It’s been a turbulent few months for Darlington’s historic Binns building - but now it has officially been confirmed that House of Fraser will remain on High Row.
The store has been a staple in the town since the 1920s - so when the building was put up for sale earlier this year, it left many Darlington residents feeling uneasy.
There were fears it could signal the “death knell” of the town - and when, several months later, House of Fraser said it would close in November, it was described as “such a shock”.
It was just weeks later when a ray of light came in the form of a new owner - a local investment company - with confirmation coming just hours later that it had “agreed terms” with House of Fraser to remain in the building.
Today, this news was officially confirmed by both House of Fraser and John Taylor, director of Parker Barras, in “brilliant” news for the town.
However, the details regarding the deal remain unknown - including how long House of Fraser has signed on to stay for.
While praising the news, retail expert Graham Soult aired on the side of caution, noting how we must “retain a dose of realism” amid a tricky high street landscape - describing the House of Fraser format across the country as “all but defunct”.
Here, we look back at the history of the retailer in Darlington - and how the last few months have culminated in the fantastic news that House of Fraser is here to stay.
House of Fraser’s history in Darlington started when Binns took over Arthur Sanders’ drapery business in 1922, opening on High Row.
Following a fire, the chain moved to the corner of High Row, launching its Selfridges-influenced store in November 1925.
House of Fraser took over Binns in 1953 - although the store kept the Binns name, even fighting off an attempt to change it following a refurb in 2016.
Darlington Council secured the building’s future for 12 to 18 months in 2018 - but the following year, the building was put up for sale.
House of Fraser survived the pandemic and continued to operate in Darlington for years, until its future was once again left hanging in the balance earlier this year.
In July, the building was put on the market for £1m, leaving a question mark looming over the future of the town’s last remaining department store.
At the time, shoppers told of their fears that Darlington would become a “ghost town” if the store was to close - although there were no signs yet that this was the case.
However, just two months later, the chain announced that it would be closing the store for good in November, due to the landlord’s decision to terminate the lease.
At the time, closing down signs were set up and a 20% off sale launched, with House of Fraser thanking staff for their "hard work and dedication" over the years.
The Echo then revealed that House of Fraser had plans to stay in the building "for the foreseeable future" before the lease was terminated, leading to more confusion over the constantly developing situation.
In October, the building was snapped up by a local investment company - and hours later, it was revealed that House of Fraser had agreed terms to remain in the building.
The next few weeks saw various talks taking place behind the scenes, with John Taylor, director of Parker Barras and the agent of the owner, saying that details were being finalised on the deal with teams “working around the clock”.
It was several weeks later that the news of the deal was officially confirmed by Parker Barras, in a statement issued today (November 11).
A spokesperson said: "Parker Barras are pleased to announce we have agreed a deal with House of Fraser to remain in the Darlington store and the closing down posters are now been removed!"
Meanwhile, a Frasers Group spokesperson said: “We’re pleased to confirm that House of Fraser Darlington will remain open and is operating business as usual. We’re looking forward to continuing to welcome our valued customers to this location.”
However, this is not the end of the story for Darlington’s Binns building.
Questions still remain over the future of the building, with John Taylor adding that the owner is “working together with House of Fraser to form a long-term strategy for the building”.
An obvious question is how long the retailer has signed on to stay for - but this also has not yet been confirmed by the chain.
Another is what plans the new owner has for the building away from the retail sector.
Recommended reading:
- 'New chapter' for Darlington Binns building as deal agreed
- Closing down signs taken down at Darlington House of Fraser
- House of Fraser 'agrees terms' to remain in Darlington Binns
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Mr Taylor previously said there are “exciting things in the pipeline” for the future of the building - but noted that it is “ultimately an ideal retail destination”.
Before the building was bought, the sales brochure noted how the site could be suited to “an array of alternative uses” - not just in retail - with potential for refurbishment.
What the future holds may not be certain - but for now, it’s business as usual for House of Fraser in Darlington, and that’s a major step in the right direction.
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