Robert Simpson Founder of Simpson’s Department Store
On my walk through Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, I came across the grave of one of this country’s most influential retailers—Robert Simpson, founder of the legendary Simpson’s Department Store.
Robert learned the business from his father, Peter Simpson, who ran a general store in Scotland. With limited opportunity for advancement in his homeland, young Simpson emigrated to Canada, eventually opening a shop in Newmarket, Ontario.
It was in 1871 that he took a bold step and opened a small dry goods store in downtown Toronto at 184 Yonge Street. As the city rapidly expanded with urban and industrial growth, Simpson moved his store into larger premises just south of his original location. The now-iconic Simpson’s building at Yonge and Queen Streets, designed by Toronto architect Edmund Burke, became a landmark in Canadian retailing.
A spirited rivalry emerged in 1883, when fellow retail titan Timothy Eaton moved his store farther north to College and Yonge—but only under the condition that his former location remain locked and vacant for six months, preventing Simpson from immediately seizing the prime spot and its foot traffic. And thus, the famous Simpson-Eaton rivalry was born.
Despite the competitive tension, Simpson’s business flourished. By the late 1890s, The Robert Simpson Company Limited had grown to:
-
500 employees
-
35 departments
-
A highly successful mail-order operation
-
And, eventually, the elegant Arcadian Court, which opened in 1929.
Sadly, Robert Simpson died suddenly on December 14, 1897, at the age of 63, never fully witnessing the empire his vision would build.
Without a son to inherit the business, the weight of succession fell heavily on his wife and daughter, Margaret. In March 1898, the business was sold for $135,000 to a syndicate of three Toronto businessmen:
-
Harris Fudger
-
Joseph Flavelle
-
Alfred Ames
These men would go on to amass a fortune, building on Simpson’s foresight and groundwork, transforming the company into one of Canada’s most iconic and enduring retail names.
1834-1897
