MAN WHO MADE HARROD’S.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7920, 18 August 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

MAN WHO MADE HARROD’S.

SUDDEN DEATH OF Slit RICHARD BIRBIDGE. VILLAGE BOV’S RISE. LOADO.N, Ji .NE 2 S.r Richard By; i.u, ...au Ulu w AIiUTOCI S, U.eU Ull iiiursaay mgiit. an tLu uujn.iug no attended a mveting in. ounnjtobiuu 'vain "A>uuy 'vcck, ’ 11 bled bOudiciis. no rouunea to uariui s ior iikiii an nuur, add 'vent 10 n.o nouio in liana AiaHsaniti at ux o'clock. no retired at Jins usual tune, fc.3U. At uo n u nlock lie rang nw boil, ’ said 'that lie left taint, and sat uowi*. by the djjen window, a doctor was cat Lea in, ana was present " lien, a little later, Sir Richard U.cd winle stui sitF.ug by the window. Sir Richard Bur binge, "lio "a,sone of the leading business men .in the land, came of Wiltshire family which lias held land in tne country for 600 years. He left iris native village of South W raxail at tlie age of thirteen, and, coming to London to seek his fortune, became an assistant in a grocer’s shop in Oxfordstreet. Here, m \Y. S. Gilbert’s words, he “cleaned the windows, and swept tne floor, and polished up the handle of the big front door.” That was fifty-six years ago, and lie “slaved,” as ho called it, from 7 a.nr. to 9 p.ni. 11c never forgot that experience, and when he became manager of Harrod’s he began cutting down the working hours, whieh were then from 7 u.m. to 9 p.m.j with 10 and 11 p.m. ou Fiidiay and Saturday. In recent years lie closed Harrod’s at 5 p.m., and at 1 p.m. one day a week. He was one of tho warmiest supporters of tlie Early Closing Association. HIS OWN SHOP. For five years the Wiltshire lad “ slaved” in the grocer's shop; then, quite a youth, he opened a grocer’s shop of his own. Soon, however, he took a job at the Civil Service Stores, then in Oxford-slieet, and next he lx?canio head of tho Army and Navy Auxiliary Stores. He was so successful hero that Mr. Whiteley made him manager at West-bournc-grove. Eight years later he transferred to a new business at West Kensington but before long lie made his last move, nnd became in 1890 managing director of Hmrod’s, which had just been taken over by a company. It was a business which had grojj ii out of a greengrocer’s f-ihop. Under Sir Richard Burbidge Harrod’s leaped! ahead. The profits grew from £13,000 in 1890 to £235,000 in 1916-17, "lien tho business had a turnover of between £4,000,000 and £5,000,000. The stores were rebuilt, and extended from a front of 35 ft. in BroniptioiiTroad to 350 feet. The staff rose 'from 200 to C > ooo, apart from those serving in the Sir Richard Burbidge became a director of the Hudson Bay Company, went to Canada, and reorganised the business. He acquired, lor Harrod’s a controlling interest in Messrs. Dickins and Jones, Regent-street, where iit is intended to spend £1,500,000 on a new “temple of fashion” for women PUBLIC SERVICE. Apart from his great devotion to business, Sir Richard Burbidge in recent years gave much time to public affairs. He was chairman of tho commitU\o which inquired into the Royal Aircraft Factory, and a member of various other committees appointed by the Government during in© war. H -j was one of the first to help with his advice in the iM mill it ions Dcpaitment. He rose always at 5.30. a.m., rode on horseback from 6to 6.45. arrived at Harrod’s at 7.30. breakfasted at 8, and left business about 6.30 p.m., "'hen lie motored to Littleton Hall, his house in Middlesex. He went to bed at 8.30.

A few years ago Sir Richard told a ‘ Daily Express” representative that his success was due to a few simple rules, and he offered this advice to others: Be persevering; be moderate (in smoking, drinking, ot<-.) ; be prompt and punctual; bo courteous; don’t shift about from one firm to another; don't look down on any one; don’t fail to make your employer’s interest your own; don’t pester visitors to buy. From «i village boy Sir Richard became owner of 1,000 acres in Middlesex, 52.000 acres in West Australia, and an estate in Canada. He was made a baronet in 1916. HTs heir is Mr. Woodman. Burbidge, general manager of Harrod’s. MR. SELFRIDGE’S TRIBUTE, The following splendid tribute from the pen of Mr. Gordon Selfridgc, Sir Richard Burhidge’s greatest business 'competitor, will be read with special interest A man among men has gone from ns, and death, which "ill finally enter the name of every living person upon Iris tally sheet, has suddenly taken one whom London and Britain can ill afford to spare. Ho has taken one "ho.:C place hi* intimate friends cannot fill: one who, knowing him as I did, not intimately. hut always pleasantly—one of whom we, members of the greater outer circle of iiiis friends and acquaintances, will in Ins absence feel ourselves mucu poorer in that supreme asset o-f sentiment, that friendship of good fellowship. We know with a certainty which has no possible exception that the same tally sheet " ill contain our names some day, but we close our eves to this certainty and rush on through life. It is only after some sudden shock, such as the hastily spoken word of this morning’s early hour tolling us that death has entered the homo of our friondi and neighbour, that wo allow ourselves to iook through tlie narrow window and son how near death really is or may be. It is much harder for those who remain than tho.soi who go, and to his family and those whom Sir Richard leaves to carry on his splendid and many works public, charitable, commercial, to them will go the full sympathy of his host of friends.

This man was respected anil lielovcd. Ho was broad of mind, kind in manner, quick in thought and action. He was a builder of character, and all of those who were fortunate enough to live within the radius of hie close influence for