Doncaster store. By 1979, the portfolio comprised 19 Owen Owen-branded or Owen Owen-affiliated department stores, three T. J. Hughes stores in Britain, and seven G. W. Robinson stores in Canada. The family-controlled structure changed in the 1980s. G. W. Robinson was sold in 1982, and T. J. Hughes was separated from the group. In 1991 Owen Owen acquired several Lewis's stores from administration and briefly operated under the Lewis's Owen Owen name. Philip Green took over in 1994. His period of ownership included the launch of Kid's HQ in four Lewis's and Owen Owen locations in 1995, but the group was subsequently stripped of assets and reduced to a single Lewis's store in Liverpool. The historic Owen Owen Liverpool branch was among the closures, and other stores were sold to retailers such as Allders and Debenhams. David Thompson acquired Green's stake in early 2005 and pursued a new expansion programme. His purchases included Joplings and Robbs from Merchant Retail Group and Esslemont & MacIntosh from the Esslemont family. The stores generally traded under their established local names; the Owen Owen name was no longer used as a principal retail brand, although it remained the operating company's name. The company entered administration on 28 February 2007. The Liverpool Big Dig regeneration programme was cited as one factor in its decline. Esslemont & MacIntosh's Aberdeen store closed in May, while the Liverpool, Hexham, and Sunderland locations were sold to Vergo Retail as going concerns. The brand ceased to be used in 2007. The Owen Owen Trust Fund survived as a charity for former employees of the group and their dependants.

• 2007

  Administration and end of brand use

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  Owen Owen entered administration on 28 February. Selected stores were later sold as going concerns, and the Owen Owen brand ceased to be used during the year.

• 2005

  David Thompson acquired the business

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  David Thompson purchased Philip Green's stake and began rebuilding the group through acquisitions.

• 1995

  Kid's HQ launched

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  A children's retail concept called Kid's HQ was introduced in four Lewis's and Owen Owen stores.

• 1994

  Philip Green takeover

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  Philip Green took control of the business.

• 1991

  Lewis's stores acquired

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  Owen Owen purchased several Lewis's stores from administration and briefly adopted the Lewis's Owen Owen business identity.

• 1982

  G. W. Robinson sold

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  The Canadian subsidiary G. W. Robinson was sold to Joseph Segal and John Levy.

• 1976

  Maple Macowards stores acquired

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  The company purchased eight stores from Maple Macowards and completed a store exchange with House of Fraser.

• 1973

  James Colmer acquisition

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  Owen Owen won a takeover contest for the South West department-store group James Colmer.

• 1951

  Canadian expansion

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  The group acquired G. W. Robinson Ltd in Canada, creating a significant overseas retail operation.

• 1937

  Coventry store opened

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  Owen Owen opened a new department store in Coventry.

• 1920

  Move to Clayton Square

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  The company relocated its principal Liverpool department store to Clayton Square as the city's main retail focus moved away from London Road.

• 1873

  Early expansion in Liverpool

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  The London Road business had grown to more than 120 employees and a large retail floor area.

• 1868

  First Liverpool drapery store opened

  [1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  Owen Owen opened his own drapery emporium at 121 London Road in Liverpool, establishing the business that later became the Owen Owen department-store group.

Traditional regional department-store retailer serving broad household, fashion, and general-merchandise needs through large stores and acquired local retail brands.

• Department stores · 1868

  Owen Owen department stores

  The core Owen Owen format was a full-line department store selling clothing, drapery, household goods, furniture, and other general merchandise. The stores were principally regional British outlets, with the Liverpool business serving as the historic flagship. Some acquired stores retained their original names while carrying an Owen Owen affiliation.

• Department stores

  T. J. Hughes

  T. J. Hughes was an acquired retail chain operated within the Owen Owen group for part of the twentieth century. Its Liverpool store was moved into the former Owen Owen London Road premises, and the chain later became a separate entity.

• Canadian department stores · 1951

  G. W. Robinson

  G. W. Robinson was the group's Canadian department-store operation, acquired in 1951. It included stores in Ontario locations such as Hamilton, Burlington, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, and Waterloo before being sold in 1982.

