Barkers of Kensington

Barkers of Kensington began as a small drapery shop founded in 1870 by John Barker and his investor James Whitehead. John Barker arrived in London from Kent with grand ambitions, having learned the retail trade at high-end emporiums. He turned his modest initial investment of three hundred and forty pounds into a sprawling retail empire by aggressively acquiring the leases and freeholds of the properties surrounding his original storefront. Within a few decades, his business grew to include over forty departments, selling everything from men's tailoring to groceries and even operating its own pharmacy.