Department store joy as retail group invests in reopening historic Bath site
A strong heritage in department store retailing has prompted Morleys Stores to step up and reopen the iconic Jolly’s in Milsom Street, Bath.
The welcome news came yesterday, 18 March, against a backdrop of negative retail stories in recent weeks, and just a month after Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group pulled the shutters down on Jolly’s following 214 years’ trading.
“We are thrilled to be bringing Jolly’s back to life and to be part of the vibrant retail landscape in Bath,” commented Morleys Department Stores CEO Allan Winstanley.
“Our approach is to treat each of our stores as a unique independent department store, ensuring we create an exceptional shopping experience tailored to the local community. We are especially pleased to confirm that we will be keeping the Jolly’s name, honouring its deep-rooted legacy in the city.”
The retail group will be adding the Somerset site to the eight stores it owns in and around London, including Elys Wimbledon, Camp Hopson in Newbury, Selbys in Holloway, Morleys Brixton which underwent a £3million refurbishment in 2022, and Pearsons in Enfield where a further £3m is being invested this year.
The plan is to restore Jolly’s to its former glory, making it the anchor store for Milsom Street with a carefully curated selection of fashion, beauty, homeware, gifts, greeting cards and stationery, to cater to the needs of the local community while also attracting shoppers from across the region and visitors to Bath.
Allan said the group prides itself on ensuring each outlet is “uniquely tailored” to serve its local community so Jess Merritt-John, the former Jolly’s store manager, has been retained and through the renovation will oversee a dedicated heritage space showcasing the store’s rich history and exciting future, sharing plans, renovation updates, and introducing Morleys to Bath’s residents and visitors.
It’s understood almost all Jolly’s staff have found new employment since the closure last month but Jess told the Daily Mail that she is “excited and delighted” about the reopening, and she expects many former employees will be keen to come back.
She added: ‘Morleys is really interesting in looking after the history of the store and getting the right brands in and bringing in the real experience of the store. The people of Bath are very emotionally invested in the store and protective of it.”
Site owner Bath & North East Somerset Council has been working hard to secure the future of the much-loved store with council leader Cllr Kevin Guy commenting: “Morleys Stores will bring an exciting shopping experience to residents and visitors alike and I am delighted to welcome the business to our vibrant city.
“Milsom Street has always been a very special shopping destination and Morleys’ decision complements the investment the council is making in the Milsom Quarter.”
The council and retailer are to start the major refurbishment of the historic building immediately, and the store will open in two phases – the initial launch in March 2026, followed by a full completion and grand opening in October 2026, in time for the key Christmas trading period in the last quarter of the year.
Morleys has been independently owned since the first outlet, Morley & Lanceley, was opened in Brixton in 1929, taking over Roomes Fashion & Home in 2009, Pearsons in 2010, and Camp Hopson – originally founded in 1854 – was bought in 2014, with a new store opened in Bexleyheath in 2016.
