Swan & Edgar
Encyclopedia
Swan & Edgar Ltd was a department store, located at Piccadilly Circus
, London. It was established in the early 19th century. The premises were rebuilt and integrated in 1910-20 to a design by Sir Reginald Blomfield
and became a popular place of assignation for Londoners for many generations. The shop-front was one of the West End businesses targeted by the Suffragettes in their window-breaking spree on November 21, 1911. The store was hit by the last Zeppelin raid on London in 1917.
The business was taken over by the Drapery Trust in 1927 and later by the Debenham Group
, which closed it in 1982 because it would cost too much to modernize it. The building lay empty for a few years until it became the flagship UK store for Tower Records
. It was bought by Richard Branson of the Virgin Group
in 2003 and became a Virgin Megastore
. The Virgin name disappeared in 2007 and was replaced by Zavvi
; Zavvi went into receivership in 2009. The Sting, a fashion department store popular in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, plans to open on the site in spring 2010.
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly...
, London. It was established in the early 19th century. The premises were rebuilt and integrated in 1910-20 to a design by Sir Reginald Blomfield
Reginald Blomfield
Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.- Early life and career :...
and became a popular place of assignation for Londoners for many generations. The shop-front was one of the West End businesses targeted by the Suffragettes in their window-breaking spree on November 21, 1911. The store was hit by the last Zeppelin raid on London in 1917.
The business was taken over by the Drapery Trust in 1927 and later by the Debenham Group
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, which closed it in 1982 because it would cost too much to modernize it. The building lay empty for a few years until it became the flagship UK store for Tower Records
Tower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
. It was bought by Richard Branson of the Virgin Group
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
in 2003 and became a Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastores is an international chain of record shops, founded by Sir Richard Branson on London's Oxford Street in early 1971. Virgin Megastores are best described today as entertainment retailers....
. The Virgin name disappeared in 2007 and was replaced by Zavvi
Zavvi
Zavvi was an entertainment retail chain in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, originally Virgin Megastores. Zavvi was formed in September 2007 when a management buy-out team purchased the company from Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group....
; Zavvi went into receivership in 2009. The Sting, a fashion department store popular in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, plans to open on the site in spring 2010.