James Colmer

James Colmer was a historic English department-store business based in Bath, Somerset, whose principal premises stood on Union Street. The business developed from the drapery and furnishing trade established by James Butler Colmer after he moved to the West Country and took over a struggling Bath retailer. Founded in 1870, it expanded beyond fabrics and household furnishings into a broader department-store assortment that included fancy goods, turnery and toys. The Bath store became one of the city’s leading retailers, competing with established businesses such as Jolly & Son and Evans & Owen. Its Union Street premises were progressively enlarged and modernised. A new shop front added in 1914 united the premises, while a more extensive refurbishment and expansion took place during the 1930s. The store suffered only shrapnel damage during the Second World War. Following the war, James Colmer pursued regional expansion by acquiring or taking over existing department stores in several West Country locations. These included the former W Morgan store in Bristol, B T Butter in Weston-super-Mare, Clements & Brown in Taunton and Morgans in West Penwith. The Bath operation was also expanded with two additional selling floors, and the company added a supermarket in Union Street, extending its activities beyond the traditional department-store format. The business used property and financial restructuring to support its operations. In 1954 it leased land at Bath Recreation Ground for a tennis-club pavilion, and later that year sold the freehold of the Bath store for £310,000 under a leaseback arrangement. The transaction was intended to release capital to shareholders and help the company resist a takeover threat. The business reported profits of £31,982 in 1955. James Butler Colmer died in 1897 and was succeeded in the business by his son James Henry Colmer, who became managing director. James Henry later served as Mayor of Bath in 1920, linking the company’s leadership with the civic life of the city. In 1973, after a contest involving the department-store groups Owen Owen and Hide & Co, James Colmer was acquired by the Liverpool-based Owen Owen group through its parent company, English Calico. The James Colmer name was subsequently replaced by that of the parent company, ending the brand’s independent retail identity. The former Union Street building was listed at Grade II in 1975.

James Butler Colmer was born in Devon around 1831 and learned the drapery trade in London. After marrying Frances Charlotte Jarvis in 1853, and later Lydia Gumbleton in 1863 following Frances’s death, he moved with his family to the West Country. In Bath he took over a struggling drapery and furnishing business on Union Street. The enterprise was formally established as James Colmer in 1870. The business initially concentrated on drapery and furnishings, but expanded into additional premises and product categories. Its assortment came to include fancy goods, turnery and toys, allowing the retailer to operate as a broader department store rather than a specialist textile shop. James Colmer became one of the most important retailers in Bath, alongside Jolly & Son and Evans & Owen. James Butler Colmer died in 1897. His son, James Henry Colmer, succeeded him and became managing director. Under the family’s continued leadership, the Bath premises developed through several phases of construction and renewal. In 1914 a new shop front brought the Union Street premises together as a unified frontage. James Henry Colmer also became Mayor of Bath in 1920. The store was comprehensively refurbished and enlarged during the 1930s. The Second World War caused limited physical damage: the store received shrapnel damage but remained in operation. The post-war period brought a more ambitious expansion strategy. James Colmer purchased or took over existing department stores in Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton and West Penwith. The acquired businesses included W Morgan, B T Butter, Clements & Brown and Morgans respectively. At the same time, the Bath store was enlarged with two new selling floors, reinforcing its position as the company’s flagship. The company also entered supermarket retailing with a Union Street supermarket in Bath. In 1954 it leased land at Bath Recreation Ground to construct a pavilion for use as a tennis club. Later that year, it sold the freehold of the Bath store for £310,000 and leased the property back. This arrangement returned capital to shareholders and was undertaken in the context of an effort to defend the company against a takeover threat. The company reported profits of £31,982 in 1955. James Colmer ultimately lost its independent identity during a 1973 acquisition by the Liverpool-based Owen Owen department-store group. The transaction followed a contest with rival department-store group Hide & Co and was executed through Owen Owen’s parent company, English Calico. After the acquisition, the James Colmer name was replaced by the parent group’s name. The former Bath store building was listed at Grade II in 1975, preserving the architectural significance of the premises after the retail brand had disappeared.

• 1975

  Union Street building receives Grade II listing

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  The former flagship building in Bath was designated a Grade II listed building.

• 1973

  Acquisition by Owen Owen

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  Owen Owen acquired the business through English Calico after a contest with Hide & Co, and the James Colmer name was discontinued.

• 1955

  Profit reported

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  James Colmer reported profits of £31,982.

• 1954

  Freehold sale and leaseback

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  The company sold the freehold of its Bath store for £310,000 and leased it back as part of a capital-return and takeover-defence strategy.

• 1930

  Bath store refurbished and extended

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  The flagship premises underwent substantial refurbishment and extension during the 1930s.

• 1920

  James Henry Colmer becomes Mayor of Bath

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  The company’s managing director became Mayor of Bath.

• 1914

  Union Street premises united

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  A new shop front connected the Union Street premises, creating a more unified flagship store.

• 1897

  James Henry Colmer succeeds his father

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  Following the death of founder James Butler Colmer, his son James Henry Colmer took over the business and became managing director.

• 1870

  James Colmer established in Bath

  [1]James Colmeren.wikipedia.org

  James Butler Colmer established the James Colmer business after taking over a struggling drapery and furnishing operation on Union Street.

A regional, full-range department-store retailer serving Bath and the wider West Country, combining traditional drapery and furnishing departments with general merchandise, toys, fancy goods and, later, supermarket retailing.

• Textiles and clothing · 1870

  Drapery

  Drapery was the original core of the James Colmer business. The company grew from this specialist trade into a broader department-store operation, retaining textiles and related merchandise as part of its traditional retail identity.

• Home furnishings · 1870

  Furnishings

  Household furnishings formed part of the original Union Street business and remained a central department as James Colmer expanded its premises and assortment.

• General merchandise

  Fancy goods, turnery and toys

  The retailer added departments for fancy goods, turnery and toys, broadening its appeal beyond drapery and furnishings and helping establish the Bath operation as a general department store.

• Supermarket retail

  Union Street supermarket

  James Colmer opened a supermarket on Union Street in Bath, demonstrating an expansion into food and grocery retail alongside its established department-store activities.

• 1973

  Acquisition by Owen OwenM&A

  Background

  James Colmer was involved in a takeover contest with Owen Owen and Hide & Co.

  Action taken

  Owen Owen acquired the business through its parent company, English Calico.

  Aftermath

  The James Colmer name was replaced by the parent company’s name, ending the brand’s independent operation.

  Source

• 1954

  Bath store freehold sale and leasebackStrategy

  Background

  The company faced a takeover threat and sought to release capital while continuing to operate from its flagship Bath premises.

  Action taken

  James Colmer sold the Bath store freehold for £310,000 and leased the property back, returning capital to shareholders.

  Aftermath

  The transaction formed part of the company’s effort to defend its independence, although the business was ultimately acquired by Owen Owen in 1973.

  Freehold sale value. £310,000 sale proceeds (1954)

  Source

1. 1James Colmeren.wikipedia.org