THE recent sale of the former Robbs Store department premises in Fore Street, Hexham, brings back many memories of what an economic giant the old department store once was.
Robbs operated in Hexham for the best part of 200 years and was one of the town’s major employers. At its peak, it employed more than 300 people over five floors and occupied nearly a third of the town centre commercial floor space.
Robbs was the first business in Hexham to be lit by electric light, and at the dawn of the 20th century, the Fore Street shop had such modern cons as a lift, a pneumatic cash system and its own gas works.
The Robbs building was one of the first in the North to be wheelchair friendly, through the sad fact that the last owner Derek Robb, a very talented rugby player for Tynedale RFC, contracted polio as a young man, and lost the use of his legs. He was confined to a wheelchair but had the store adapted, with ramps and lifts to ensure he was able to visit every department every day and chat to members of staff.
The original linen dealership expanded over the years to incorporate haberdashery, dressmaking, upholstery and even its own funeral parlour, with two Rolls Royce hearses, the silver lady “ Spirit of Ecstasy” bonnet mascots of which decorated the store board room for years. The offering also included soft goods, furniture, a carpet beating service, house removals and charabanc tours.
It was the ultimate family business, being operated by an unbroken line of father-to-son bosses for five generations, spanning over 160 years, after being established by William Robb, a linen dealer from Kirriemuir in Fife, in 1818.
William used to make the long journey down from Fife to sell his wares from a stall at Hexham Market, where he realised there was a ready market for his goods. He described Hexham as a goodly place, and a place of opportunity, despite the fact there were some less than salubrious parts of town.
William used to take sample goods all around Tynedale to drum up business, and it is thought he had been trading for some years before he moved to Hexham and formally established the business in Fore Street.
The business did well and expanded when the railway came to Hexham in 1846, by which time William’s son – also called William – was at the helm.
The business soon had premises all over Hexham with outlets in Hallgate, the Corn Exchange (now the Queen’s Hall) and elsewhere, including the White Hart Inn at the far end of Fore Street.
The great marble arch, which marked the entrance to the hotel was demolished, and then re-erected in Beaumont Street as Hexham’s memorial to the dead of the Northumberland Fusiliers who died in the First World War.
The White Hart itself was demolished in 1927, and in 1960, the site was developed as the new Robbs Store which so many people knew and loved.
The second William was eventually succeeded by his son James, who in turn gave way to his son Ridley, who finally handed over the reins to his son Derek.
Like his predecessors, Derek was a great reformer and pioneered “the shop within a shop” venture, with a big food hall, and several franchises including hairdressers, and fashion outlets.
Business was booming so much that in the late 1980s, a second Robbs outlet was opened in Haugh Lane. It was to have been a cash and carry, but eventually became Robbs at Tynedale Park. It was a highly successful operation, featuring multiple departments including a travel agency, kitchen fitting, a garden centre and “floating café” that brought in shoppers from Tyneside and beyond.
However, with Derek’s son Duncan not wishing to go into the business, it was decided in 1987 to agree to a merger with Sunderland department store business Joplings to ensure the future of the business.
Tynedale Park was sold to Tesco in 2005, and the Robbs business then went through several ownerships, including Merchant Retail, Owen Owen and Vergo Retail before being taken over by Beales of Bournemouth in 2010.
Beales closed in 2020, but the shop in Fore Street holds many happy memories for the people of Tynedale.
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