Ralph Halpern, the founder of Topshop, has reportedly died at the age of 83.
Ralph Halpern was managing director of the men’s outfitters Burton Group from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. During this time he helped found Topshop which grew into a major British womenswear chain in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
Halpern evolved Burton Group from a pure menswear company, introducing brands such as Dorothy Perkins and Evans, and later adding department stores Debenhams and Harvey Nichols to his portfolio. However, he was removed from office by the retail conglomerate’s board of directors in 1991 and eventually relocated to Miami, Florida.
Following his departure, subsequent CEO John Horner formed the Arcadia Group and spun off Debenhams, which was acquired by a private equity group.
Both Arcadia and Debenhams have since collapsed due to the pandemic and while Debenhams was taken over by Boohoo, Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridges were taken over by online retailer Asos. All of these brands are now online-only businesses.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Halpern’s daughter, Jenny Halpern Prince, said of her father’s legacy: “Our father shaped the spirit of entrepreneurship and the British retail landscape in an irreplaceable way, and in his own unique way.”
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.