Business boomed so the brothers bought out the surrounding shops opposite and opened Grants department store.

Croydon was home to the first UK international airport and the store provided all the uniforms for the Royal Air Force[citation needed].

Grants was visited by swarms of French aristocrats who flew into Croydon simply to buy a suit.

Developers Richardsons tasked architects Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum with the challenge of redeveloping the listed building to its former glory by restoring the original Queen Anne style façade.

The windows of the building are etched as they were in Victorian times, with descriptions of the goods that Grants used to sell, such as 'haberdashery' and 'silks'.