News

BHS is Back

28 September 2016

By Joseph

British Home Stores, which closed the last of its 164 stores just last month, is to reappear as an online-only store selling around 75% of the products previously sold on the BHS website.

Like so many things nowadays, the new website is owned by the Qatari Al Mana Group, representing another British sell-off, albeit in the private sector this time.

With 11,000 employees losing their jobs in the closure, the 84 jobs that will be gained as part of BHS.com offer little consolation, although it has been said that most of those employees who previously worked in the online department of BHS will be part of the new venture.

By turning BHS into an online exclusive, the company is following in the footsteps of other sleeping giants of British business, most notably Littlewoods. By 2005, Littlewoods had went from being the largest private company in Europe to an unsuccessful, outdated retailer that failed to make a profit for 18 out of its last 20 years. However, upon closure, the Littlewoods name was resurrected online as part of Shop Direct group, who are now one of the UK’s largest online retailers trading under the Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com brands.

Even much mourned retailer Woolworths had an online division (also owned by Shop Direct group) until 2015, when it was incorporated in the Very brand.

So, is this truly the end of an era for BHS or just the start of a new chapter? Only time will tell.

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