D. & J. Fowler

D. & J. Fowler Ltd. was a wholesale grocery company founded in Adelaide, South Australia.

The company was founded by two brothers born in Kilrenny, Fife, Scotland, sons of James Fowler (c. 1794 – 9 December 1872), who kept a general store in Anstruther or Cellardyke in Fifeshire. James Fowler (c. 1830 – 13 February 1858) and his sister Margaret migrated to South Australia on the Anna Maria, arriving in November 1850. With financial assistance from his father, he opened a grocery store in Rundle Street, Adelaide near Pulteney Street. He was joined by elder brother David (1826 – 11 November 1881), who arrived aboard Fop Smit in 1854. Shortly afterwards they moved operations to 54 King William Street on a 14 months' lease. James, who was responsible for all the book-keeping, died in 1858 after a long period of ill-health. The third brother George Swan Fowler, who had been associated with their father's business, emigrated shortly after, arriving in Adelaide by the steamer Indus in July 1860 with sister Margaret, who had returned to Scotland after the death of James. He was made a partner in the firm, while retaining the name of D. & J. Fowler. In 1863 they purchased the King William Street premises they had been renting. By 1865 business had grown to such an extent that they opened a branch office in London, run by David, and a new head office building, completed in 1867, in King William Street, of which George had control. In 1865 they divested themselves of the retail side of the business, selling it to Finlayson & Co. (employees William Finlayson jun. and George Brookman). In 1873 they took over rented premises at McLaren Wharf, Port Adelaide and two warehouses on Vincent Street, but these proved inadequate and in 1881 a large warehouse was built on Santo Parade, opposite New Dock, with storage for 30,000 tons of merchandise.

Branches were opened in Fremantle, where Fowler's Warehouse is a local landmark, Broken Hill and Kalgoorlie. They acquired the dealership for Shell products and set up a shipping agency to handle not only their imports but exports of wool, wheat, meat, flour butter and other materials.

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