Ralph Halpern

Sir Ralph Mark Halpern (24 October 1938 – 10 August 2022) was a British businessman, who was the founder of Topshop and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Burton Group from 1979 to 1991.

Sir

Ralph Halpern
Born
Ralph Mark Halpern

(1938-10-24)24 October 1938
London, England
Died10 August 2022(2022-08-10) (aged 83)
Title
Term1978–1991
SuccessorJohn Hoerner
Spouses
Joan Donkin
​
​
(m. 1967; div. 1999)​
    Laura Blume
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2003; div. 2007)​
    Children2, including Jenny Halpern Prince

    Early life

    Ralph Halpern was born in October 1938[1] in London, after his Jewish parents fled from the Nazis in the 1930s and emigrated to England, losing their fortune.[2][3]

    Career

    Halpern joined Burton Group as a management trainee in 1961, and was directly involved in the establishment of Top Shop (above a Peter Robinson branch) in 1964.[2] On the back of its success he progressed through the managerial ranks becoming chief executive in 1978. He turned it into a retail empire that dominated the British high street, with 2,800 stores and employing more than 60,000 people. With brands including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Debenhams, Principles, Racing Green and Evans, it was worth £1.8bn when Halpern was ousted by the board in 1991.[4]

    Personal life and death

    Halpern was knighted for "services to the retail industry" in the 1986 Birthday Honours.[5] He married Joan Donkin in 1967.[6] They had a daughter, Jenny Halpern Prince, and divorced in 1999.[7] In 1987, he was linked by the British tabloids to a liaison with the page 3 model Fiona Wright, leading to a "five times a night" headline.[3]

    In 2000, Halpern became a father again, aged 61, when his second wife and former secretary, Laura Blume, gave birth to a son.[8][9] He and Laura were subsequently divorced in Miami in 2007. He was still residing in Miami in 2019.[10]

    Halpern died on 10 August 2022, at the age of 83.[11][12]

    References
    1. "Ralph HALPERN – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
    2. "Top shopper's hideaway". Telegraph. 4 September 2004. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
    3. Nigel Cope. "Debenhams to be spun off as Burton regroups | Business | News". The Independent. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
    4. Charlotte Hardie (11 November 2011). "The Burton Group family tree | Analysis". Retail Week. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
    5. United Kingdom list: "No. 50551". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1986. p. 2.
    6. "Sir Ralph Halpern obituary". The Guardian. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
    7. Hosking, by Patrick. "Everything must go at Halpern sale".
    8. Dennis Barker. "Sir Ralph Halpern a father at 61years of age | Global". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
    9. "Five-Times-a-Night Burton's Boss Has a Baby Son at 61; SIR RALPH STARTS A NEW FAMILY WITH FORMER SECRETARY, 38, AT Pounds 5m MANSION". Highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
    10. "@sirralphhalpern" on Twitter
    11. Ralph Halpern, high street retailer, dies at 83 Financial Times
    12. "Sir Ralph Halpern obituary". The Times. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
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