{{Short description|Former British retail group}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} '''J J Allen''' was a small retail group that formed in 1860 in [[Bournemouth]], [[Dorset]], England.
The business was incorporated in 1899 by Mr J J Allen as a furniture shop, removal company and funeral directors (which still exist as an independent company).<ref name="hof">{{cite web|url=https://www.housefraserarchive.ac.uk/company/?id=c1575|title=HOUSE OF FRASER Archive :: Company: J J Allen Ltd|publisher=|accessdate=31 October 2014}}</ref>
The business expanded to a small chain of department stores, as well the Chanelle and Mayron chain of fashion shops. The expansion included department stores [[Brights (department store)|Brights]] of [[Bristol]] & [[Bournemouth]] 1960, Brights & Colson of [[Exeter]] 1960, [[Cavendish House]] ([[Cheltenham]]) and Morgan Squire [[Leicester]] 1962.<ref name="hof" /> In 1961 JJ Allen bought the [[Cardiff]] department store [[Howells (department store)|James Howell & Co]], but sold it for a substantial profit in 1962 to the Hodge group, managed by Dr Julian Hodge, a Welsh merchant banker.
In 1969 [[House of Fraser]] purchased JJ Allen for £5.3 million. In 1971, House of Fraser purchased another department store group, Dingles group, and JJ Allen's west country stores were transferred to the [[Dingles (department store)|Dingles]] division with the rest being transferred to the [[Harrods]] division.<ref name="hof" />
The store was renamed House of Fraser in 2007.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, J J}} [[Category:Buildings and structures in Bournemouth]] [[Category:Companies based in Bournemouth]] [[Category:Defunct department stores of the United Kingdom|Allen J J]] [[Category:Retail companies established in 1860]] [[Category:House of Fraser]] [[Category:1860 establishments in England]]