Bowring Brothers Ltd. (or simply Bowring) was a Newfoundland-based operator of

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

stores, that, after Newfoundland became part of Canada, expanded its operation and narrowed its focus to gifts and home decor throughout Canada. Bowring was engaged in Newfoundland's commerce for over 200 years, with various operations across the globe at its peak.

History

Bowring was formed in 1811 as a private company by

Benjamin 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 the ...

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. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Amer ...

. 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 t ...

, 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 Common ...

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 under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

on Water Street.Bowring - About
Bowring Brothers became shipowners, fish and general merchants, and steamship agents. 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. It owned SS ''Florizel'', one of the first passenger ships in the world specifically designed to navigate icy waters. It also took part in the annual seal harvest off Newfoundland's northeast coast. ''Florizel'' was used as a troopship and in October 1914 carried the first 540 volunteers of the Newfoundland Regiment into World War I. Florizel ran aground and sank in 1918 with significant loss of life. The numerous vessels owned by the Bowring family between 1818–1937 were catalogued by Arthur Wardle. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

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 Privately held company, privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of greeting cards in the United ...

, 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 2021) by an undisclosed LLC. At one time a chain of over 500 stores headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Bombay Company was relaunched in 2012 as an online store ...

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.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
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 North America 1811 establishments in the British Empire 19th-century establishments in Newfoundland 2019 disestablishments in Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian companies established in 1811 Canadian companies disestablished in 2019

History

Bankruptcy and liquidation

See also

References

External links