Past Times Explained

Past Times was a United Kingdom high street retailer, specialising in gifts and retro style goods. It was established as a mail order company in 1986 by John Beale,^[1] who was also the developer of the Early Learning Centre.^[2] In June 1987, the company opened the first branch in Oxford.

The firm went into administration in January 2012^[3] and in March 2013 the brand name was bought by WHSmith.^[4] Past Times' website was taken down following the purchase.^[5]

External links

• Page from Past Times website, archived at the Wayback Machine

Notes and References

1. John Richard Beale, 1944–2024.
2. News: WHSmith's acquisition of Past Times: What do retailers need to know? . . 17 April 2013 . 22 December 2013.
3. News: Past Times goes into administration. BBC News. 16 January 2012.
4. News: WH Smith buys Past Times brand. The Daily Telegraph. Rachel. Cooper. 11 April 2013.
5. Web site: Past Times website taken down as WH Smith buys the brand. Rigby. Chloe. 2013-04-12. InternetRetailing. En. 2019-12-04.