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Bowring Brothers Ltd. (or simply Bowring) was a Canadian operator of
Bowring Brothers was later engaged as a shipowner, fish and general merchant, and steamship agent. In the late 19th century, the Bowring Brothers chartered the ship ''Nelly'', captained by Robert Austin Sheppard (1865–1909), to carry fish to ports in Pernambuco, Brazil and Sydney, New South Wales. The Bowring Brothers ran the Red Cross Line of steamships around Newfoundland and Labrador. In particular, the SS ''Florizel'' was one of the first passenger ships in the world specifically designed to navigate icy waters, useful also for seal hunting. Most famously, the ''Florizel'' was converted into a troopship and in October 1914 carried the first 540 volunteers of the Newfoundland Regiment into World War I. The numerous vessels owned by the Bowring family between 1818–1937 were cataloged by Arthur Wardle.
From 1811 to date Bowring Brothers has been continuously engaged in Newfoundland's commerce, and at its peak the company had various operations on a global scale.
After
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...
stores, mostly focused on gifts and home decor, throughout Canada.
History
Bowring was formed in 1811 as a private company byBenjamin Bowring
Benjamin Bowring (baptised 17 May 1778 – 1 June 1846) was an English watchmaker, jeweller, and businessman. He was the founder, in 1811, of the Bowring trading, shipping and insurance businesses, later known as Bowring Brothers in Canada and th ...
and his family, who had just moved to St. John's, Newfoundland
St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland.
The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...
. Benjamin Bowring, an English clockmaker
A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to ...
, set up shop in that business, while his wife Charlotte established a dry goods
Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and forme ...
store which evolved into a large department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
on Water Street.Bowring - About
Bowring Brothers was later engaged as a shipowner, fish and general merchant, and steamship agent. In the late 19th century, the Bowring Brothers chartered the ship ''Nelly'', captained by Robert Austin Sheppard (1865–1909), to carry fish to ports in Pernambuco, Brazil and Sydney, New South Wales. The Bowring Brothers ran the Red Cross Line of steamships around Newfoundland and Labrador. In particular, the SS ''Florizel'' was one of the first passenger ships in the world specifically designed to navigate icy waters, useful also for seal hunting. Most famously, the ''Florizel'' was converted into a troopship and in October 1914 carried the first 540 volunteers of the Newfoundland Regiment into World War I. The numerous vessels owned by the Bowring family between 1818–1937 were cataloged by Arthur Wardle.
From 1811 to date Bowring Brothers has been continuously engaged in Newfoundland's commerce, and at its peak the company had various operations on a global scale.
After 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 opposing ...
, the company focused on its retail business, including the department store in St. John's and a chain of over 100 gift shops in shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
s across Canada and the US. By the late 1980s the Bowring family had sold the chain to American retailer Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...
, and in 1993 it was acquired by Royal Canadian Securities through subsidiary Tereve Holdings, following which the St. John's store closed, leaving Bowring without any retail presence in the province for over a decade.
Fred Benitah, owner and chief executive officer of the privately owned home-goods retailer Benix & Company, Inc. (based in Toronto, Ontario), purchased the insolvent Bowring Brothers chain in October 2005. Fred Benitah and his brother Isaac Benitah together privately controlled a number of retailers including Fairweather, International Clothiers and Benix & Co. Following this sale, Bowring began to shift its energy towards a series of "home stores" in power centres across Canada, at its peak numbering 34 — including one in St. John's — but continued to operate 31 mall stores in larger Canadian centres.
After U.S. retailer Bombay Company
The Bombay Company is an American furniture and home accessories retailer owned (since 2011) by Hermes-Otto International USA LLC. At one time a chain of over 500 stores headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Bombay Company was relaunched in 2012 as a ...
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 20, 2007, Bombay's Canadian operations (after inventory disposition) were acquired by the Benitahs and combined operations with Bowring and Benix & Company.
Bankruptcy and liquidation
On November 6, 2018, Fluid Brands Inc (which supplies for Bowring and The Bombay Company) and is owned by retail mogul, Fred Benitah, claimed insolvency. They obtained protection from creditors under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. According to documents, Fluid Brands Inc is 50 million in debt. As of November 2018, both Bowring and The Bombay Company have shut down all supplier websites and are in liquidation process. As of January 2019 all Bowring and Bombay stores are closed.See also
* Bowring Park (St. John's), a park built on land donated by the company *Bowring Downtown Centre Bowring is a surname of English origin. At the time of the British Census of 1881, Retrieved 25 January 2014 its relative frequency was highest in Dorset (36.5 times the British average), followed by Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Nor ...
, an office complex redeveloped from the former Bowring department store in St. John's
References
{{Reflist Defunct companies of Newfoundland and Labrador Privately held companies of Canada Home decor retailers Retail companies established in 1811 Retail companies disestablished in 2019 Companies based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Defunct shipping companies of Canada 1811 establishments in Canada 2019 disestablishments in Canada 1811 establishments in Newfoundland 2019 disestablishments in Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian companies established in 1811 Canadian companies disestablished in 2019