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ARCHIVES OF WILLIAM WHITELEY,
'THE UNIVERSAL PROVIDER'
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HSBC Group Archives report the discovery of papers relating to William
Whiteley (1831-1907), the founder of the Whiteley deparetment store.
Whiteley, who gave himself the popular tag of the 'Universal Provider',
was a pioneer of retailing and he claimed to supply 'everything from a
pin to an elephant'. He was also a controversial character; his career
came to a dramatic end when, in 1907 at Whiteley's store in Bayswater,
he was shot dead by his illegitimate son.
A substabtial collection of records and photographs was deposited by
the former William Whiteley ltd at Westminster City Archives in 1974.
However the newly-discovered papers were traced among the business records
of stockbrokers W. Greenwell and Co, a constituent company of the HSBC
Group. These records include papers relating to the flotation of
William Whiteley ltd in 1899; analyses and descriptions of Whiteley's business
and Stock Exchange investments in about 1899; and personal correspondence
between Whiteley and Greenwells from 1899 to 1907.
Enquiries about these records should be sent to HSBC Group Archives,
HSBC Holdings plc, Level 36, 8 Canada Square, London, E14 5HQ
Telephone: 020 7992 1560
Fax: 020 7991
4883
web-address: http://www.hsbc.com/history
Please note the following conditions of access to the Archives:
1) access to the Group's archives are by appointment only - the
Archives need at least one week's notice of a visit (due to limited space);
2) the Group is permitted to view any references made to its archive
material before this information is distributed or published;
3) references to existing customers are to be used only with their
permission.
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