We all have our favorite high street stores. And when we enter a store, we rarely think about what the sign in front of the store actually means.
But one B&M fan seems to have dug deeper into what the famous two letters actually stand for.
Most of us don't stop and think about the details, but ryan kent And now people can't believe what he discovered.
In his video, user ryankenttt revealed the real names of some of the UK's biggest high street stores, including discount retailers.
And it turns out that the homewares store was originally known as Billington & Mayman, a name not as familiar as B&M.
The name comes from the man behind the business, Malcolm Billington, and his partner in the business, Mayman, but it was shortened to B&M.
However, some B&M workers have disputed this on social media, with some claiming it stands for Bargains & More.
Previous reports also suggested that B&M stands for Bargain Madness.
However, a B&M spokesperson previously confirmed that it does indeed stand for Billington & Mayman.
Viewers were stunned by the revelation, with many admitting they had no idea that was the name of the store and sharing their shock in the comments.
One person wrote: “I thought B&M was more than a bargain!”
“Wait, that can't be true!” Yet another wrote: “My mind is blown.”
But fans weren't the only ones confused by the name.
Current owner Simon Arora, who bought the chain in 2005, admits he never knew what “B&M” meant.
In an interview with the McKinsey Alumni Center, he said: “Someone once told me it was obvious, it stood for 'Bargains and More.'
“That's enough for me.”
In the same year, the first B&M store opened in Cleveleys, Lancashire, with Malcolm serving as director until October 1996.
In December 2004, the retailer was acquired by Simon and Bobby Arora from Phildrew Investments, at which point B&M's mini-empire had expanded to 21 stores.
Over the next two years, the business went from strength to strength, taking over the GlynWebb chain of DIY stores and converting it to the popular B&M Homestore format.
It also acquired several former Kwik Save, Woolworths and Au-Naturale (remember those?) stores and opened its 300th branch in 2012.
By 2015, the number of B&M stores had reached 450, and last year we celebrated the opening of our 500th store.
Retailers will close stores in 2024
Retailers have been under pressure since the pandemic, while shoppers have cut back on spending due to rising costs of living.
Rising utility costs and the shift to online shopping have also taken a toll, leaving many downtown stores struggling to survive.
Here's a list of big-name brands closing stores this year:
- Argos – Last year, the brand announced plans to close 100 independent branches in the UK as it moves away from the high street and focuses on expanding its supermarket presence.
- barbecue – The chain has over 300 stores across the UK, so there's likely to be one near you, although some have closed in recent months.
- boots – The health and beauty chain announced last July that it would close 300 stores. Closings continue, which will reduce the retailer's footprint from 2,200 stores to 1,900.
- clintons Late last year, Mr. Clinton considered a plan to close 38 stores to avoid bankruptcy. We have listed the affected stores.
- costa coffee – The caffeine giant has nearly 2,000 locations across the country, so there's likely one near you. The chain recently closed the doors to dozens of sites. It has been revealed which stores will be closing this year.
- Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores, but close to 20 stores will close in 2023, with many more selected stores scheduled to close.
- riddle – The 950 supermarkets are changing store locations and some stores will have to close. But the retailer is also considering opening 12 new supermarkets.
- M.S. – M&S, which operates 405 stores nationwide, is closing a wave of branches across the country, hitting shoppers hard. However, it's not all bad news. Because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new stores.
- trespassing -The company announced last July that it would close six branches, and more are expected to close.
- WHS Smith – The retail giant, which operates more than 1,100 stores, has closed eight stores since March 2023, with more scheduled to close.
We currently have over 686 high street and suburban stores across the UK, with an average of 3 million customer transactions each week.
The group also owns JA Wol, a variety products discount chain with 80 stores in Germany. Heron Foods The company operates more than 250 discount convenience stores in England and Wales.
B&M is also known as B&M Bargains and the larger B&M Homestore.
But that's not all. Ryan also discovered the real names of other much-loved UK stores, including DIY store B&Q.
In the clip, he reveals that the store's original name was actually Brock and Quayle.
H&M was also on the list. H&M was initially named Hennes and Mauritz, after its co-founders.
Another store that confused viewers was entertainment store HMV, which was originally called His Masters Voice.
