"What Gowings" which was founded in 1868, so for 168 years, said Sydney. The company was founded in 1920, a public company, which built in 1929, "Gowings Department Store. In fact, an icon of Sydney. Gowings, shop at the corner of Market Street and George Street, founded by John Ellis Gowings was in 1868, now the epitome of men's clothing. John Ellis had a successful Gowings simple and obvious concept. The store is relatively small niche in the market for outdoor clothing, camping and other bells and whistles (in the opinion of the Company).
And the special merit of Gowings was from the beginning that he represented hired the "Made in Australia" on the market. The founder was, for example, as a constant advocate of natural fiber clothing. This pleased the Aussies a lot.And the new building in 1920, the Lancaster Preston Gowing, son of the founder, as a center for investment and retail sales had success for many years was obtained. There were many things under one roof. Clothing, books, equipment of modern surfing with the softest cotton pajamas, all kinds of soap, socks, camping gear, gifts of all kinds and any genre, and more. The haircut in Schnurbartwichse and eccentric man pants. Gowings had to offer.
"If you're tired of seeing the products, take a look at all those who shop around for you. Men! Men! Men! A stronger and more attractive than before. It's worth. This department store for men ", wrote years ago in a newspaper Evelyn Hannon The stable company had weathered the economic crisis of 1890 and the Great Depression. The store is damaging the train schedule changes that significantly affected the business of Sunday made up for it. Following on guard, always the new trend of male fashion Gowings remained for years, said the mother tongue of the giant department store, "No one is asked to buy, " and I can add: "But almost all did! "Two world wars Gowings had survived without loss of image.
Gowings and expanded. In four different areas of the Sydney office opened. It was the time Gowings was one of the flagship shopping center of Sydney clearly the number 1. This expansion was a mistake? The beginning of the end?For the business field offices did not run, and brought losses. The pre-established demographic projections are not realized. Now unfavorable leases with 15 years of duration prevented the closure of branches. And what are the dreams, with offices in Melbourne and Brisbane, was abandoned. Then there were the desperate, but initially promising attempts to compensate for losses in the stock market. Probably also the wrong decision.
Took over in 1989, the grandson of the founder, John Gowing, managing the company, the giant has stumbled. Cheap products from China, a more balanced range, not too put the bells and whistles of rubber ducks foot massager, a decrease in tourism, discount sales of Gowings competition in the red. And the decline in sales at stores did the rest.He also had an impact, such as IPO, rewarding temporarily "tour" the bells and whistles selling negatively on the image of the owner of the lords. With the result that stood at the end of fiscal 2001, a loss of $ 1.7 million.But that day was a short way, long in inexorable decline. That happened once in 90 years known to the storm.
But in November 2005 after three years of continuous losses, the company acquired a receiver line. Attempts to sell the giant old market were unsuccessful. Thus ended January 29, 2006, at 19:23 department store in George Street Gowings doors forever. 190 people lost their jobs and 300 creditors were hoping the return of a total of $ 4.5 million.It is a fortunate circumstance that we have found at least after long effort, "Del " as a tenant. Is a small portion of the nostalgia of Sydney received.
The origin of the insolvency of the giant reptiles old still being analyzed in all possible tones, speculation and fantasizing.But as a loyal customer of Gowings wrote ruefully in 2006 in a letter to a newspaper in Sydney? "You can do whatever he wants. Even with the money. But progress can be stopped, unfortunately, no.
