The Tulip Tree in Chiddingstone, west Kent, dates back to 1453 and was once owned by the father of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. The Grade I listed building includes a tea room, general store and post office. However, anyone looking to take on the property is being told they must keep it as a shop.
The Tulip Tree is believed to be the oldest working shop in the UK and first opened during the reign of Henry VI 570 years ago, according to its website. Constantinople fell the year it opened and by the end of 1453, the French had defeated the English in the Hundred Years' War.
Where is Britain's oldest shop? The site with the strongest claim appears to be the Boxford Stores in the Suffolk village of that name. Records suggest that this partly medieval building has been open for business in one form or other since the reign of Henry V.
Harrods on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge is probably one of the most famous stores and many tourists make it a destination stop when visiting London. Founded in 1849, it is the largest department store in Europe.
As of 2021, the Japanese construction company Kongō Gumi, founded in 578 C.E is the oldest existing company worldwide, and has operated for around 1443 years.
What is the oldest supermarket chain in the world?
Then, on September 11, 1916, in Memphis, he opened the first supermarket in the world, Piggly Wiggly. In his new supermarket, the customer no longer had to give a list to a clerk but would pick their own items.
Selfridges department store has been a historical rival to Harrods. Even though Selfridges was significantly younger, its owner felt as if he could take Harrods head-on. Harry Selfridge made a bet in 1917 with the managing director of Harrods that Selfridges would turn more substantial profits by the year 1927.
Harrods is a British luxury department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is owned by Harrods Ltd, a company currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.
Today (12/01/2023) marks seventy-five years since the London Co-operative Society (LCS) opened what historians often consider to be Britain's first ever supermarket.
Founded in London in 1792, bookseller and stationers WHSmith is the world's oldest national retail chain. The 19th century was a "golden era" for High Street shops.
The shop in Horbury, West Yorkshire, is believed to be one of Britain's smallest. Other tiny spaces include The Phone Box in Teignmouth, Devon, which measures 7sqm, and The Little Shop in Hudswell, North Yorkshire, which measures 9sqm.
R J Balson & Son is a high-street butcher in the market town of Bridport, Dorset. According to the Institute for Family Business, it is the oldest continually trading family business in the United Kingdom. It has been in the Balson family since 1515 when Robert Balson rented a market stall on Bridport Shambles.
We've been located in Knightsbridge since 1849 when our founder Charles Henry Harrods moved his business here from East London. Today, Harrods is one of the world's few single-site department stores, occupying a prime five-acre site along the Brompton Road.
Harrods is currently owned by Harrods Ltd, which is in turn owned by the state of Qatar through its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.
Generally, Harrods in London is often considered the more expensive of the two when compared to Selfridges in Birmingham. However, the pricing of specific items may vary, and both stores offer a range of luxury products to cater to different budgets and tastes.
The company was founded in 1899 by William Morrison, who started the business as an egg and butter merchant in Rawson Market, Bradford, England, operating under the name of Wm Morrison Limited. His son Ken Morrison took over the company in 1952, aged 21.
In 1965, the Asquith brothers approached Associated Dairies to run the butchery departments within their small store chain. A merger was proposed and the Asquiths' business was joined with Noel Stockdale's to form a new company, Asda (Asquith + Dairies) (capitalised from 1985).
The British Safeway was founded in 1962 by the American Safeway Inc., before being sold to Argyll Foods in 1987. It was later listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was purchased by Morrisons in March 2004. Most of its 479 shops were rebranded as Morrisons, with others being sold.
British tea company Twinings has the oldest logo that has been in continuous use with no alterations made to the logo's design. It was created for the tea company more than two centuries ago, in 1787.
