William Whiteley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Whiteley
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| Born |
William Whiteley
29 September 1831 Purston, Yorkshire, England
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| Died | 24 January 1907 (aged 75) Bayswater, England
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| Occupation | Retail entrepreneur |
William Whiteley (born September 29, 1831 – died January 24, 1907) was an English businessman. He lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. William Whiteley started a retail company called William Whiteley Limited. His famous store later became the Whiteleys shopping center.
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William Whiteley's Early Life
William Whiteley was born in a small village called Purston in Yorkshire, England. His father was a successful corn dealer. William was mostly raised by his uncle.
He left school when he was 14 years old. He then started working on his uncle's farm. William wanted to be a veterinary surgeon (an animal doctor) or a jockey (a horse rider). However, his family had other plans for him.
Learning the Retail Business
In 1848, William began a seven-year training period. He worked for Harnew & Glover, a large draper's shop in Wakefield. A draper sells cloth and clothing. William took his new job very seriously. He learned a lot about the retail business.
In 1851, William visited London for the first time. He went to see the amazing Great Exhibition. This exhibition showed off many wonderful manufactured goods. It made him think big.
William imagined creating a store as grand as the Crystal Palace. This store would have all kinds of goods under one roof. He dreamed of becoming the most important shopkeeper in the world. After his training, he moved to London with only £10.
Starting a Business Empire
William first worked for other companies in London. He wanted to learn all parts of the retail trade. He saved his money carefully by not smoking or drinking. Soon, he had saved £700. This was enough to start his own business.
In 1863, William opened his first shop. It was a Fancy Goods shop at 31 Westbourne Grove in Bayswater. He hired two girls to help customers and a boy to run errands. One of the girls, Harriet Sarah Hall, later became his wife.
Growing the Store
His friends thought the location was not good. But William's business grew quickly. Soon, he needed fifteen employees. He always marked all his goods with clear prices. He also made his shop windows look very appealing. He was happy with making small profits on many sales.
William started buying more shops on Westbourne Grove. By 1875, he owned a whole row of connected shops. When he first opened, Westbourne Grove was a wealthy area. But it started to become less popular. So, William began to sell things that appealed to more people.
He changed his small linen shop into London's first department store. He added a meat and vegetable section. He also created an "Oriental department." This section sold inexpensive goods imported from Japan and China.
The Universal Provider
Other shop owners did not like William's success. In 1876, they protested in the streets. They even burned a "Guy" dressed like a draper. This was a way to publicly shame him.
William Whiteley famously said he could provide "anything from a pin to an elephant." He called himself "The Universal Provider." In 1899, his business became a public limited company. This meant people could buy shares in his company. William remained the main shareholder.
William Whiteley's Death
On January 24, 1907, William Whiteley was shot and killed. This happened at his shop. The person who shot him was Horace George Rayner. Rayner, who was 29, claimed he was William Whiteley's son.
After William Whiteley's death, his two sons continued to run the business. They opened a new shop in 1912. This new store was later sold to Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1927. Some of William Whiteley's money was used to create Whiteley Village. This is a retirement village located near Walton-on-Thames.
Images for kids
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William Whiteley
See also
- Department store
- List of department stores by country
- List of department stores of the United Kingdom
- Retail
