Closing the Orange shop (1978)

A surprise demolition order led to legal drama, a £100K payout, and the end of the iconic Orange Shops era.

Cliff Cooper, Founder & CEO, remembers an unwelcome surprise: “One day in 1978, without any warning, building contractors turned up, closed off New Compton Street, and began preparing to demolish all the shops, including ours. Customers and suppliers couldn’t access the street, and none of the shops could trade.

“A good friend of mine, Nigel Benjamin (ex-Mott the Hoople frontman), suggested I contact his father, Ben, who was a barrister. After hearing our situation, Ben told us the builders were completely out of order. His advice was simple: I needed to ‘move a judge’, to persuade one to issue an injunction against the developers. An injunction would stop the work immediately, and each day lost would cost them a fortune.”

Holding Our Ground

“As we hadn’t been given proper and formal notice, Ben managed to persuade a judge to issue the injunction. He believed the developers were unlikely to sue, and the mounting delay would put pressure on them fast.

“That same day, I got a frantic phone call from the developers, asking me to attend a meeting at their offices on Pall Mall. When I arrived at their rather grand offices, I was shown into the boardroom where four well-dressed men asked me how much I would accept to lift the injunction and let the building work continue. I paused for a moment, then said, ‘£100,000’. They immediately called in their secretary and dictated a letter requesting a cheque for that sum to be drawn in my favour.”

The End of an Era – and a New Beginning

“I was thrilled, although part of me wondered whether I could have asked for more! Still, the payout allowed us to relocate to new offices in Mason’s Yard, St James’s. It did mean the closure of the Orange Shops for good, to make way for the bulldozers. Their closure marked the end of an era.

“Almost everyone who worked at Orange during those days has, at some point, reached out to say how much they miss them. It really was an exciting time: every day brought new challenges and opportunities. And what amazes me most is that, decades later, I’m back doing what I love: working with Orange, now as a truly global brand.”