Georges (store)

Georges was a department store in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, established in 1880 and closed in 1995, and was well known for its last 50 years as the city’s premier women's wear department store.[1]

Georges of Collins Street

Type	Department Store
Industry	Retail
Founded	1880 (1880)as George's and George's Federal Emporium
Defunct	1995 (1995)
Fate	Acquired by David Jones
Headquarters	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Key people	William George and Alfred George (founders)
Products	clothing manchester leather goods soft furnishings furniture hardware food
Website	http://www.georgesoncollins.com.au/

Georges began in 1880 when brothers William Henry and Alfred Harley George (who were in their late 20s) took over Robinson’s drapers at 37 Collins Street East as George & George’s. Finding success in a booming economy, in 1883 they moved a few doors down to a large four storey building at 11-17 Collins Street East (now 280 Collins Street), which had been built in 1877 as Briscoe's warehouse[2][3]), and rebranded as George & George’s Federal Emporium. In 1888, when financier Benjamin Fink bought the building, planning to replace the it with an arcade, they bought the business of the Equitable Co-operative Store, located a block away, up a hill, and away from the retail heart of the city.[4] It was a grand classical revival style building at what is now 162-168 Collins Street, and was built in 1884, designed by architects John Grainger and Charles D'Ebro.[5] For over a year they ran the business in the two sites, until in September 1889 a disastrous fire destroyed their 280 Collins premises (which was then replaced by the first stage of the Block Arcade).[6] Despite being under insured, they kept the business going at the new location. soon doing well enough that in 1891 the building was refurbished and extended through to Little Collins Street, designed by D'Ebro alone.[7][8]

By the early 1900s the store specialised in women's wear and accessories, and in 1908 (after financial restructuring) undertook a major renovation, inserting a full height atrium in the centre, and building extensive ‘walk-through’ show windows on Collins Street, to provide for window shoppers in a period when store hours were finally curtailed through labour laws.[5]

Georges building in 2018

Another renovation in 1938 created a spacious uncluttered store interior, creating a more upmarket environment. In the late 1940s the store began to focus on catering to a more well heeled clientele, though anyone was welcome, and innovated with extra features such as stylish, minimalist window displays, regular fashion parades showing the latest styles, and later added an art gallery.

Georges developed a reputation for superior quality equal to that enjoyed by Harrods or Fortnum & Mason of London, and Bergdorf Goodman of New York.[4] The store's motto was Quod facimus, Valde facimus (What we do, We do well), as the firm had a philosophy of providing exclusive goods and meticulous service. The stores' staff handbook instructed employees to avoid high pressure sales techniques. Author and customer Annette Cooper states that Georges: "wanted to foster loyalty, and if they made you feel good about coming into the store you would come back."[9]

The firm was taken over by retail holding company Cox Brothers in November 1960 through the purchase of all the ordinary paid up capital in Georges Holding Limited.[10] Cox Brothers began to incur loses in 1962/63[10] and went into receivership in 1966. Georges was listed (again) as a new company on the Melbourne Stock Exchange as Georges Australia Limited.[11]

In January, 1970, Georges launched a successful takeover bid of Ball & Welch in a deal valued at $A1.48 million dollars.[12][13] The directors of Georges believed that Ball & Welch stores would give Georges a foothold in the suburbs.[12] Instead, Georges closed all of the Ball & Welch stores by 1976 selling the flagship Flinders Street store in May, 1976.[14]

David Jones then took over Georges in 1981. During the 1980s, two smaller Georges' branches were briefly opened: The Jam Factory on Chapel Street, South Yarra, and the other on Burke Road, Camberwell.

The store closed on 5th October 1995,[15][8] and in the 2020s George's still remains a well remembered part of Melbourne's history by the generations that enjoyed shopping there.