Palmers History
The Linen Department is brought to you by Palmers Department Stores. Palmers is a family business which has been operating for over 170 years. In these years we've traded through the reign of seven monarchs; worked under seven chairmen; acquired five stores; survived two major fires and bomb damage and consequently our Great Yarmouth store now boasts the title of longest established independent department store in the country. We really are very interesting, so sit back and relax while we fill you in with a few details about the Palmer family, our history and why you should feel safe and sleep easy when shopping with us:
Meet the family - five generations of Palmers
On the 4th of June 1837, a handsome young gentleman named Garwood Burton Palmer opened a small linens and drapery shop in Great Yarmouth Market Place. Garwood's younger brother Nathaniel Benjamin joined the business and some years later his two sons Edward Ernest and James Hurry took over and the store became known as 'Palmers Bros'. After their retirement, James' son, Percival Hurry Palmer, was the next in line and following Percy's reign his son-in-law, Graham Sturrock, proceeded. Graham's son, Bruce joined the company in 1983 and is now our Managing Director and Chairman and works along side his sister, Wendy Cole, who is our Fashion Director.
Thanks to our whole family Palmers is now a well established full-line department store, expanding into the realms of the World Wide Web by giving you The Linen Department.
We now have 5 stores within Norfolk and Suffolk:
- Palmers Great Yarmouth Department Store
- Palmers Bury St Edmunds Fashion Store
- Palmers Bury St Edmunds Home Store
- Palmers Dereham Department Store
- Palmers Lowestoft Department Store
Independence days - we are Independent, refreshingly different and proud!
"Palmers customers benefit from dealing with people and not a faceless corporation."
The Garwood's drapery's of this world have disappeared and have been replaced with clone high streets, dominated by national chains; yet Great Yarmouth, Bury St Edmunds, Dereham and Lowestoft have retained their individuality by having Palmers at the heart of their town centres. We are proud that we are a family run independent department store with over 172 years of trading experience as well as a solid reputation for quality, excellent customer service and great value.
Customer Satisfaction
One attribute that has always set us apart from the rest of the high street is the exceptional service that we offer to our customers. Customer service is ingrained into our company culture from top to bottom. Bruce Sturrock, our Chairman, explains:
"Good service is very important to us, it is our point of difference and we work hard to ensure the high level is maintained. We are lucky to have excellent staff who offer great service with a smile and are willing to go that extra mile to satisfy our customers demands."
We maintain this standard through our website. When you order from us you can be sure that we will respond directly, either by phone or email depending on what you have specified, to let you know we've received your order. We'll also contact you as soon as we have dispatched your order - so you can start to get excited about the postman's visit. Even after your order has been delivered we'll be happy to chat with you if you have any further queries, if you're not happy with your purchase or if you just fancy a debate on the qualities the Hungarian goose down over the feathers of any other goose. The point is, before, during or after your purchase, we are always here and happy to help you in any way that we can.
Want to find more about us? Visit the Palmers website
