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Gerald Weisfeld

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Gerald Weisfeld
Born(1940-03-17)17 March 1940[1]
London, England
Died13 January 2020(2020-01-13) (aged 79)
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder, What Every Woman Wants
SpouseVera Weisfeld
Children3

Gerald Weisfeld (17 March 1940 – 13 January 2020) was a British businessman, and the founder of the What Every Woman Wants (WEWW) retail chain, which at one time had 130 stores in the UK.

Weisfeld was born in London to a Jewish family, and left school aged 15 without any qualifications.[2]

Together with his wife Vera, Weisfeld started with one small shop in Glasgow, and grew What Every Woman Wants into 130 stores, before selling the chain in 1990 for £50 million.[2]

In 1990, WEWW was sold to Brown & Jackson, and was later bought by Amber Day, run by Philip Green, and Weisfeld was later acrimoniously dismissed as chairman.[2][3]

Weisfeld had three children with his first wife.[2]

In December 2018, Weisfeld, aged 78 and suffering from dementia, became the first resident of Bothwell Castle Care Home, Glasgow.[4][5]

On 13 January 2020, Weisfeld died at age 79.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Gerald Weisfeld, retail tycoon behind the discount fashion chain What Every Woman Wants – obituary
  2. ^ a b c d Thomson, Richard (17 April 1994). "Profile: So what's love got to do with it?: The Weisfelds: Business is a powerful glue in the marriage of the couple aiming to turn round Poundstretcher. They talk to Richard Thomson". The Independent. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Business Blast from the Past: How Vera Weisfeld's success at What Every Woman Wants nearly didn't happen". Insider. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  4. ^ Callan, Isaac (10 December 2018). "Gerald Weisfeld, founder of What Every Woman Wants, moves into luxury Glasgow care home". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  5. ^ Drury, Paul (13 December 2018). "My husband's dementia is tragic, says fashion tycoon". The Times. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  6. ^ "What Every Woman Wants creator Gerald Weisfeld dies aged 79 after battle with illness". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 13 January 2020.