By Harry Mottram: After nearly 200 years of trading in the city of Bath Jolly’s in Milsom Street is to close down and shut its doors for good in February. The department store can be traced back to the early 19th century becoming a permanent presence in Bath in 1830 and although was for decades an independent shop it was bought by Dingles in 1970 and then sold on again to the House of Fraser who went into administration in 2018 – although Jolly’s survived until now.
Department stores in the UK have seen a drop in footfall as internet shopping became popular, compounded by the lockdowns during the Covid 19 crisis as well as rival stores eating into their profits. Debenhams closed down across the country in 2021 while many will recall British Home Stores, C&A and Peter Robinson in Oxford Street in London.
The closure of Jolly’s is a blow to the retail sector of Bath which has seen recessions and closures over the years – but somehow always bounces back. Bath and North East Somerset Council said in a statement: “House of Fraser went into administration in August 2018 and since then the council has been working hard to ensure a secure future for this flagship store at the heart of the Milsom Quarter. A significant element of the plan is to make Jolly’s once again the anchor store for Milsom Street, and a programme of works, which are already underway, will see significant investment in the building over the coming months.
“The council was unaware of the intention of the current occupier to put up the notices which have appeared in the windows of the store.
“While plans are at an advanced stage with a third party occupier, the council is not in a position to make a formal statement at this time in relation to its proposals for the future of one of Bath’s most important department stores. However, the intention is that a joint statement with this third party will be made at the appropriate time.”
Signs have gone up in the windows announcing a closing down sale with 20% discounts available which will no doubt encourage something of a short-lived boom for the store. It is clearly bad news for the staff who will have been told the news just before Christmas – and for the many suppliers it is also a worrying time.
Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – distributed from the first of the month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor
Email him at news@bathvoice.co.uk Bath website: https://bathvoice.co.uk/news/
Bath Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdtf2kep Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bath_voice Read the newspaper online at :https://issuu.com/bathvoice
To advertise to thousands of Bathonians call Shaun on 07540 383870 or email him on sales@bathvoice.co.uk
Harry Mottram is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Telegram, TikTok and Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk Mobile: 07789 864769