News / Society
A forlorn visit to BHS in Broadmead
Inside BHS in Broadmead on Monday morning, there were no scenes of chaos, no fights in the aisles and the only panic the result of too many people in line at the cash register.
But later that very same morning, the owners of department store filed for administration, potentially ending the company’s 88-year reign on the high street and putting 11,000 jobs at risk, including dozens in Bristol.
is needed now More than ever
It was a quiet morning, with roughly two dozen shoppers milling around the 70 per cent off section. The bare-bones staff blared requests over screeching walkie talkies and sorted merchandise, refusing to take questions.
The clothing was organised in pristine order, without a single piece on the neatly swept floorboards. It could have been the department store putting on a brave face in the midst of adversity, or a signifier of a dearth of shoppers rifling through the forgiving blouses and slacks. Racks everywhere were labelled with red 50 per cent off signs.
A lone mannequin sat looking forlorn in a nearly empty display. A sign of things to come? Or a normal mid-Monday morning display alteration?
The decidedly unhip outfits on sale perhaps reflected the needs of the store’s primarily over-50 crowd. Every female shopper seemed to sport the same grey layered pixie cut.
Employees were forbidden to answer questions from Bristol24/7 regarding the day’s news, and said the shop would be continuing with business as usual.
However, the small staff on hand – with even the small number of shoppers spreading the crew quite thin – seemed to hint at trouble in this paradise of floral dresses and slimming trousers.
The atmosphere was quiet and humourless, lit by clinical fluorescent lights. But was it a reflection of the recent troubles, or a glimpse into why BHS has fallen so far in the first place?
Read more: 20 photos of Broadmead from 1950s, 60s & 70s