Don McCarthy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Don McCarthy
CBE |
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| Born |
Donald McCarthy
19 June 1955 Bromley, England
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| Died | 21 July 2018 (aged 63) England
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| Nationality | British |
Donald McCarthy (born June 19, 1955 – died July 21, 2018) was a British businessman and a kind-hearted giver. He was most known for being the chairman of a big department store called House of Fraser. He started working at a young age and built a successful career in retail, especially with shoes and fashion.
Don McCarthy's Career
Donald McCarthy left school when he was 15 years old. He started working as a sales assistant at a shoe shop called Stead & Simpson. He quickly moved up to become a store manager.
In 1975, when he was 20, he joined Kurt Geiger, another shoe company. He helped create a popular shoe brand called Carvela. In 1991, he started his own company, The Shoe Studio Group. This company sold many different shoe brands inside other stores.
In 1996, a company called Nine West Inc. bought The Shoe Studio Group. Later, in 2001, McCarthy led a "management buyout." This means he and his team bought the company back from Nine West.
In 2005, McCarthy helped his company, Shoe Studio Group, buy another retail group called Rubicon Retail. He became the chairman and chief executive of the bigger company. In 2006, he left the board after Rubicon Retail was bought by Mosaic Fashions.
At the end of 2006, McCarthy led a group of investors who bought House of Fraser. He became the executive chairman of this famous department store. In 2011, after a big financial crisis, McCarthy helped House of Fraser get new funding. He then led talks with Yuan Yafei, a Chinese businessman. In 2014, Yuan Yafei's company bought most of the shares in House of Fraser. In September 2014, McCarthy stepped down from his role at House of Fraser. He wanted to focus on his family's new investment company, No.9 Investments.
From 2007 to 2012, McCarthy was also the chairman of Aurum. This was a British company that sold watches and jewellery. He left Aurum in 2012 after it was bought by another company.
He also helped start the British School of Fashion in New York. This school opened in 2013 and is part of Glasgow Caledonian University.
Helping Others
McCarthy's wife, Diane Agnew, sadly passed away from cancer in 2007. That same year, McCarthy gave £1 million to The Royal Marsden. This is a cancer hospital in London that had treated Diane. In 2015, McCarthy and his family gave another £1.5 million to the hospital.
McCarthy also supported the Retail Trust, a charity for people working in retail. In 2015, he received their Retail Legend award.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Donald McCarthy was often named one of the most important people in fashion retail. He appeared in Drapers' Top 100 list many times since 2002. In June 2015, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drapers Footwear Awards. This award recognized his long and successful career in the shoe industry.
In November 2010, Glasgow Caledonian University gave McCarthy an Honorary Doctorate. This is a special award from a university, recognizing his achievements.
In 2017, McCarthy was given a special honour called Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This award was for his great work in business and for his generous giving to charity.
