Jacksons (department store)

Its flagship branch was located in central Reading, Berkshire, occupying a prominent site, Jacksons Corner, on Kings Road, just south of Market Place.

The business expanded into a department store occupying the whole of the corner on the corner of Kings Road and High Street, just south of Market Place, selling womenswear, lingerie, shoes, knitting supplies, craft supplies, textiles, and it also became one of Reading’s principal suppliers of schoolwear.

The company later expanded, and opened stores in Caversham, Goring-on-Thames, Bracknell, Camberley, Henley and Oxford, but these had all closed by 1994.

[1] The founder’s great-grandson, Brian Carter, started working for the firm in the 1960s, rising to become its Managing Director, a position he retained until the business closed on 24 December 2013.

The store operated a network of pneumatic tubes made by Lamson Engineering,[3] which transported cash and documents around the building.

[8] Brian Carter cited building maintenance costs and the nearby Oracle shopping centre as primary reasons for the closure.

[6] The company archives, which consist of over 200 items, including old cash receipts, catalogues, photos and adverts, are in the care of Thomas Macey.

The school uniforms department, which had become a significant part of the business, has been continued by Stevensons at 11-12, Market Place, Reading.

At the dispersal auction "Cruella", the child mannequin which the group had helped to make famous, sold for £966, which received a round of applause.