Simpsons of Piccadilly

After the launch of the successful DAKS trousers in 1934, Alexander Simpson wanted a store in which to stock the entire S Simpson range in central London. Wanting a location near Savile Row so that the foreign visitors to that street could go to examine Simpson clothes nearby for its high quality ready-to-wear tailoring, in 1935 the site of the old Geological Museum in Piccadilly was to be sold on a 99-year building lease, which Simpson won at auction for £11,000. The site had a 71 ft frontage on both Piccadilly and on Jermyn Street (rear entrance) with a footprint of about 11,000 sqft The building's main elements were large bands of Portland stone alternating with strips of windows…

booksellers]] Simpson continued to trade in the Piccadilly store until the 1990s, after DAKS Simpson Group plc was acquired by the Japanese group Sankyo Seiko Co. Limited in 1991. The building sold to the Waterstones chain of bookshops in 1999 and serves as their flagship store. On the 5th floor is a bar, 5th View Bar & Food, with a southerly view over the rooftops towards the Houses of Parliament. Although Simpson is no longer trading as it was, the DAKS Simpson brand of menswear and womenswear continues rebranded under the DAKS name and is sold in DAKS stores, amongst other outlets with the flagship store on Old Bond Street. DAKS holds royal warrants granted by three members of the Royal…