Hillards [SEP] dissolved or abolished
Hillards
Hillards plc was a small supermarket chain from the North of England, bought out in a hostile takeover by Tesco in May 1987.
History.
The company was founded by John Wesley Hillard in 1885, in the West Yorkshire town of Cleckheaton. The first shop was opened in Lion Chambers there, and shortly after 1900, there were twenty shops operating as "Lion Stores". By 1951, there were over seventy stores, and by 1968, it had warehouse size stores in Wakefield, Lincoln and York
Before being taken over by Tesco, the store was a branch of Hillards, and an earlier Tesco store in the town had been forced to close as it could not compete with Hillards.
The High Street retains various independent shops, including a cobbler and a butcher, but is seen as in need of improvement. Walsall Council's regeneration programme includes extensive redevelopment of the High Street; the council's view is that retail investment should be focussed on the existing shopping area rather than encouraging new developments outside this area as,