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| Last BHS stores to close for final time after 88 years | Last BHS stores to close for final time after 88 years |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The last BHS stores are closing their doors for the final time, ending an 88-year presence on the High Street. | |
| The closure of the final 22 shops around the UK came after the retailer was placed into administration in March but failed to find a buyer. | |
| Previous owners Dominic Chappell and Sir Philip Green have been criticised for mismanaging the chain and failing to protect the company pension scheme. | Previous owners Dominic Chappell and Sir Philip Green have been criticised for mismanaging the chain and failing to protect the company pension scheme. |
| Administrators have already made 141 store closures over recent weeks. | Administrators have already made 141 store closures over recent weeks. |
| These included its flagship store on Oxford Street in London's West End. | These included its flagship store on Oxford Street in London's West End. |
| 'Sadness' | 'Sadness' |
| British Homes Stores, a name that was a fixture on most UK High Streets, will disappear nearly a century after first opening in Brixton, south London. | British Homes Stores, a name that was a fixture on most UK High Streets, will disappear nearly a century after first opening in Brixton, south London. |
| Simon Prager, who worked for BHS for 16 years and has helped to oversee the closure of Bristol's Cribbs Causeway branch, said: "I don't think even a year ago anyone would have thought it would come to this... | Simon Prager, who worked for BHS for 16 years and has helped to oversee the closure of Bristol's Cribbs Causeway branch, said: "I don't think even a year ago anyone would have thought it would come to this... |
| "I think there probably was anger at some point in the last three months. But I think everyone's well beyond that. And I think it is now just sadness that it's come to this." | "I think there probably was anger at some point in the last three months. But I think everyone's well beyond that. And I think it is now just sadness that it's come to this." |
| The BBC's Emma Ailes on the last day of one BHS store | The BBC's Emma Ailes on the last day of one BHS store |
| Scattered clothes rails, empty hangers and a few dwindling piles of stock are all that's left at BHS Walthamstow in north London. "Last days!" the large red and yellow signs on the door proclaim. "Everything 70% off". | Scattered clothes rails, empty hangers and a few dwindling piles of stock are all that's left at BHS Walthamstow in north London. "Last days!" the large red and yellow signs on the door proclaim. "Everything 70% off". |
| A crowd has turned up for the closing day of this British High Street stalwart, scouring the shelves for one final bargain. The long queue for the till stretches across the gutted shop. The refrigerators in the food hall are on but empty. Even the fixtures and fittings are up for grabs. | A crowd has turned up for the closing day of this British High Street stalwart, scouring the shelves for one final bargain. The long queue for the till stretches across the gutted shop. The refrigerators in the food hall are on but empty. Even the fixtures and fittings are up for grabs. |
| One staff member, wearing a pink feathery party head-dress but also holding a tissue, pauses to hug a colleague. | One staff member, wearing a pink feathery party head-dress but also holding a tissue, pauses to hug a colleague. |
| "It's really sad talking to the customer services people who are out of a job and will be signing on," says local shopper Keisha Cook, who's here with her mum Carmen. "But I can't say I normally came here. It was too pricey. Honestly, for us, it's just another shop front changing." | "It's really sad talking to the customer services people who are out of a job and will be signing on," says local shopper Keisha Cook, who's here with her mum Carmen. "But I can't say I normally came here. It was too pricey. Honestly, for us, it's just another shop front changing." |
| Years of under-investment and failing to react effectively to intense competition led to the slow demise of BHS over the past two decades. | Years of under-investment and failing to react effectively to intense competition led to the slow demise of BHS over the past two decades. |
| Its most recent owners have also been blamed following an investigation by a joint committee of MPs last month. | Its most recent owners have also been blamed following an investigation by a joint committee of MPs last month. |
| They described billionaire retailer Sir Philip Green, who owned BHS from 2000 to 2015, as the "unacceptable face of capitalism". | They described billionaire retailer Sir Philip Green, who owned BHS from 2000 to 2015, as the "unacceptable face of capitalism". |
| A history of a High Street stalwart | A history of a High Street stalwart |
| Sir Philip, who has promised to sort out a £600m pensions blackhole at BHS, could also be stripped of his knighthood. | Sir Philip, who has promised to sort out a £600m pensions blackhole at BHS, could also be stripped of his knighthood. |
| Writing in the Sunday Mirror, the shadow chancellor John McDonnell called for an overhaul of the honours system and restated his call for former BHS boss Sir Philip to lose his title. | Writing in the Sunday Mirror, the shadow chancellor John McDonnell called for an overhaul of the honours system and restated his call for former BHS boss Sir Philip to lose his title. |
| Meanwhile, if talks between Sir Philip and the pensions regulator fail, then the 11,000 BHS staff who have lost their jobs will get a smaller pension than expected. | Meanwhile, if talks between Sir Philip and the pensions regulator fail, then the 11,000 BHS staff who have lost their jobs will get a smaller pension than expected. |
| Analysis | Analysis |
| By Simon Jack, business editor | By Simon Jack, business editor |
| In one way the story of BHS is not unique. It is an everyday tale of commerce - healthy businesses thrive, sickly ones perish, the High Street evolves - that's life. | In one way the story of BHS is not unique. It is an everyday tale of commerce - healthy businesses thrive, sickly ones perish, the High Street evolves - that's life. |
| In many others it is not. It is also the story of two controversial owners. | In many others it is not. It is also the story of two controversial owners. |
| Sir Philip Green bought BHS for £200m in 2000 and in the early years it made profits. All of these profits were taken out, quite legally, in dividends in the years up to 2004. | Sir Philip Green bought BHS for £200m in 2000 and in the early years it made profits. All of these profits were taken out, quite legally, in dividends in the years up to 2004. |
| BHS then limped along for another decade through a recession, being kept alive by loans from the rest of Sir Philip Green's empire until it was sold last year for just £1. | BHS then limped along for another decade through a recession, being kept alive by loans from the rest of Sir Philip Green's empire until it was sold last year for just £1. |
| The troubled world of BHS | The troubled world of BHS |
| The last 22 stores to close are: | The last 22 stores to close are: |
| Are you a BHS employee or a customer? We would like to hear from you. Have you been affected by the closure? Email your story to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you a BHS employee or a customer? We would like to hear from you. Have you been affected by the closure? Email your story to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| You can also contact us in the following ways: | You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below | Or use the form below |