John Little (department store)

John Little is a chain of department stores in Singapore. Established in 1845, John Little is the oldest department store in Singapore. The John Little chain is owned by Robinson & Co. Limited.

The chain currently has the only store in Singapore, at Plaza Singapura. In 2016, the Robinsons company announced that they would be changing the John Little brand to a pop up format, closing their final Plaza Singapura branch. The company also holds regular sales at Singapore Expo.

The former stores included:

John Little was founded by John M. Little in 1845 at Raffles Place, then known as Commercial Square. Little then was an employee of F. Martin, who sold his business to Little and Cursetjee Frommurze to form Little, Cursetjee & Co. Frommurze was a well-known Parsee merchant.

On 1 July 1845, Little and Frommurze started their business as auctioneers and commission agents, and offered services in retail as well as auction of properties such as spice plantations and valuable household furniture. Shoppers could buy tickets to plays, musicals and other performances. Little, Cursetjee & Co. became a popular hangout for locals to hold meetings, and functioned like the modern-day equivalent of a central box office.

On 30 June 1853, Little and Frommurze ended their eight-year partnership. John Little & Co. was then formed, and John's brother, Martin, was made a partner. The business continued in the same direction and premises. In 1894, John Little & Co. Ltd was registered by Harwood and Stephenson, London, with a capital of ₤75,000 in £20 shares.

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