Atkinsons boss finds huge market for nostalgic tales of running Sheffield's last department store
If Sheffield was a shop it would be Atkinsons
In 1973, Atkinsons scored a hit with Afghan coats imported directly from Afghanistan - despite them “smelling to high heaven.”
The other best-seller at the time was a ladies’ T-shirt called ‘Fat Lady’ which “sold in the thousands.”
Both items were in a new girls’ boutique in the department store which was being set up by a young Nicholas Atkinson at the request of his father Peter.
Today, Nicholas is chairman of the business on The Moor and has been recounting tales from his 54-year career in newsletters which attract hundreds of readers.
On his new venture at the height of the hippie era, he wrote: “The Afghan coats arrived directly from Afghanistan in vast bales, tightly bound by cord and smelling to high heaven!
“We sold them for £15 and could not get enough. How people put up with them is anyone’s guess, but we did give them a very good shake—and all sorts fell out!
“Our other best-seller was a ladies’ T-shirt called Fat Lady—which I suppose you’re not meant to say these days—but we sold thousands, all to girls.
“The department had a good run until others copied and stock from abroad became readily available. Still, they were great days with many laughs, and we were ahead of the game—for a while.”
Among the many responses online, John Hardwick wrote: “I have just read this lovely newsletter which has put some personality and warmth back into an ever changing impersonal retail environment.
“I have been whisked back in time to my student days at art school, feeling cool in my Afghan coat smelling like a wet dog. See you soon.”
Robert Douglas added: “What a legacy to be proud of! I remember the dogs would chase me on my street at age 14 in my Afghan coat.
“Mum would say ‘you can get rid of that smelly thing’”
“Love your stories of 60s London. I simply love Atkinsons.”
.jpeg?trim=0,311,0,311&crop=&width=640&quality=65)
In his newsletters, Mr Atkinson lifts the lid on running the 154-year-old business, which is the last remaining department store in Sheffield city centre after the closure of Debenhams and John Lewis in 2021.
He says it is built on being ‘pleasant, welcoming and making customers feel at home’.
But although times are tough, it is still going strong and claims to be ‘one of the largest independent department stores in the country’ with 41 departments boasting everything from fashion to furniture to white goods, as well as three restaurants and a 400-space car park.
Undoubtedly the toughest time was December 12/13 in 1940, the first night of the Sheffield Blitz, when the shop, which had stood on the site since 1872, was ‘completely destroyed’.
A memorial plaque states the area remained a bomb site until the present shop was unveiled 20 years later in 1960.
More recently, it has survived threats from Meadowhall and Covid.
Nicholas Atkinson said the number of people in the city centre plunged after pandemic closures in 2020 were followed by widespread working from home.
That period also saw the closure of John Lewis and Debenhams.
The effects were “quite devastating,” he said in his monthly newsletter.
And they reminded him of the arrival of Meadowhall in 1990, when some predicted the centre of Sheffield would cease to exist.
He said: “I remember being interviewed by Look North about Meadowhall and being told by a university academic that the centre of Sheffield would not exist after it opened.
“Well, The Moor proved them wrong that time and survived to become even stronger and attract good retailers and became Sheffield’s premier shopping street.”
The impact of Covid had “settled down” he added, and it was time to “build back that confidence once again.”
Mr Atkinson said: “We know, we must keep those standards up and keep our commercial appeal, with a little help from your good selves!”
He also commented on The Moor, which has become Sheffield’s premium retail street, featuring a large Primark, Next, Sports Direct and River Island alongside Atkinsons.
It also has a huge range of smaller and independent shops, while the bustling Moor Market is directly opposite the department store.
Mr Atkinson said: “We have got a good mix of shops on The Moor…We still have some more work to do!”
He also wrote: “I often hope my great-great-grandfather, who founded the business in 1872, would be proud of the way the fourth generation runs it today.
“It is quite a responsibility, but we do our best - and our customers seem to enjoy the experience, which is what shopping should be all about.”
A fifth generation is “waiting in the wings,” he added.
Responding online, Vanda Galer said: “As a relative newcomer to Sheffield it was very interesting to read about Atkinsons and its stock over the years.
“Your article has made me want to make more effort to see what’s on sale today. “As they say ‘use it or lose it’ and I would be extremely sad if the only multi-retail department store in Sheffield should ever go.”