J R Roberts Stores was opened in 1870 in Stratford, London as a drapery and furniture shop at 96 Broadway, before expanding and becoming a full line department store covering 78-102 Broadway.
In 1888, it is reported that J R Roberts opened the first Christmas Grotto in a UK department store. Later their Christmas fair were known for moving soldiers, sailors and toy figures. During the early part of the 20th century, the postcard artist Hermann Fleury Junior use to fit out the Christmas display for a fee of £200.
In 1895, Queen Mary Hospital at West Ham opened a new wing, which the two main wards were named after J R Roberts, as he had paid for the cost of the furntiture.
The business expanded in 1899 when they opened a second store in Nelson Street, Southend-on-Sea as a subsidiary (Company no. 00338672) of the main Stratford branch. It also announced that it would stop selling alcohol in its Stratford store as part of the Temperance movement. At some time they moved from Nelson Street to 90 High Street, Southend, which had been home to Percy Ravens since 1900.
In 1954, J R Roberts closed their Stratford store selling it to London Co-operative Society (who knocked down the old buildings and built a new department store between 1957-1962), while the Southend branch was sold to another small department store chain Chiesmans (the Southend store became Army & Navy during the House of Fraser takeover, before becoming Dixons / Currys. It was until recently a Morrisons Local).