Wallace Bishop is a specialty retailer of

jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...

timepieces A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

and

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The jeweller Wallace Bishop arrived in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia in 1909 having experience of jewellery and goldsmithing in England in the late 19th century. He was initially employed by jewellers in Queen Street in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Queensland. Bishop established his own manufacturing business in 1917. In 1934, Wallace Bishop's son, Carl Bishop, designed the Wallace Bishop Loyal watch which continues to be marketed today and which gave rise to an advertising slogan – “The time by Wallace Bishop watch is …” Opening of its Wallace Bishop Arcade in

King George Square King George Square is a public square located between Adelaide Street and Ann Street (and between two sections of Albert Street) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Brisbane City Hall is adjacent to the square. On 1 January 2004, King ...

coincided with the day

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

commenced in 1939, becoming a landmark business location in the city for 75 years. Wallace Bishop junior, known as Wal, joined the business in 1950, straight from school, later becoming chief executive officer in 1976. He drove strong growth in the business coinciding with the construction of major shopping malls across Queensland. Upon becoming chairman in 2010, Wal’s son Stuart became CEO, a position he presently occupies while younger family from the 5th generation are employed in the business in preparation for their roles as future leaders. With over 50 stores and more than 500 employees, Wallace Bishop is one of Australia’s oldest and most successful family businesses. In 1997, it acquired Hardy Brothers Jewellers, a 166 years old business, which now operates 7 stores across Australia. It provided the opportunity to manufacture and market high-end jewellery products, and, significantly, the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

, which was hand-made in Brisbane for 17 years. In 2019, Wallace Bishop was inducted into the

Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame In 2009 State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Qu ...

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