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brother grew the business quickly into a department store, becoming an exclusive shop with customers being led to the departments they wanted to shop at by Shop
Walkers. However the brothers’ business acumen was poor, so they employed an experienced buyer in Thomas Oakshott to manage their growing business from 1861. Thomas eventually took over as the business partner from Henry Boswell, and solely ran the business from 1874 after George's retirement.
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The store however declined, firstly with the
Chester store closing in 1967 due to structural problems, and the change in shipping practices that saw the loss of jobs in port. However, during the 1980s the business picked up with the new investment in the city and was known as a landmark of Liverpool.
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In 1853 George Henry Lee and his brother, Henry
Boswell Lee Junior opened a Bonnet warehouse on Basnett Street. The brothers had learned their trade under their father, Henry Boswell Lee who was the owner of a famous Liverpool Silk business operating out of multiple sites in the city. George and his
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After the war, the business grew, first opening a new store in
Chester in 1951 which specialised in the selling of furnishing fabrics and piece goods. The business further grew in 1961, when John Lewis purchased the department store next door, Bon Marche, from its owners the Liverpool Co-operative
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In 1897 the business became incorporated and at the time of Thomas
Oakshott's death in 1910, the Oakshott family were the sole owners of the business. The business continued to run under the ownership of the Oakshott family for another 9 years before they sold the store to American businessman
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During the war years the store was affected less than other businesses in port towns due to
Liverpool's location. The only major issue was the closure of the business' Cotton Exchange which had to be closed due to lack of materials, much to the disappointment of its customers.
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This all changed in 2002, when the partners decided, as part of the store refurbishment, the business would be re-branded under the John Lewis name. So on 27 May 2002 George Henry Lee was no more, as the store was re-opened as John Lewis
Liverpool.
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development. The building has been redeveloped with the ground floor hosting retailers
Poundland, a Rapid Discount Outlet and TK Maxx, while there are plans to convert the upper levels into a 150-room hotel.
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Society and merged it into George Henry Lee. Bon Marche had previously been formed in the late 19th century by David Lewis, of
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The story did not stop there, as in 2008 John Lewis moved from the former GH Lee and Bon Marché (formerly part of
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group, in which it stayed until its collapse in 1940 and subsequent purchase by John Lewis.
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297:"Liverpool George Henry Lee hotel scheme decision due - Liverpool Echo p.8 Jan 2014"
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113:) stores into a new building located in South John Street in the
244:"The assimilation of Bon Marche Liverpool into GH Lee"
335:Department store buildings in the United Kingdom
325:Defunct department stores of the United Kingdom
330:Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom
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166:"GH Lee and Selfridge Provincial Stores"
191:"Acquisition 1940-45 and the War Years"
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219:"A branch of GH Lee opened in Chester"
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83:Selfridge Provincial Stores
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272:"Towards the present day"
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340:John Lewis Partnership
141:"Founders Early Years"
79:Harry Gordon Selfridge
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350:Selfridges
319:Categories
122:References
62:John Lewis
25:53°24′21″N
54:Liverpool
28:2°58′57″W
111:Lewis's
100:Lewis's
64:group.
58:England
305:2015
283:2015
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