Barsleys department store (Image: Cover Images)
A family-run department store is saying goodbye to its loyal customers and staff after 135 years of trading. The directors of Barsleys Department Store in Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, have announced with a “heavy heart” they are closing with all 36 members of staff being made redundant.
Dad and daughter, Richard and Alice Barsley, say it has been a “difficult” decision prompted by “growing economic and social pressures”. The business partners expressed their gratitude to their team and said serving the community for so many generations has been “an extraordinary honour”.
In a statement, they said: “Many of our colleagues have been with us for a significant number of years, contributing not just their skills and hard work, but also their loyalty, camaraderie, and spirit. It makes this moment all the more difficult, as we face the reality that their roles will be coming to an end as part of our closing down sale.
“We are truly saddened to be saying goodbye to such a dedicated group of people. Each individual has played an important part in our story, and their contributions will not be forgotten.”
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As part of the final chapter for the business, Barsleys shut from 4pm on May 7 to prepare for its public closing down sale, which will launch on Friday, May 15 at 10am. In February, the company announced it was seeking a new owner and explained retail had faced “significant challenges”, including an increase in overheads and regulation in the last 18 months.
The pair said they had tried to navigate the challenges but ultimately, the financial and social pressures meant they could no longer continue. “We are extremely thankful for your loyalty, support, and the many memories shared,” they said. “We understand this news may come as a shock. Our store has been more than a place of business — it has been part of our shared history, and it is not easy to say goodbye.”
Alice and Richard say they have now completed the “long” and “difficult” redundancy process with all 36 members of the team, and expressed their thanks to every member of their workforce. Richard, who was trained in clothing and outfitting at Sharp’s of Maidstone, joined the business in 1974, while Alice, joined the company in 2013 after gaining a first in Economics at University College London, before working in Debenhams’ head office in London for three years.
The business, which was founded by Charles Barsley in 1891, is still on the market with Lawson Commercial for £1.9 million and available to let for £145,000 a year. Alice and Richard remain optimistic that a retail business will take on the space, “helping to support a more diverse and vibrant high street for the community”.
Any inquiries should be directed to its agent, Lawson Commercial. The premises includes a spacious store with frontage to Commercial Road and an additional showroom with frontage to Station Road, along with a first-floor retail and coffee shop.
It specialises in women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, homeware, furniture, flooring, blinds, curtains, kitchen, dining and electrical products, as well as toys, gifts and footwear. Some of the brands carried in the store include Barbour, Seasalt, Joe Brown, Russell Hobbs, Parker Knoll, Sodastream, G-Plan, Skechers and many other well-known household names.
In September 2024, the store had a sale to celebrate a £1.5m refurbishment, which drew large crowds and excitement from the community. The roots of the family business go back to 1891 when Charles Barsley took over the running of a tailoring establishment in Brenchley.
He travelled around the locality by bicycle or by horse and cart, measuring his clients in their homes, while other customers called at the shop, where there was a tailoring workshop employing three to four men. By 1900, trade increased enough to enable him to open a shop in Paddock Wood.
And in 1903, he purchased Alma Cottages in Commercial Road, which was then in the Parish of Brenchley, and enlarged the building to accommodate a shop, which is on the site of the current store.
