The Army and Navy Co-operative Society Ltd was formed by a group of army and navy officers in 1871, with the intention to supply “articles of domestic consumption and general use to its members at the lowest rates”. The first store opened on the 15th February 1872 in Victoria Street, London and supplied shotguns, rifles, pistols, ammunition and related accessories, as well as shirts, watches, saddlery and golfing equipment.. By the end of 1873 a separate gun department had been established.
By the end of the century the Society was issuing an enormous annual illustrated price list and in 1901 opened branches in Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and Karachi. In 1934 the name was changed to the Army and Navy Store Ltd. They were taken over by the House of Fraser in 1973.