Farewell to the ‘Grand Old Lady’: Edinburgh’s historic 183-year-old department store Jenners will shut costing 200 jobs as bosses slam landlord for failing to reach a ‘fair agreement’ during lockdown
- Announcement was made was Frasers Group failed to reach lease agreement
- House of Fraser department store is expected to cease trading on May 3
- Shop has been a landmark on Princes Street in Edinburgh for the last 183 years
Edinburgh’s historic 183-year-old department store Jenners is set to close in a move which will cost 200 jobs as bosses slammed the landlord for failing to reach a ‘fair agreement’ during lockdown.
The announcement was made after Frasers Group plc failed to reach an agreement with building owner Anders Povlsen to continue the lease on the building.
The House of Fraser department store is expected to cease trading on May 3.
The shop has been a landmark on Princes Street for the last 183 years, previously trading as an independent shop until it was acquired by House of Fraser in 2005.
Edinburgh’s historic 183-year-old department store Jenners is set to close in a move which will cost 200 jobs as bosses slammed the landlord for failing to reach a ‘fair agreement’ during lockdown
The announcement was made after Frasers Group plc failed to reach an agreement with building owner Anders Povlsen to continue the lease on the building
A spokesman for Frasers said: ‘Despite the global pandemic, numerous lockdowns and the turbulence caused for British retail, the landlord hasn’t been able to work mutually on a fair agreement, therefore, resulting in the loss of 200 jobs and a vacant site for the foreseeable future with no immediate plans.
‘Our commitment to our Frasers strategy remains but landlords and retailers need to work together in a fair manner, especially when all stores are closed.
‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Jenners staff for their hard work and dedication.’
The store was originally founded under the name Kennington & Jenner in 1838 by Charles Jenner and Charles Kennington.
The House of Fraser department store is expected to cease trading on May 3
Although the shop has never left its site on Princes Street it’s original building was destroyed in a fire in 1892.
Scottish architect William Hamilton was asked to design its replacement the next year and it was opened in 1895.
Charles Jenner insisted that a row of female statue pillars be included on the front of the building to show that women are the ‘support of the house’.
The shop has been a landmark on Princes Street for the last 183 years, previously trading as an independent shop until it was acquired by House of Fraser in 2005
Jenners was known as the ‘Harrods of the North’ and has held a Royal Warrant since 1911. And the Queen visited it on its 150th anniversary in 1988.
The historic store made national headlines in 2007 after it announced it would stop selling pate de foie gras after the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton said they were boycotting the product.
In 2005 the store was sold by the Douglas-Miller family to House of Fraser for £46.1million.