Based in Bournemouth, where the company began trading in 1881, Beales Department Stores started when John Elmes Beale opened a Fancy Fair and Oriental House in Old Christchurch Road selling wares that reflected the growing enthusiasm for Chinese and Japanese design.
J E Beale was succeeded by his son Bennett Beale and then by his grandson Frank, who trained at Macy's in New York. By the late 1960s the business had extended its reach to a number of towns in the south of England.
For more news about Beales, see our related stories below company information.
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