Allders Online: the Department Store Goes Nationwide

LONDON, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Allders, the iconic British department store, is bringing its extensive range of homeware and lifestyle essentials back to every household in the UK with the launch of a brand new website - http://www.Allders.com.

Allders.com currently features thousands of products from bed linen and towels to toasters, kettles and gifts with hundreds more lines to be added every week.

Andrew MacKenzie, CEO of Allders, said, "The future of large department stores and high street chains is increasingly dependent on a strong e-commerce offering.  

"When we bought Allders in 2005, all but one of its 45 national stores had been forced to close down.  After six years of restoring profitability, we want to bring the brand back to every household in the UK, not by recreating the original stores but by developing an easy and affordable online shopping experience that everyone can enjoy a virtual department store."

The site aims to house the same breadth and range of items as its flagship Croydon store - the fourth largest department store in the UK - with every conceivable lifestyle purchase, including men and women's fashion and beauty, bridal gowns and nursery.

Customers visiting Allders.com can easily navigate through thousands of products in the Bathroom, Bedroom, Electrical, Home, Gifts, Cosmetics & Beauty, Kitchen & Dining and SALE stores.  Prices start from 75p for a saucer, to £350 for a Delonghi Bean to Cup coffee maker.  The Allders warehouse in Croydon will house and pack all the stock that is available to buy from the site.  Most items, unless otherwise specified, are currently available for delivery via Royal Mail within three to seven working days.

MacKenzie added, "What I love about Allders, is that you could walk in to our store, with an empty house waiting for you, and come back with your entire wardrobe for every occasion and everything you need for your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living space.  This is exactly what we are aiming to do as we grow the Allders.com site.

"High street ranges, designer collections and celebrity designed home essentials are being uploaded every week.   Anyone following us on Twitter will be updated once a week as we build the e-commerce site in to a platform that mirrors our vast Croydon store, complete with the thousands of cosmetics that we are so well known for, shoes and fashion purchases, kitchenware, lighting and electronics."

Follow Allders on Twitter at http://twitter.com/allders

To shop online please visit http://www.allders.com

Allders also has a Facebook page: Facebook.com/pages/Allders-of-Croydon

About Allders

Allders the independent department store was established by Joshua Allder in 1862.  In 2005, after being placed in administration, all but one of the 45 Allders stores - the original Allders of Croydon - closed in the UK.  The Croydon store and Allders brand was purchased by Harold Tillman that same year.  

Next year, Allders will celebrate its 150^th birthday.  It is the only British retail brand to survive four recessions and two depressions.