Ralph Halpern

Sir Ralph Mark Halpern (born October 1938) is a British businessman, who was the founder of Top Shop and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Burton Group between 1979 - 1991.

Sir Ralph Halpern
Born
Ralph Mark Halpern

October 1938 (age 82)
London
NationalityBritish
Occupationformer CEO, Burton Group
Known forFounder of Topshop
Term1978-1991
SuccessorJohn Hoerner
Spouse(s)Two, including Laura Blume

Early life

Ralph Halpern was born in October 1938.[1] He was born in London after his Jewish parents fled from the Nazis in the 1930s and emigrated to England, losing their fortune.[2][3]

Career

Halpern joined Burton Group as a management trainee in 1961, and was directly involved in the establishment of Top Shop (above a Peter Robinson branch) in 1964.[2] On the back of its success he progressed through the managerial ranks becoming chief executive in 1978. He turned it into a retail empire that dominated the British high street, with 2,800 stores and employing more than 60,000 people. With brands including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Debenhams, Principles, Racing Green and Evans, it was worth £1.8bn when Halpern was ousted by the board in 1991.[4]

Personal life

Halpern was knighted for "services to the retail industry" under Margaret Thatcher in 1986. He divorced his first wife Joan in 1999, with whom he had a daughter, Jenny Halpern Prince.[5] He had previously been linked by the British tabloids to a liaison with the page 3 model Fiona Wright, leading to a "five times a night" headline.[3] In 2000, Halpern became a father again, aged 61, when his second wife and former secretary, Laura Blume gave birth to a son.[6][7] He and Laura were subsequently divorced in Miami in 2007.[8] He was still residing in Miami in 2019.[9]

References
  1. "Ralph HALPERN - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  2. "Top shopper's hideaway". Telegraph. 2004-09-04. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  3. Nigel Cope. "Debenhams to be spun off as Burton regroups | Business | News". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  4. Charlotte Hardie (2011-11-11). "The Burton Group family tree | Analysis". Retail Week. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  5. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/everything-must-go-at-halpern-sale-ns6vww7dsw0
  6. Dennis Barker. "Sir Ralph Halpern a father at 61years of age | Global". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  7. "Five-Times-a-Night Burton's Boss Has a Baby Son at 61; SIR RALPH STARTS A NEW FAMILY WITH FORMER SECRETARY, 38, AT Pounds 5m MANSION". Highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  8. https://www.pressreader.com/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. https://twitter.com/sirralphhalpern?lang=en
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.