House of Fraser closed for final time in Bournemouth

Shoppers flocked to House of Fraser in Old Christchurch Road for the very last time as the shop shut for good on Saturday, March 12.

Bagging a few final bargains before the doors closed forever, shoppers couldn’t hide their disappointment that another retail giant was leaving the town.

House of Fraser is the third shop to shut in Bournemouth’s high street so far this year, following Wilko and New Look.

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The store, which first opened its doors in 1873, was the last remaining department store left in the town after Beales closed in 2020 followed by Debenhams last year.

Andrew Brown, 57, described the closure as a sign that the town centre was “decaying” and said there were now “no shops left for men”.

Andrew Brown was disappointed that the department store was closing.

He added: “All the lovely shops - I’m a fan of department stores - Beales, Debenhams, House of Fraser have all gone and that’s sad.

“There’s virtually no shops selling mens clothes anymore, Beales was very good as was this store, which means I now have to go to Southampton.

“Generally [the town centre] has a sense of decaying which is what you’d see in dreary northern towns.”

Claire Cooper, 38, was shopping in the store on its last day. She called for another retail unit or an entertainment venue to take its place.

'It's a real shame'

She said: “I think it’s a real shame, we are really going to miss the House of Fraser and Beales - now we have no department store.

House of Fraser has closed.

“The town centre has been flipped - the other end used to be a bit grotty and now they’ve done it up, but this bit [of town] here now need to be done up and something needs to be done with these buildings.

“I’d like to see some more boutique shops in its place as well as some entertainment - it seems a shame not to have any boutique brands otherwise there’s not a lot of interesting shopping in Bournemouth.”

Marcus Gainlall who was shopping in the store on the final day said: “It’d be nice to see a John Lewis in its place with a bit of variety - something with clothes and a home section.”

Marcus Gainlall picked up some trainsers and a top in store on the final day,.

Trafford Bloor, 21, said it was “disappointing to see the shop go” due to the size and history of the unit.

Andrew Christopher, from Bournemouth, said: “It’s sad to see and it’s very bad for the town centre.

“We really need more shops and regeneration as soon as possible.”

Following the announcement of the stores closure, Cllr Phil Broadhead, deputy leader of BCP Council and its member for growth and regeneration, said: “We’re seeing the face of our high streets changing quicker than ever before.

“As I understand it, the new owners of the House of Fraser building have worked up new plans which have resulted in House of Fraser not continuing at the site.”

He cited the replacement of Debenham’s with the new Bobby & Co as evidence that “such changes are not always bad”.