BHS

History of BHS

First opening its doors in 1928, British Home Stores, (BHS) has been a household name on the high street for decades, selling a wide range of products, including clothes, toys and homeware. Many stores have full restaurants and cafes in store, as the brand was one of the first to attempt the modern trend of making a retail store a place to meet and relax, as well as shop.

In the 1970s and 80s, BHS took a leap forward, taking its stores to the newly-built indoor shopping malls that were growing in popularity at the time, including the Mall Bexleyheath and Lakeside Shopping Centre. Between 1977 and 1989, BHS diversified into hypermarkets, creating SavaCentre stores in partnership with Sainsbury's. 1980 onwards was a decade of mixed fortunes for the brand, with BHS closing its only store outside the UK, in Dublin, Ireland, and later opening its first of many overseas franchises in Gibraltar.

BHS fought declining profits with a visual revamp of all its stores plus a stock rethink, placing more goods with higher profit margins on the shelves. In 1995, BHS took on the guidance of retail design house 20:20, and launched a new look and softer logo, becoming 'Bhs' and aiming to attract a more sophisticated shopper.

Hard times followed for all the stores in the Storehouse Plc of which 'Bhs' was a part, until Philip Green bought the brand for £200 million in 2000. This was swiftly followed by the purchase of the Arcadia Group, which includes Topshop and Dorothy Perkins. Green has experimented to make BHS attractive to new customer bases through its integration with other popular brands. Green bought Etam UK and Tammy, and recognising the latter's appeal to young girls, closed standalone stores and integrated Tammy into BHS ones. As part of the Arcadia Group, BHS now also houses Wallis and Evans sections in some stores. In March 2014 it announced it would be producing its own range of food products.

BHS currently has 185 stores across Britain. Consumers can also shop via the online store, and BHS mobile phone shopping apps.

British Home Stores promotes and raises funds for the Royal British Legion, NSPCC, Missing People, Breast Cancer Care, and Wellbeing of Women.

Brands

BHS stores carry a number of well-known brands, including:

• Evans
• Etam
• Profile
• Tammy
• Hush Puppies
• Wallace
• Dorothy Perkins
• Kylie at Home
• Russell Hobbs
• Gordon Ramsey
• Maxwell Williams
• Royal Worcester
• Royal Doulton

Departments

British Home Stores sells womenswear, menswear, children's clothing, wedding clothes and accessories, children's toys, home furnishings, lighting and furniture.

Womenswear includes jeans, dresses, tshirts, skirts, coats, knitwear, swimwear, lingerie and shoes.

Menswear includes trousers, shirts, jeans, swimwear, nightwear, shoes, and special range of larger sizes for men, called Big and Tall.

The children's range includes clothing, nightwear, school clothes and shoes.

Many stores also include a restaurant serving hot and cold food, or a cafe and seating lounge.

Students can receive a 10% discount on purchases made in stores with a valid student card.

Opening Times

Store opening times vary across the country and during different times of the year. Customers are advised to use the BHS website store search.

Delivery Information

Standard delivery costs £3.95, is free for orders over £25.00, and takes up to four working days.*

Nominated day delivery costs £5.95 for Monday to Friday delivery, or £7.50 for Saturdays. Order before 8pm on weekdays for delivery on the next working day delivery, or before 2pm on Sunday for Monday delivery.*

Click and collect allows customers to collect their purchases from a BHS store for free, usually within four to eight working days. For £2.95, customers can get express delivery, where orders placed by 7pm (weekdays) are delivered to the store by the next working day, or before 2pm on Sunday for Monday delivery.*

For furniture, BHS charges £35.00 for delivery to Mainland UK, £45.00 for other areas and some postcodes, and £80.00 to the Republic of Ireland.

The delivery cost will be displayed on the order page before payment is requested. Progress of orders can be tracked online using the BHS website.

*Excludes BHS Direct and Furniture.

Returns Policy

Items can be returned in stores, or by post within 14 days (UK freepost available) with a Returns Authorisation Number, available through the website. Refunds are processed within 28 days of receipt to the same card used for payment. Standard consumer protection rights apply.

Security & Reviews

BHS encourage customers to register their Visa or MasterCard to make purchases online more secure.

BHS is also a member of the Trusted Shops scheme, a trustmark for online stores which offers a money-back guarantee to shoppers. To qualify, the BHS online store has passed a thorough security test with more than 100 criteria.