Scottish Drapery Corporation

Scottish Drapery Corporation

Company type	Holding company
Industry	Retail
Founded	1926
Founder	John Campbell
Defunct	1952
Fate	Acquired by House of Fraser
Headquarters	Scotland, United Kingdom
Area served	Scotland
Key people	John Campbell
Products	Department stores, drapery

Scottish Drapery Corporation functioned as a holding company managing a collection of Scottish department stores and drapers.

History

Established in 1926, the Scottish Drapery Corporation unified the share capital of several Scottish retail enterprises: Pettigrew & Stephens (Glasgow), Patrick Thomson Ltd (Edinburgh), D M Brown Ltd (Dundee), and Watt & Grant Ltd (Aberdeen). Under the direction of John Campbell, formerly associated with Pettigrew & Stephens, the objective was to strengthen purchasing leverage and financial resources.

From 1928 through 1950, the corporation grew by acquiring various firms:

• 1928 – J & R Allan Ltd, silk mercers and drapers based in Edinburgh
• 1929 – John Falconer & Co Ltd, drapers located in Aberdeen
• 1934 – Daly & Sons, a department store in Glasgow
• 1936 – J D Blair & Sons Ltd, drapers from Edinburgh
• 1938 – Cochranes Stores Ltd, ladies outfitters in Edinburgh (later merged into J D Blair & Sons)
• 1946 – J & S Shannon Ltd, yacht outfitters situated in Greenock
• 1949 – Reid & Pearson Ltd, drapers operating in Aberdeen
• 1950 – A & R Milne, drapers also based in Aberdeen

In 1952, ownership of Scottish Drapery Corporation transferred to House of Fraser, which purchased the company—two-thirds of whose shares were held by Debenhams through the Drapery Trust—incorporating its operations into the House of Fraser group. To fund this transaction, House of Fraser divested most property holdings to Legal & General and subsequently leased them back under advantageous conditions.

Following the acquisition, several subsidiaries maintained their original names: D M Brown continued until 1972 before transitioning to Arnotts, which ultimately ceased trading in 2002. Reid & Pearson closed during the 1960s. J & R Allan was rebranded as an Arnotts store during the 1970s prior to its closure.