Thomas Wardle

Sir Thomas Edward Wardle (born 1912 in West Leederville, Western Australia, died in 1977) was a businessman and supermarket proprietor from Western Australia. He was best known for his 'Tom, the Cheap' supermarket chain as well as revolutionising grocery shopping in the state. He was Lord Mayor of Perth from 1967 to 1972.

Biography

Wardle and his Swedish-born wife Hilda opened a small grocery store in rented premises in Fitzgerald Street, North Perth in 1946, managing to purchase the property several years later. While holidaying in Sweden with his wife in 1955, Wardle observed the trend in European supermarket retailing which was a move away from shop-counter service to a system which allowed shoppers to browse aisles of produce at their own leisure. This was still relatively novel in Perth at that time.

On his return to Perth he implemented the new store layout with the 'Tom, the Cheap' brand together with discounted margins — he applied a 10% markup as opposed to the standard 25% from his competitors. Wardle's supermarket was initially boycotted by the supplier/large grocery cartels, and he often had to bring produce from interstate and purchase from other grocers. Despite the difficulties, his innovative marketing proved highly successful and he embarked on a major expansion program: by the end of 1958 he had expanded to six stores across Perth; three years later the chain was 33 stores strong; and by 1971 there were 245 Tom, the Cheap stores across Australia, and he had become one of Australia's largest grocery retailers with a turnover of $78 million per annum.

Wardle bought the Capitol Theatre (10 William Street, designed by George Temple Poole and opened in 1929) in 1966 which was at that time the main live concert venue in Perth and home of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. In 1967 he was elected Lord Mayor of Perth. The following year he sold the Capitol to the City of Perth to be demolished to make way for a car park. During his mayoral tenure Wardle championed the call for the Perth Concert Hall which was constructed between 1971 and 1973. The Wardle Room in the Concert Hall is named in his honour.

The government of Sir Charles Court decided to sell Dirk Hartog Island in 1968, which had until then been operated under a pastoral lease for sheep and wool production. Wardle argued that the island should be kept by the government as a nature reserve. The suggestion was declined and so, the now immensely wealthy Wardle bought it for his own use as a private retreat for his family.

Wardle was made a Knight Bachelor on 13 June 1970 for "service to commerce and the community".

He lost most of his fortune in 1975 as a result of real estate speculation and with his wife became a recluse on Dirk Hartog Island. He died in 1977.

In 1989 the island returned to government ownership (with the exception of 100 acres including the original pastoral homestead) and is part of the Shark Bay Marine Park. It is run as an eco-tourism resort and maintained by Wardle's grandson, Kieran Wardle.

Further reading

• Stannage, C. T. (1979). "Sir Thomas Wardle, the grocer". In Hunt, Lyall (ed.) (ed.). Westralian Portraits. Nedlands: University of Western Australia Press. pp. 286–295. ISBN 0-85564-157-6. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)
• "Thomas Edward Wardle - brief biography". Daily News. 24 August 1987. p. 11.
• "Sir Thomas Edward Wardle - riches to rags; story of 'Tom the cheap'". Western Mail. 20, 21 April 1985. pp. 1, 18–19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)