Switzer & Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Genre | Department stores |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Founders | John Wright Switzer |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Headquarters | 88-95 Grafton Street Dublin, Ireland |
Area served | Ireland |
| Products | Quality and luxury goods |
Switzer & Company, also known as Switzer & Co. and Switzers, was a chain of department stores in Ireland.
History
[edit]On 6 June 1890, Switzer & Company was incorporated under the chairmanship of John Wright Switzer. This company had begun as a drapers and tailors in 1838 at 91 Grafton Street, Dublin, and as it expanded it moved to Commercial Hall on the corner of Grafton Street and Wicklow Street. These new premises allowed for the business to develop into a department store.[1][2] Between 1838 and the incorporation of Switzer & Company, John Wright Switzer had various partners in the business.[3] One of the co-founders of the business was John Hamilton Reid. Reid's granddaughter, Margaret Hamilton Reid, would later serve as chair of Switzers from 1956 to 1972.[4]
The store on Grafton Street became famous for its Christmas displays and Santa's grotto.[3][5]
Switzers purchased Cash & Co. of Cork in 1962, Todd's of Limerick in 1963, and Moon's of Galway in 1969.[3] In 1971, Switzers was purchased by Waterford Glass and House of Fraser. Later, in 1985, House of Fraser took complete control of the company. It was later sold in early 1990s to the Weston family, who owned Brown Thomas, and the name Switzers was dropped.[1][6][7] The Switzers premises on Grafton Street was refurbished and remodelled as the flagship Brown Thomas store, but the name Switzer's remains over one door on Wicklow Street.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Company: Switzer & Co Ltd". House of Frazer Archive. University of Glasgow. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ Boylan, Shaun (2009). "Switzer, John Wright". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Royal Irish Academy. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d Cooney, D. A. Levistone (2002). "Switzer's of Grafton Street". Dublin Historical Record. 55 (2): 154–165. ISSN 0012-6861.
- ^ "Early feminist, sportswoman and business leader". The Irish Times. 1 May 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "History comes to life at the Little Museum of Dublin: Switzer's (VIDEO)". IrishCentral.com. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "Brown Thomas Buy Switzers". RTÉ Archives. 23 November 1990. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "1913 – Switzer's Department Store, Grafton St., Dublin". Archiseek - Irish Architecture. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
Further reading
[edit]- Haverty, Anne (1995), Elegant Times, Dublin, Sonas, ISBN 1-899565-01-9