Charles Davis was a

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 ...

company established in

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, in 1847 and is one of Australia's oldest companies. It had several businesses across the surrounding states in industries such as manufacturing, boating including yachts and races and hardware and electrical equipment. The company was founded by Charles Davis, an Englishman who had been transported to the Tasmanian penal colony as a convict. He established a hardware, ironmongery and tinsmithing business which grew to become one of Tasmania's major business enterprises including moving it to the Cat & Fiddle Arcade where it remained into the 1970s. Davis fully owned the company until in 1911, at age 87, when he limited himself to a chairman, and his family continued to operate the company until the 1970s. Donald Trescowthick took over control of the business from the Davis family in the 1970s and the company embarked on significant expansion and diversification under his management. At various times, the company had investments in wholesaling, retailing, car distribution, property, hotels and motels and mining. In 1971, Sir Donald Trescowthick gained a majority shareholding of 54 percent through his company Signet Insurance Group, which was a company with assets of $27 million an annual turnover of $35 million and eventually renamed as

Harris Scarfe Harris Scarfe is an Australian retailer that sells bed linen, kitchenware, homewares, electrical appliances and apparel. It was founded in 1849 in Adelaide, South Australia and has more than 50 stores nationally. In 2015, ownership of Harris Sc ...

Holdings Limited in 1995. The company factory and original shop closed in 1984. After the church change of name, the company focused on its department store activities and divested all other business activities. At its height, the company was Australia's third-largest retailer (November 1989), after acquiring many significant regional retailers, including

, Cox Foys, FitzGerald's, Lloyd's hardware stores,

Campbell's The Campbell's Company (doing business as Campbell's and formerly known as the Campbell Soup Company) is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products. The classic red-and-white can design used by many Campb ...

hardware stores and McEwans. In 1970, Charles Davis negotiated with American-based Kline Iron & Steel to bring lightweight steel roofing trusses to the United States. Philips Industries of Launceston was acquired in 1974, giving the company presence in each of the state's three main regions, south,

Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...

in the northwest. In 1975, Charles Davis Limited was a sponsor of the Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race. The McEwans hardware stores group was divested in a management buyout in 1988. At this time, the company merged its Harris Scarfe and FitzGerald's retailing operations, which continued to grow to become Australia's third largest department store group. It also once owned interests in Perpetual Insurance and Securities, owner of Eastlands Shopping Centre which increased from 83% to 91% in 1973–1974 and also in Co-Operative Motors, distributor of

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

, Triumph,

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

and Rambler. After suffering financial difficulties, the company was placed in receivership in 2001 and the Charles Davis name was bought by Davis's great-great granddaughter for $120.

References

{{reflist * Harris Scarfe Holdings Limited Annual Report 2000.

External links

Company records and photos throughout company lifeAdditional photos of company interests
Companies based in Hobart Defunct department stores of Australia Retail companies established in 1847 Retail companies disestablished in 2001 Australian companies established in 1847 Australian companies disestablished in 2001