A BUSINESS ROMANCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 19 June 1931, Page 8

A BUSINESS ROMANCE

CHEMIST BOY TO MU.UCNAIHI;

CHEMIST AND JTIII.ANTTIItOIMST

Lord Trent, formerly Sir Josso Boot, whose death is reported, rose from a chemist's hoy at Nottingham, and became a millionaire, lie was the proprietor of a chain of cash chemist stores. lie was created a baron in March, 1929. Jesse 800 l was horn al Nollingham in June, .1850. As a lilllo boy he helped his. widowed mol her lo run a small shop in Goose Gale. His experience I here proved invaluable lo linn when, slill young and witlioul resources, lie limit'd lo (In* drug trade and sel In work lo cheapen articles in every-day demand at ehemislx’ shores by buying and selling on a large scale and eliminating Ihe middleman as far asi possible. Starting in Nolfinghiiin, he made, rapid progress, adding shop a Her shop and ineluding one branch after allot her. Later he began lo nmiiufaelure drugs and in addition lo these his shops sold hiiie.y goods and slalionery and included lending libraries. To-day the business cotisisls of Bool’s I’uro Drug Company and four subsidiary companies which own I ho shops. Ils lolul oanilnl is 1)5.080.000 and i|. Inis a staff oT 13,000, including 1000 fully qualified chemists. There nro hugo factories and distributing warehouses and 770 relail shops all over the country. The linn does ils own shop-filling and printing- -in fact everything that can be done in I lie way of making if self-con-lainod. If produces chemicals and preparations which formerly had to he got from Germany, such as lysol, aspirin anil formalin.

Mr Boot was knighted in .1909. Tie married in 1886 the daughter of Mr W. Howe, of Jersev, where he eventually went to live. Having sold a. portion of his shares he was able to retire with a fortune of £2,000,000. Hut, he had the misfortune to lie attacked by arthritis when ho was middle-aged and he was compelled to spend the rest of his days on ;i coueb. This, however, did not diminish his mental activity or lessen his interest in the welfare of Notling-

liain and Jersey. To his native city he game, sums totalling nearly £1,000,000 and ’his generosity alone made tho new university possible. Among his benefaction wns a. gift, of £35,000 in 1928 for ilsi great hall, while Lady 8001, gavo £45,000 for Ibo erection of a. women’s host el. A few years ago he presented Nol I ingliiini willi a park al a cost of £250,000, lo say nothing of a huge openair swimming hath and a boulevard.

The corporalion voted £1.0,000 for the emhellislmien! of the university library as a. memorial lo him. The university buildings were opened by the King in duly, 1928. They stand on a wooded hill’ in 49 acres of grounds presented by Lord Trent, who had siei. his mind on making Nollinghani a. centre, for industrial and agriculture) research. In Jersey he built schools and workmen's houses, and in 1926 he initialed a scheme for eo-operal ive markeling by Jersey farmers who had been hard hit by bad crops, plant disease and middle men’s profits. The Jersey I'amicrs Union was formed and direct sales arranged, si earners being cbarlered lo lake potatoes to England. Lord Trent placed a. large, building at the. disposal of the farmers to house a grading machine imporlod from Holland and to act as a collecting centre. He also sent parties of runners, lo Denmark and Alsace-Lorraine lo study the eo-operal ive. methods employed there. 'fhe heir lo Ihe fille is his son, Caplain John Campbell 8001.