• Department stores · 1991

  Lewis's Owen Owen

  Following the 1991 acquisition of several Lewis's stores from administration, the business briefly used the combined Lewis's Owen Owen identity. The format reflected the group's attempt to operate established department-store locations under a consolidated ownership structure.

• Children's retail · 1995

  Kid's HQ

  Kid's HQ was a children's merchandise concept launched in 1995 in four Lewis's and Owen Owen stores. The available reference material identifies the launch and locations at a high level but does not provide a detailed product assortment or later operating history.

• Shopfitting and contract furnishings

  Plumb (Contract Furnishers and Shopfitters) Ltd.

  Plumb was created from Owen Owen's internal shopfitting department. It provided contract furnishing and shopfitting capabilities and maintained offices in Coventry and Liverpool, extending the group's activities beyond retail stores.

• 2007

  Administration and disposal of surviving storesOther

  Background

  The company faced continued trading difficulties, with Liverpool city-centre regeneration works cited as one factor in its decline.

  Action taken

  Owen Owen entered administration on 28 February. The Esslemont & MacIntosh Aberdeen store closed, while Liverpool, Hexham, and Sunderland stores were sold as going concerns to Vergo Retail.

  Aftermath

  The Owen Owen brand was no longer used after 2007, although some individual stores continued under successor ownership or local identities.

  Source

• 2005

  Attempted rebuilding through regional acquisitionsStrategy

  Background

  After the business had been reduced substantially, David Thompson acquired Philip Green's stake and sought to restart expansion.

  Action taken

  The group acquired Joplings and Robbs from Merchant Retail Group and purchased Esslemont & MacIntosh from the Esslemont family.

  Aftermath

  The operating company entered administration in 2007, and selected stores were sold to Vergo Retail.

  Source

• 1995

  Launch of Kid's HQProduct launch

  Background

  The group sought to develop a more focused retail concept within selected department stores.

  Action taken

  Kid's HQ was launched in four Lewis's and Owen Owen stores as a dedicated children's retail proposition.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material does not document the concept's subsequent performance or expansion.

  Source

• 1991

  Acquisition of Lewis's storesM&A

  Background

  Several Lewis's department stores had entered administration.

  Action taken

  Owen Owen acquired several of the stores and operated briefly under the Lewis's Owen Owen name.

  Aftermath

  The Lewis's assets later formed part of the group's reduced estate under Philip Green's ownership.

  Source

• 1976

  Expansion through Maple Macowards acquisition and House of Fraser exchangeM&A

  Background

  The group was pursuing expansion through acquisitions and portfolio exchanges.

  Action taken

  Owen Owen bought eight stores from Maple Macowards, including J. H. Stringer and W. J. Wade, and exchanged Wrights of Richmond for House of Fraser's Doncaster store.

  Aftermath

  The transactions contributed to the group's broad department-store estate, which reached 19 Owen Owen-branded or affiliated stores by 1979.

  Source

• 1973

  Takeover of James ColmerM&A

  Background

  Owen Owen competed with English Calico and its subsidiary Hide & Co. for control of the South West department-store group James Colmer.

  Action taken

  Owen Owen won the takeover battle and acquired James Colmer.

  Aftermath

  The reference material reports a rise in company profits following the acquisition, although no independently sourced financial context is included here.

  Source

• 1920

  Relocation of the Liverpool flagshipStrategy

  Background

  Liverpool's retail centre was shifting away from the London Road area, reducing the strategic attractiveness of the original store location.

  Action taken

  The company financed and built a large purpose-designed department store at Clayton Square and moved its principal Liverpool operation there.

  Aftermath

  The former London Road premises were subsequently used for the Liverpool operation of acquired retailer T. J. Hughes.

  Source

• 2007

  Owen Owen enters administration[1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy · Other

  The department-store operator entered administration on 28 February 2007 after a period of contraction and renewed expansion efforts. Liverpool regeneration works were identified among the pressures affecting the company.

• 2007

  Selected Owen Owen stores sold to Vergo Retail[1]Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  Stores in Liverpool, Hexham, and Sunderland were sold as going concerns to Vergo Retail, allowing them to continue trading after the administration.

1. 1Owen Owenen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Owen Owen: Victorian Drapersearch.worldcat.org