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House of Fraser is a British department store group with around 60 stores across the country, at one time including Harrods of London. The flagship London store is now the House of Fraser on Oxford Street. Over the years House of Fraser has purchased a number of famous stores, such as Jenners of Edinburgh, the Beatties department stores, and Harrods (which is now owned privately by Mohamed Al-Fayed). It has a long term strategy of re-branding its stores under the 'House of Fraser' name. Former well known names such as Dickins and Jones (Regent Street, London), D H Evans (Oxford Street, London), Army & Navy (Victoria, London), Rackhams in Birmingham, and have all disappeared or been rebranded. Two smaller outlets in Richmond upon Thames and Epsom, Surrey continue to trade as Dickins & Jones. Serving Albany, Saratoga
Springs, Catskill region to the Canadian border, Massachusetts. It is the group's intention to re-brand these stores as House of Fraser.

History

The early years

The company was founded in 1849, when partners Hugh Fraser and James Arthur opened a small drapery shop on the corner of Argyle Street and Buchanan Street in Glasgow, Scotland. The business premises required extensive alteration to create a new access point from Buchanan Street.

Hugh Fraser was born in 1815, the son of a Dunbartonshire farmer. He was apprenticed to Stewart & McDonald Ltd, a well-known and respected Glasgow drapery warehouse, where he rose to the position of warehouse manager before deciding to go into business with Arthur.