Arthur Barnett (businessman)
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Arthur Barnett OBE |
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|---|---|
| Born |
29 January 1873 Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Died | 10 February 1959 (aged 86) Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Occupation | retailer |
| Known for | Arthur Barnett (department store) |
| Relatives | Matthew Barnett (brother) |
Arthur Barnett OBE (29 January 1873 – 10 February 1959) was a New Zealand businessman, and founder of the Arthur Barnett chain of department stores, the leading department store in Otago.
Born in Dunedin on 29 January 1873, Barnett was the son of William Barnett, an auctioneer, and one of eleven children. Among his siblings was Matthew Barnett. He attended Albany Street School and Otago Boys' High School, leaving after his fourth-form year. He became an apprentice draper, working for A. & T. Inglis and later Fyfe & Cummings. At the latter firm he met his future wife Ethel Frances Reid. They married at St. Paul's Cathedral on 31 October 1900.
In 1903, Barnett opened a small shop in George Street, Dunedin. His brother Matthew, a successful bookmaker in Christchurch, guaranteed a £900 loan to get the business going. His shop grew, largely on the strength of Barnett's skills at advertising his business. Within ten years, he had moved to larger premises and annexed two adjacent shops to create one of the South Island's largest stores. Around the same time, he trademarked an image of himself as a small jockey sitting astride a galloping Clydesdale horse (nicknamed "Can't stop") as a logo for his store. Eventually, the business was the leading department store in Otago.
Barnett's public profile rose alongside that of his business, and during World War I he put his skills to fundraising, with carnivals and parades which amassed many thousands of pounds. He also played a leading role in the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition of 1925. By this time his business occupied half a city block and had a staff of around 100.
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