Following a number of loss-making years, the company was sold to the consortium Retail Acquisitions Ltd, led by the serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell, in March 2015 for the nominal price of £1.

[2] In April 2016, 13 months after the purchase by Retail Acquisitions, the company entered administration following unsuccessful attempts to continue trading.

[3] In July 2016, a committee of the UK parliament issued a report titled "Leadership failures and personal greed led to collapse of BHS".

[5] British Home Stores was founded in 1928 by a group of U.S. entrepreneurs[6] who wanted to follow the successful model set by Woolworths.

One of these was the two-level store at Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the West Midlands (which formed part of an Enterprise Zone).

With its softer Bhs "signature" logo and warm interior lighting, the concept attempted with varying degrees of success to meet the needs of the modern, more sophisticated shopper.

During the late 1990s, the stores which formed Storehouse Plc fell on hard times; BHS and Mothercare were the worst affected.

[12] Alan Smith, chairman of Storehouse at the time of the Bhs sale, commented, "He [Philip Green] had a crystal-clear vision and strategy.

These projects were designed to build upon the success of the homewares and lighting that BHS stores currently offered and to tap into new areas of business such as furniture, curtains, rugs, and wall art.

Other stores with Arcadia insertions included Tunbridge Wells, Oxford, Peterborough, Watford, Kilmarnock, Nottingham, Camberley, Norwich and Aberdeen.

[23] In September 2015, BHS owners Retail Acquisitions announced another rebrand, as part of a £60m rejuvenation plan, which resulted in the full British Home Stores name being resurrected on the high street for the first time since 1986.

[24] By early 2016, periodic store closures had seen the company withdraw entirely from several city centres including Bath,[25] Cardiff, Carlisle,[26] Oxford,[25] Reading[27] and Southampton.

[28] Plans were also being made to reduce the size of the flagship Oxford Street branch by leasing excess space to other retailers.

It at this point had debts of £1.3 billion including £571 million in pension liabilities, meaning either individual assets (such as stores) would have to be sold or the chain would be in new ownership.

Head office staff were made redundant on the announcement that no buyer had been found, with stores expected to last up to 8 weeks selling the remaining stock.

The Qatari Al Mana Group purchased the company's international franchise stores and online operations in June 2016.

[38][39] In June 2024, the High Court ordered two former directors of the company, Lennart Hennington and Dominic Chandler, to pay £18m, made up of £13m for wrongful trading, and £5m for breach of corporate duties.

[40] As of April 2019[update], the bhs.com website is operated by Litecraft Group Limited, using the BHS logo and "BRITISHOMESTORE LONDON 1928" brand name under licence.

[citation needed] In December 2014, New Zealand-based childrenswear brand Pumpkin Patch was introduced into larger stores and online.

Larger homes stores, such as the Barton Square branch in the Trafford Centre, Greater Manchester, also sold the Welle cabinet range and had Sharps showrooms.

[43] In its stores, BHS sold a mixture of basic electricals based primarily on kitchen products such as kettles and toasters.

[45] This allowed the company to expand its product range to laptops, tablets, large kitchen appliances such as fridge-freezers, TVs and air-conditioners.