Allders was an independent department store operating in the United Kingdom.

The original store was established in 1862 in Croydon by Joshua Allder. In the second half of the 20th century, this parent store was developed into a chain of department stores across England and Wales. By the turn of the millennium, the flagship store in Croydon was the third-largest department store in the United Kingdom. The chain was broken up and sold after it went into administration in 2005, although the Croydon store continued trading until 2012, having been purchased by Harold Tillman, the then-owner of the Jaeger clothing company. On 17 January 2013, the company closed the store along with the website, and the brand ceased to exist. In 2018 the brand relaunched with a department store in the former Co-op Department Store in the Paisley Centre in Paisley, Renfrewshire, but this closed in 2021.

Joshua Allder

Allders was opened in 1862 at 102 and 103 North End, Croydon, as a "linen draper and silk mercer" by Joshua Allder (1838–1904) from Walworth, who had served his apprenticeship in Croydon. His shop was diverse, with special offers on silk dresses and also a morning dress section, and departments offering lower-cost items such as buttons and ribbons. This diversity showed a shrewdness in business and an understanding of his mostly female customers.

Croydon was a growing town, and Allder's business grew with it. In 1870, the shop expanded into 104, 106 and 107 North End, The son of D. A. Lawrence, S. John Lawrence, was kept on by UDS as managing director. Allders continued to expand, reaching £1 million turnover in 1958 and £3 million by 1963. Fashion's importance declined, with household items taking a greater role.

In the 1960s there was considerable change in Croydon, particularly the construction of the Whitgift Centre to the north of Allders, into which the store expanded, and the creation of the St George's Walk development. Transport and lifestyle changes led to greater competition with the West End and further improvements were required to modernise the store. The section fronting George Street was rebuilt and expanded, retaining a Victorian facade, alongside a new addition. Rebuilding works continued into Dingwall Avenue and by 1976 Allders had 1,700 staff and 500,000 square feet (46,000 m<sup>2</sup>) of floor space. It was a Croydon landmark and became the third-largest department store in the UK, after Harrods and Selfridges. It had the largest carpet department in Europe, amongst other claims. Croydon was by this time a major retail centre.

Allders' immediate competitor, Kennards, was renamed Debenhams in 1973, along with many other Debenhams stores. To compete with the central buying and advertising of Debenhams and other large groups, the department stores owned by UDS were brought together in a new subsidiary company, Allders Department Stores Limited, in 1978. The stores were gradually renamed Allders.

Administration, 2004–2005

In September 2004, Minerva announced that Allders had made a loss of £22.6m for the year to 30 June 2004, blaming the speed of the transformation of the business. In December 2004, it announced the business was up for sale. There was some early interest that Primark was to purchase some of the stores but no interest was found in taking on the company as a whole and it was placed in administration on 26 January 2005. It was revealed that there was a pensions deficit of £15 million. 130 of the staff at the Croydon headquarters were laid off, including Green and other senior managers. An under-construction store at the Drake Circus Shopping Centre in Plymouth was never opened and was split into stores for Next and Primark when the centre opened in October 2005.

Kroll, the administrators, searched for buyers for the chain or individual stores. Of Allders' 50 stores, only 35 received offers, with rival retailers such as House of Fraser, BHS, Debenhams and Primark said to have expressed an interest. The ten remaining stores, including the Oxford Street branch, began closing-down sales on 5 February and had started to close from March 2005: all had closed by May 2005 with the Leeds store being the last to close down on 22 May 2005, with the exception of Croydon.

Croydon store, 2005–2013

In May 2005 it was announced that the owners of Jaeger would take on the flagship Croydon store and that it would continue to trade as Allders. In the first year of operation the new managing director, Andrew MacKenzie, turned the fortunes of the company around and projected a £1 million gross profit. Significant investment was made to attract back to the store its Croydon audience. It was the only Allders store to survive the 2005 administration.

In April 2006 it was announced that Allders had secured an extension to their lease through to 2008. The land and store that Allders leased had regular break clauses to the benefit of the "virtual freehold leaseholder" held by Minerva plc subsidiary companies for 250 years. The freehold interest was held by the Whitgift Foundation. Development plans by Minerva for a 1.08 million sq.ft shopping centre were complicated by uncertainty over its tenancy, and competition from the new 1.615 million sq.ft Westfield development at White City, and the 1.3 million sq.ft shopping development at Bluewater to the east of London.

In December 2011, Allders director Max Menon was named as new chairman of Croydon Business Improvement District.

Allders of Croydon was placed into administration on 15 June 2012. It was blamed on the "tough market conditions of the retail sector" at the time. The administrators Duff & Phelps failed in their search for a new investor and Allders finally closed down after the last day of trading on 22 September 2012. It was reported in Scotland on Sunday that Metis, a Glasgow-based intellectual property firm were looking to sell brands that were owned by Allders. Along with the Allders name, the administrators were seeking to sell furniture brands Maples and Waring & Gillow. Allders ceased trading on 17 January 2013. Later that year the Croydon building reopened as "Croydon Village Outlet".

In July 2019, Croydon Council took possession of the site as part of the proposed redevelopment of the Centrale and Whitgift Centre shopping malls. Businesses and franchises within the Village Outlet had to move or close altogether.

In 2018 Allders purchased the rights to the Co-op Department Store in Paisley, Renfrewshire, at the Paisley Centre and set up a department store on three floors. In May 2021 it was announced by Allders that the Paisley Store was to close down and a closing down sale began, closing in July 2021

Former locations

Department stores

  • Basildon (opened 1985; now Debenhams) Closed 2021.
  • Basingstoke 162 High Street (formerly Medhursts / F Medhurst; now Primark)
  • Camberley (formerly Mackross; site redeveloped as Queens Arcade)
  • Chatham (former Owen Owen; now Primark (flagship store, traded until September 2012; building since occupied by Croydon Village Outlet, closed 2019 (formerly Hinds; building since occupied by Sports Direct, Carpetright, Peacocks and Bathstore)
  • Horsham (former Owen Owen; became T J Hughes, since redeveloped for T K Maxx and Empire Cinema)
  • Lakeside (former Lewis's; building repurposed as office and retail space for tenants including Sainsbury's, Argos, T K Maxx and Clas Ohlson)
  • Leicester (former C&A; now Primark (former C&A flagship store; originally the 489–497 Oxford Street branch of Gamages; now Primark)
  • Newcastle upon Tyne, John Farnon
  • Nottingham (opened 1996). Originally G R Cooper, bought by Selfridges in 1966. Original store demolished 1973 as part of Westgate development and replaced with new store. Rebranded Lewis's in 1989. Later Primark 2006-2016 when they relocated to a larger unit in the extended part of the centre; original store partially demolished in 2016, now smaller units
  • Paisley former Co-op Department Store
  • Portsmouth
  • Sutton,
  • Bolton