Allders

In 1926 the North End faade was created which united the frontage of the building and in 1932 the Arcade from North End to George Street was completed and became popular with many different concessions , Allders was the pioneering retailer of its day. The building was seriously damaged in World War II but remained open during the entire duration of... the war , no-one was going to close Allders! We were the first store in Croydon to have escalators which arrived in 1954 and these classic escalators are still in service today. In 1958 United Drapery Stores Group (UDS) bought the store and placed more emphasis on the sale of household items. The 1960's saw several changes to Croydon town centre. The Whitgift Centre was built to the north and Allders expanded along George Street. By 1976 the store employed approximately 1,700 people and was a landmark of Croydon. In 1983 Hanson plc bought the UDS Group. 1989 saw a management buyout and in 1993 Allders plc was floated on the stock market. In 2002 a new group called Scarlet Retail bid for Allders. In September 2004 it was announced that Allders had made a loss and by December 2004 Allders was up for sale, by January 2005 it was in administration. Of the 45 stores which made up the group only 35 received offers with rival retailers. The ten remaining stores began closing down. The people of Croydon started to lobby ,"Allders is Croydon'. In May 2005 it was announced that Harold Tillman would take on the flagship Croydon store and it would continue to trade as Allders. Allders Croydon has gone full circle, under new ownership the rebuilding of a great retail business has begun and continues to this day. Allders continues to trade based upon Joshua's Allders' core values, quality branded merchandise at value for money prices, supported by some of the best service standards in the High Street. We extend our thanks to everyone, customers and staff, who have supported us over the years and continue to support the NEW ALLDERS. ALLDERS IS CROYDON , NOW MORE THAN EVER!Read More