Late Topshop creator, Sir Ralph Halpern, was born on October 24, 1938, to his parents, Olga Halpern and Bernard Halpern.
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His parents were Jewish and had moved to London after fleeing from the Nazis in the 1930s.
His mother, Olga, was a fashion designer in Vienna and his father Bernard, was a retailer and banker.
Who Was Sir Ralph Halpern?
Sir Ralph Halpern was a British-born entrepreneur, and former Chief Executive of the menswear retailer Burton Group.
Halpern was a management trainee in Burton Group in 1961 and had helped in creating Top Shop in 1964.
He rose through the ranks and became chief executive in 1978 and transformed the company into a retail empire.
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The company grew with over 2,800 stores and employed over 60,000 people.
Under Halpern, the company’s net worth also grew to £1.8 billion, with brands including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Debenhams, Principles, Racing Green and Evans.
Halpern had been married twice in his lifetime. His first wife, Joan Halpern, divorced him in 1999; and his second wife, Laura Blume divorced him in 2007.
Halpern, passed away on August 10, 2022. He was aged 83.
He is survived by a son and a daughter, Jenny Halpern Prince.
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