Georges (store)

Georges was a department store in Melbourne, Australia, established in 1880 and closed in 1995.[1]

Georges of Collins Street

Type	Department Store
Industry	Retail
Founded	1880
Defunct	1995
Headquarters	Melbourne
Products	clothing, manchester, leather goods, soft furnishings, furniture, hardware, food
Website	http://www.georgesoncollins.com.au/

Georges Store began as George & George's Federal Emporium, founded by brothers William and Alfred George, in 1880, moving in 1883 to a large four storey building at 280 Collins Street (originally 11-17 Collins Street East, which had been built in 1877 as Briscoe’s warehouse[2][3]). In 1888 they amalgamated with the Equitable Co-operative Store, located in a grand classical revival style building at 162-168 Collins Street (originally 89 Collins Street East) built in 1884, and designed by architects John Grainger & Charles D'Ebro. In September 1889 a disastrous fire destroyed their 280 Collins premises (which was then replaced by the first stage of the Block Arcade), after which they simply rebranded the 162-168 Collins Street location. [4] In 1891 the building was refurbished and extended through to Little Collins Street, designed by D'Ebro alone.[5]

There was a branch of the store in the eastern suburb of Camberwell.

The store's motto was Quod facimus, Valde facimus (What we do, We do well), as the firm had a philosophy of providing exclusive goods and meticulous service. The firm was taken over by Cox Brothers from 1960–66. The company was later listed on the Melbourne Stock Exchange as Georges Australia Limited, and then David Jones Limited took over that company in 1981, finally closing in 1995.[6]

The generosity of the company was extended to prominent and worthy employees like the English migrant from Cornwall, William Powne, who initially had a drapery business in Ballarat named Powne and Cray. Upon Powne giving notice to the George’s that he would again be starting a drapery business in Clarendon St, Melbourne, such was the esteem in which he was held, the George brothers gave Powne a purse of sovereigns.The prominence of the company resulted in this act of goodwill being published in The Age on 14th September 1886 see: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196017581?searchTerm=“William%20Powne”%20sovereigns

These sovereigns were eventually passed to descendants initially through William Powne’s children and as at 2020 still continues with the success story of George and George being front and centre.