BHS was once a cornerstone of the British retail scene. Shoppers flocked to more than 150 British Home Stores located all across the UK.
The popular department store chain specialised in clothing and household items and was loved by many for its high quality goods. It later expanded into furniture, electronics, entertainment, convenience groceries and fragrance and beauty products.
British Home Stores was founded in 1928 by a group of US entrepreneurs who wanted to follow the successful model set by Woolworths. They opened their first store in Brixton in 1929 before slowly expanding, and the brand really began to take off in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
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In the late-1980s it changed its official name from British Home Stores to BHS in an effort to modernise. However, it began to lose ground to other high street rivals by the mid-2000s.
Some BHS stores began to close between 2010 and 2016. And in 2016, the much-loved firm fell into administration, with all remaining branches closing that year.
There were four well-loved BHS sites in Somerset - located in Yeovil, Taunton, Weston-super-Mare and Bath. They are all now long gone - but what have they all become?
Yeovil
Yeovil's BHS was located in a prominent spot in the Quedam Shopping Centre. It was situated there for many years before it closed in July 2016.
The town centre spot in Ivel Square is now home to a Dunelm store. The home furnishing brand moved into the old BHS site on June 13 2019.
Taunton
The BHS store in Taunton was located on North Street in the town centre. It was a firm favourite with local shoppers until it closed its doors in July 2016.
BHS was replaced in 2017 by bargain store Poundworld. However, less than a year later, Poundworld also closed after the brand went into administration.
Shortly afterwards in November 2018, another low-cost retailer, Bargain Buys, opened up shop at the North Street store. Bargain Buys remains at the site today.
Weston-super-Mare
The BHS store in Weston-super-Mare was situated on High Street . It was shut in August 2016.
The large town centre site was snapped up in October 2018 by discount brand B&M. The B&M store remains open at the location today.
Bath
Bath's BHS store bit the dust a few years prior to the demise of the other Somerset sites. The shop on Stall Street closed in January 2014.
It was quickly replaced by a Primark store in the summer of 2014. The clothing retailer remains at the site today.
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