- Comments: 6 in total
- Author:
S.Ferrol, MyVillage
Hexham breathed a sigh of relief when Robbs received a reprieve from certain closure. The announcement was made following tense last minute negotiations, which saw Robbs of Hexham saved by the owner of the company whose massive debts nearly spelt the end for the historical department store.
David Thompson, who purchased Robbs’ parent company Owen Owen in 2005, bought back the store under his new company name Vergo Retail Limited. Debts of over £6 million that had forced the former company into liquidation earlier this year would be written off. This would probably be of no concern to the 140 employees of the store who had endured almost a month of uncertainty, or the townsfolk, to whom the loss of Hexham’s first and most famous department store would be like a personal bereavement.
William Robb opened the first, tiny store in 1818 after falling in love with the town during his many excursions from Leith in Scotland to sell his Linens in the market. His descendants kept the business in the family and evolved it through increasingly larger premises, until it moved to the south end of Fore Street in 1928, opposite its present site.
The store continued its expansion under the careful management of the fondly remembered Derek Robb, a victim of Polio whose circuits of the store in his electric wheelchair were a regular sight. In the seventies the department store even acquired its own Hairdressing Salon and traders such as WH Smith, Topshop and Topman, Burton and Bay Trading flocked to set up concessions.
Following financial difficulties in 1986 Robbs was merged with Joplings of Sunderland and a year later both stores were sold to the Merchant Retail Group, effectively ending the Robbs dynasty in all but name. During the nineties Robbs flourished and soon expanded into a sister store, Tynedale Park. Both stores brought customers into the town from far and wide until 2004 when in a shock move Merchant Retail put both stores up for sale. Tesco snapped up Tynedale Park and the Liverpool-based Owen Owen took over Robbs along with its staff.
As an ex-staff member at Robbs, as well as a lifelong resident of Hexham I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am that we are no longer going to lose this vital and intrinsic institution. Whether you just used the store as a shortcut between streets on a rainy or cold day, idly passed time inside its many departments or used its warm, spacious interior as a meeting place for yourself and your friends, it is unlikely that anyone who has spent a good chunk of their lives in Hexham hasn’t made use of, and enjoyed, Robbs of Hexham - and will continue to for many years to come.
Jane Veitch
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Christina said on 13th June ...
"I'm very sorry indeed that Robb's shop is to close . I am a frequent holiday visitor to Hexham and I feel that this shop was much better than the stores I found in Newcastle . None of the Newcastle large shops compared favourably to stores in Edinburgh. Robb's was a far better shop . "
a Past employee said on 14th May ...
"I worked for the Joplings Group some years ago in a management capacity and can only say that I saw this day coming over 10 years ago during the Merchant Retail Group tenutre of ownership. The senior policy then was to extract maximum profits with minimum investment in store appearance and shop fittings etc . Make the books look good as thats what potential purchases of the business examine above all else and SELL ... and they did ... and it was absolutley inevitable that Owen Owen were the final nail in the coffin of the business. I have no sympathy for anyone in this situation, the staff for their misguided and as it turns out misplaced and abused loyalty or the management for their make hay while the sun shines attitude. So good bye to the business Joplings and Robbs your demise was written in tablets of stone over 10 years ago !."
blog said on 14th May ...
"For such a lovely town and a town of this size, hexham is very much let down by the shops and pubs/restaurants in general - i agree its very sad that Robbs is closing - but it was very overpriced - even the sale prices on electrical goods are more expensive than many internet lines, which i know is a sign of the times and one of the problems facing retailers, however, there is also a very dated feel around Robbs. The place needed a major overhaul in terms of stock and decor as there is very limited choice. For instance, anyone needing either quality gifts or an outfit/gift for a wedding if you are under the age of about 60 (no disrespect), means a trip to the nightmare metrocentre! I would much rather shop for such items in Hexham but have no choice. A shop similar to Robbs but stocking better quality and more reasonably priced home apparel and modern clothes would be fantastic. After Next moved out of Hexham it has left a gap in the market for 20-30 somethings who need to spend their money!"
FST said on 03rd May ...
"A sad end, but I also think this store was generally overpriced and could be because of those who were unable to get to stores in less accesible parts of the town for those who couldn't drive, had difficulty walking etc. I have lived in Hexham for 34 years and as soon as I was old enough to go into Newcastle with friends / on my own did so rather than shop in Robbs (and other overpriced shops in Hexham). I wonder wether potential investors are put off by the building being owned by somebody else. What exactly would they get for their money? The building needs a lot of work, they would likely have their own lines so stock may not be that interesting to them. So that leaves the name Robbs. Yes this has a lot of history with the town, but would it really be worth it? Why not let the business go under, try to get ownership of the building and develop it how you like, and then either use your own name, which likely has a lot of history to it anyway, or buy the Robbs name cheaper. A lot of the demise of shops in Hexham is attributed to Tesco. It is more likely just that it is so much easier now for people to buy elsewhere cheaper than what has always (at least the last 34 years) been higher prices in Hexham. We now have Amazon, Ebay, and all the other online retailers, many who deliver free. A lot of the private retailers who have made a fortune out of Hexham Residents in the past are now finding that they can just shop elsewhere -TOUGH - you had your good times to buy your big houses and other property, its now time for us to get a GOOD DEAL!"
Margery Gazzani said on 02nd May ...
"The closure of this store is bad news for Hexham for many reasons A lot of older people use the store for their weekly shopping where they meet their friends and have a coffee. The store is possibly the only place to sell wallpaper and many other useful home essentials. The Post office is housed within the store and a WH Smith A lot of the staff worked in Tynedale Park before this store closed down. They are now having to go through the same process again. It is such a shame that the buisness has not been sold because it is in an ideal situation although I understand a lot of renovation would be needed and lack of car parking would be a problem."
MT said on 02nd May ...
"Unfortunately it appears that a proposed buyer has pulled out and the store will now close in ten days (12th May 2007). This store is in a prime position, but suffers from lack of parking which is a must have in modern times, and the building itself, although ahead of its time when built, is now severeley out of date and in need of a complete internal remodelling to bring it up to modern standards - possible putting of potential interested parties, especially when the building itself is now owned by a property investment group. The demise of this store cannot be blamed on Tesco, as I feel it has been overpricing its stock for years compared to stores in nearby newcastle and was fleecing people who were unable to shop further afield."