House of Fraser Archive
The House of Fraser Archive offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of one of Britain's leading department stores. House of Fraser has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1849 as a small drapery shop on the corner of Argyle Street and Buchanan Street in Glasgow, it expanded rapidly, acquiring some 200 different stores, and opening branches in many parts of the world.
Accessing the archive
The House of Fraser Archive project, funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, has developed a new online catalogue of the Archive. The catalogue includes:
- Full descriptions of all items in the archive
- Histories of House of Fraser and its subsidiaries
- Histories of key people
- Flexible search options eg the option to search by type of product or business, or by a specific company, person or place
- A facility for bookmarking and tagging your favourite parts of the catalogue
- A facility for adding your own information or comments
- An image gallery of highlights from the Archive
The House of Fraser Archive online catalogue was launched on 25th December 2011. You can also view Christmas images from the House of Fraser Archive on our Advent Calendar.
Further information
The House of Fraser Archive provides a wealth of information on the company’s history. It includes the records of the company’s management in addition to the records of individual stores across the United Kingdom. If you are interested in a general overview of the company history, please refer to our guide, (3 pages, 39kb).
The House of Fraser Archive does not include the company’s recent business records. We are unable to provide information on the House of Fraser’s current management structure or strategies.
See the FAQs below for further information on how you can access this and other information about House of Fraser.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I am a business student / I have a job interview with House of Fraser and need to know about the history of the company. Can you send me a summary?
- I am a business student and need to know about the company’s recent management / marketing / development strategies. Can you send me the details / complete my questionnaire?
- Where can I find current annual reports for House of Fraser?
- Are there other website that may contain useful information about House of Fraser?
