David Morgan (department Store)
History
The David Morgan department store was founded by David Morgan who was born near Brecon in 1833. He traded in the South wales valley areas of Abertillery, Monmouthshire and Pontlottyn in the Rhymney Valley for 21 years, before opening a small drapers shop on The Hayes in 1879.
From this small shop the store steadily expanded along The Hayes, to become a six storey department store, rivalling nearby Howells. The David Morgan department store consisted of three buildings; the south building was built by James & Morgan in 1891/2 along with additions made in 1904, the middle building was designed by architect Edwin Seward in 1899 with the north building being built in 1912. In 1896, the company added the Morgan Arcade under the shop, to better connect the various buildings. The company also had a branch in Windsor Road, Penarth, with two shops a few doors apart from each other.
When the store closed in 2005, it was the largest independent department store in Wales. Throughout its time, it was owned and operated by the Morgan family, through the holding company Deymel Investments, and the Cardiff Arcade Company which owned and operated the Royal and Morgan arcades, which run underneath the store. David Morgan Limited, Deymel Investments Limited and the Cardiff Arcade Company Limited are now all in liquidation.