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Heal's 2010 Media Update

Heal's Celebrates its Bicentenary
Heal's Celebrates its Bicentenary
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Heal’s, the home of modern, designer and contemporary furniture and accessories is soon to celebrate its first 200 years trading. The Bicentenary celebrations will commence on September 21st, 2009 with the launch of a design book, Heal’s: 200 Years of Design & Inspiration and the limited edition furniture collection Heal’s ReDiscovers.

This media update includes:

Section one: Bicentenary celebrations

Section two: A brief history of Heal’s

Bicentenary celebrations

The anniversary will be marked by exhibitions and events that reflect Heal’s rich heritage, and design projects and collaborations with the best British furniture designers that will herald to the next chapter of Heal’s history.

Heal’s will be celebrating from September 2009 right through until Christmas 2010. Highlights for the 200th year anniversary celebrations will include:

Heal’s, 200 Years of Design & Inspiration

Launching on September 21st 2009 is a fascinating and visually stunning commemorative design book produced by John Brown publishing. Looking at Heal’s from 1810 until the present day it will reflect on Heal’s innovative furniture design, advertising over the decades as well past and present figures behind the brand.

Heal’s ReDiscovers

Sir Ambrose Heal’s philosophy, “when in doubt, innovate” inspired Chief Executive Andrea Warden in 2004 to launch Heal’s Discovers, an annual collection of furniture and home accessory designs by students and new designers. To mark our special year, Heal’s ReDiscovers continues in the spirit of its predecessor whilst celebrating 200 years of design and inspiration.

Heal’s ReDiscovers is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the best UK designers to create stunning furniture and accessories inspired by key pieces and periods in Heal’s history.

The collection will be launched in three phases; the first in September 2009, the second in February 2010 and the third in September 2010.

Projects and Exhibitions

Up until the 1980s Heal’s held an exhibition space, the Mansard gallery, on the 5th floor of the Tottenham Court Road store. It was the White Cube gallery of its day, the first place to exhibit Modigliani in the UK, where Aldous Huxley first met Virginia Woolf and where the first room sets were presented by Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer and Maxwell Fry. Although the gallery no longer exists, Heal’s core values towards and links with the art and design community is just as fundamentally important as ever.

Through out the Bicentenary year Heal’s will be involved in projects with:

  • The Slade School of Fine Art


  • The Dickens Museum

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  • The Geffrye Museum

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  • London Transport Museum

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  • The Roundhouse

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    Bicentenary blog: www.heals2010.blogspot.com


    We are bringing together anecdotes and images from our rich history to create a commemorative bicentenary blog. As we research into the brand and delve in to the companies archive at the V&A, the largest archive which the V&A hold, we are posting anecdotes, nostalgic memories, old brochures, artwork and photographs for everyone to enjoy. Take a fascinating look at Heal’s, upload your own stories and comments and journey with us through our celebrations at www.heals2010.blogspot.com.


    A history of Heal’s


  • Heal’s was founded in 1810 by John Harris Heal who left the West country and his family of yeoman farmers to establish a family run mattress-making business and later bedroom furniture company. The first Heal’s store was at 33 Rathbone Place, London.


  • In 1818 the Heal’s relocated to Tottenham Court Road which later became known as ‘the furnishing street of London’.

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  • Following the death of John Harris Heal in 1833, his widow Fanny Heal ran the business until she went into partnership with her son John Harris Heal junior who took over the company in 1840. During this time through constant development in design and construction, the Heal’s bed and the sign of the four poster which hung outside the shop, became a household name across the UK.

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  • On his death in 1876 John Harris Heal junior was succeeded by his sons Harris and Ambrose Heal.


  • Ambrose Heal junior published the first catalogue of his furniture in 1898 distributing it to over 35,000 households and founding the ‘Heal’s style’.

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  • In 1905 Heal & Son was converted from a partnership into a limited company with Ambrose Heal becoming Managing Director, and taking over as Chairman in 1913.

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  • In 1919 Ambrose Heal junior co-founded the Design and Industries Association (DIA) to promote links between designers, manufacturers and retailers. This association laid the foundations for and later became The Design Council.


  • In 1953 Ambrose Heal handed the chairmanship of the company to his son Anthony, but remained head of the business until he dies in 1959.

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  • In 1957 Heal’s was awarded H.M. Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Warrant.

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  • In 1965 Heal’s was awarded the RCA’S Bicentenary Medal for the company’s influence in promoting art and design in British industry.


  • Anthony Heal’s son Oliver became Managing Director in 1979 until 1983 when Heal’s was bought the Storehouse Group umbrella for £4.8 million and Sir Terence Conran became Chairman.

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  • In 1990 the company was the subject of a management buyout led by long standing employee Colin Pilgrim who was appointed Chief Executive.

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  • Heal’s was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1997.

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  • In November 2000 the company’s ecommerce presence was established as heals.co.uk was launched.

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  • In August 2001 Wittington Investments Limited acquired Heal’s plc, as a private company for £33 million with Guy Weston becoming Chairman. Wittington Investments, the investment vehicle of the Weston family also owns department store Fortnum & Mason, Associated British Foods and fashion retailer Primark.

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  • In 2004 Andrea Warden was appointed Chief Executive.


  • Today, Heal's has seven stores located throughout the UK at Tottenham Court Road and King’s Road London, Kingston, Guildford, Brighton, Manchester and Leeds as well as its online store. Heal's sell a wide range of modern, designer and contemporary furniture, homewares, lighting, accessories and gifts for the home.

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    For archive and current imagery and further information in the history of Heal’s and the bi-centenary celebrations please contact:
    Kelly-Ann Teasdale, PR Manager - 020 7896 7545 - pressoffice@heals.co.uk
    Stockist details 08700 240 780 - www.heals.co.uk

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