The department store has been the totemic institution of the aspirant British middle class since the 19th century. A century of recreational shopping put one on every high street, from Bodgers of Ilford to Pendleburys of Wigan, Curl Brothers of Norwich to John Polglase of Penzance. These independent stores gradually coalesced into chains during the 20th century, as larger businesses such as Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis bought smaller stores and defined the British high street.
Between them, these three chains continue to employ more than 75,000 people. But they are now teetering. Trapped between the spiralling cost of property and aggressive competition from online retailers, they have become emblems of the high street’s rapid decline.
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