Sidney Baillieu Myer (11 January 1926 – 22 January 2022), also known as Bails Myer, was an Australian businessman and
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
. A member of the
Myer family retailing dynasty, he was the son of
Sidney
Sidney may refer to:
People
* Sidney (surname), English surname
* Sidney (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Sidney (footballer, born 1972), full name Sidney da Silva Souza, Brazilian football defensive midfielder
* ...
and
Merlyn Myer
Dame Margery Merlyn Myer (; 8 January 19003 September 1982) was an Australian philanthropist, who was notable for her charitable work.
Birth and marriage
Born as Margery Merlyn Baillieu in Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia, to George Franci ...
. He joined his family's company, the
Myer Emporium
Myer (stylised MYER, sometimes known as Myers) is an Australian mid-range to upscale department store chain. It trades in all Australian states and one of Australia's two self-governing territories. Myer retails a broad range of products a ...
, in 1949 and became its chairman in 1983. He oversaw its merger with GJ Coles & Coy to create
Coles Myer
Coles Group Limited is an Australian public company operating several retail chains. Its chief operations are primarily concerned with the sale of food and groceries through its flagship supermarket chain Coles Supermarkets, and the sale of li ...
and retired from business in 1994. In his later life, Myer was involved with philanthropic, scientific and arts organisations.
Early life and education
Myer was born on 11 January 1926 in
San Francisco, California.
He was one of four children of
Sidney Myer, who founded the Australian
department store chain
Myer in 1900, and
Merlyn Myer
Dame Margery Merlyn Myer (; 8 January 19003 September 1982) was an Australian philanthropist, who was notable for her charitable work.
Birth and marriage
Born as Margery Merlyn Baillieu in Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia, to George Franci ...
( Baillieu).
Because Sidney Myer's divorce from his first wife was not recognised under Australian law, his second wife, Merlyn, travelled to San Francisco for the birth of each of her four children so that they would be considered legitimate. Baillieu had an older brother,
Ken, and two sisters,
Neilma and
Marigold. In 1929, the family moved to
Toorak, Victoria, Australia.
Myer attended
Geelong Grammar School where one of his teachers was the historian
Manning Clark
Charles Manning Hope Clark, (3 March 1915 – 23 May 1991) was an Australian historian and the author of the best-known general history of Australia, his six-volume ''A History of Australia'', published between 1962 and 1987. He has been descri ...
. He served as a
sub-lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces.
In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
in the
Royal Australian Navy during
World War II aboard
HMAS ''Pirie''.
After the war, he studied commerce at the
University of Melbourne for one year and then attended
Pembroke College at the
University of Cambridge where he received a
Master of Arts degree in economics.
He then trained in retail at
Macy's in New York and
Harrods
Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other ...
in London.
In London, he worked with the speech therapist
Lionel Logue
Lionel George Logue, (26 February 1880 – 12 April 1953) was an Australian speech and language therapist and amateur stage actor who helped King George VI manage his stammer.
Early life and family
Lionel George Logue was born in College To ...
to manage his
stammer.
Business career
Myer joined his family's business, the Myer Emporium, in 1949, and was named executive director in 1955.
Over the next two decades, he and his brother Ken advocated for an aggressive expansion of the business into the suburban market, though this strategy was met with initial resistance from the company's board. In 1960, Myer and his brother established a Myer store in
Chadstone
Chadstone is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Chadstone recorded a population of 9,552 at the 2021 census.
Landmarks inc ...
(now
Chadstone Shopping Centre, the biggest shopping centre in Australia). The store's success led to the company establishing numerous other suburban centres in Melbourne and Sydney.
Myer oversaw the 1968 rebranding of the Myer Emporium–acquired retail chain Lindsay's as Lindsay's Target (now
Target Australia) after negotiating the right to use the name and logo of the American
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
. He attempted to open three Lindsay's Target supermarkets in
South Australia, but they were unable to compete with the
Coles and
Woolworths
Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to:
Businesses
* F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores
* Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...
supermarkets.
Myer stepped down from his position as executive director in 1972 but remained on Myer's board. After Ken Myer's retirement, Myer became the non-executive chairman of the board in 1978. He was named executive chairman of the company in 1983 during a major
recession and led its takeover of the department store chain
Grace Bros.
Grace Bros was an Australian department store chain, founded in 1885. It was bought by Myer (later Coles Myer) in 1983. There were 25 stores across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory plus a few in Victoria, until they were r ...
that year.
He also oversaw the Myer Emporium's merger with GJ Coles & Coy to create
Coles Myer
Coles Group Limited is an Australian public company operating several retail chains. Its chief operations are primarily concerned with the sale of food and groceries through its flagship supermarket chain Coles Supermarkets, and the sale of li ...
and served as the deputy chairman of the merged company from 1986 to 1994.
He was named a
Companion of the Order of Australia as part of the
1990 Australia Day Honours The 1990 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 1990 by the Governor General of Australia, Bill Hayden.
The Australia Day ...
"for service to business and commerce, to government and to the community". He retired from the company in 1994.
Outside of his family's business, Myer was a director and chairman of the financial services company
National Mutual
AMP is a financial services company in Australia and New Zealand providing superannuation and investment products, financial advice, and banking products (through AMP Banking) including home loans and savings accounts. Its headquarters is in ...
from 1978 to 1992. He was a member of the boards of
Cadbury Schweppes, the
Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busines ...
,
Henry Jones IXL,
Elders IXL,
N M Rothschild & Sons
Rothschild & Co is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company, and the flagship of the Rothschild banking group controlled by the French and British branches of the Rothschild family.
The banking business o ...
and
Ten Network Holdings
Ten Network Holdings Ltd, commonly referred as Paramount Australia & New Zealand, is a major media company in Australia. Headquartered in Sydney, its major asset is Network 10, a free-to-air television network. Formerly a public company listed ...
.
Other activities
Myer was actively involved in philanthropic, scientific, arts and agricultural activities. He and Ken Myer established the
Myer Foundation
The Myer Foundation is a major Australian philanthropic organisation.
History
The Sidney Myer Charitable Trust was established by the will of Sidney Myer, who died in 1934, leaving a portion of his estate for the benefit of the community. Myer's ...
, a philanthropic organisation, in 1959; he was the vice-chair or chair of the foundation until 1995. From 1971 to 1996, he was a director and president of the
Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was on the boards of
CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...
and
the Salvation Army and served as a deputy chairman of the
National Gallery of Victoria and the
Victorian College of the Arts.
In 1993, he received an honorary
Doctor of Law degree from the University of Melbourne.
Death
Myer died at his home in
Merricks, Victoria
Merricks is a town in the south-eastern extremity of the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, approximately south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local gover ...
, on 22 January 2022, eleven days after his 96th birthday.
He was survived by his wife of 66 years, Sarah Myer (née
Hordern), and their three children,
Sid,
Rupert
Rupert may refer to:
People
* Rupert (name), various people known by the given name or surname "Rupert"
Places Canada
*Rupert, Quebec, a village
*Rupert Bay, a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay
*Rupert River, Quebec
*Rupert' ...
and Samantha.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myer, Baillieu
1926 births
2022 deaths
20th-century Australian businesspeople
20th-century philanthropists
21st-century philanthropists
Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Businesspeople from Melbourne
Businesspeople from San Francisco
Companions of the Order of Australia
Philanthropists from Melbourne
University of Melbourne alumni
Myer family