Registration number: 14402

Company name: Scottish Drapery Corporation Ltd
Dates in business: 1926-1952

Type of business: management holding company

Type of company: Private limited company

Locations:

• Alva Street, Edinburgh, Scotland

Management of company

The chairman of the Scottish Drapery Corporation Ltd was John Campbell, chairman of Pettigrew & Stephens Ltd.

Company history

The Scottish Drapery Corporation Ltd was incorporated on 11 December 1926 with registered premises at 6 Alva Street, Edinburgh. It was set up to act as a holding company and took over the share capital of the retail businesses of Pettigrew & Stephens Ltd, department store retailers, of Glasgow, Patrick Thomson Ltd, department store retailers, of Edinburgh, D M Brown Ltd, drapers, of Dundee, and Watt & Grant Ltd, drapers, of Aberdeen.

In November 1928, it acquired the shares of the Edinburgh company J & R Allan Ltd, silk mercers and drapers, followed in 1929 by John Falconer & Co Ltd, drapers, of Aberdeen, and, in 1934, the Glasgow company Daly & Sons Ltd, drapers. In June 1936, it acquired J D Blair & Sons Ltd, drapers, of Edinburgh, and in July 1938, Cochranes Stores Ltd, ladies outfitters, of Edinburgh, became part of the Corporation as a subsidiary of J D Blair & Son Ltd.

The Corporation acquired J & S Shannon Ltd, yacht outfitters, of Greenock, in November 1946, and Reid & Pearson Ltd, drapers, of Aberdeen, in February 1949. In September 1950, Watt & Grant Ltd acquired the heritable property of 229 Union Street, Aberdeen, belonging to A & R Milne, drapers. It was decided to continue to trade under that name in order to preserve the goodwill.

In September 1952, the Scottish Drapery Corporation Ltd was acquired by House of Fraser Ltd, department store retailers, of Glasgow. The deal was financed by selling all the Scottish Drapery Corporation Ltd stores with the exception of Pettigrew & Stephens Ltd and Patrick Thomson Ltd to the Legal & General Assurance Society Ltd, London. The Corporation was wound up and the businesses of the subsidiary companies which traded as separate stores were merged with House of Fraser Ltd.

Access points: Holding companies