Source: History Insights - Malaysia
It’s weathered many storms from a financial crisis, World War II, The Great Depression, a fire, and an oil crisis.
Robinsons documented its story in their corporate book, The Story of Robinson’s, where The Star highlighted some excerpts over 10 years ago.
Robinsons’ story began in 1858 with Philip Robinson, an Australian immigrant and James Gaborian Spicer, a former Singapore jailkeeper.
The two had set up shop as Spicer and Robinson as a “family warehouse” in Singapore.
Less than 2 years after the partnership, Spicier pulled out and the company was renamed Robinsons & Co.
Unlike most stores at the time who would set up more outlets countrywide to attract customers, Robinson developed his business a different way.
He hired travelling salesmen to canvass in the Malay Archipelago and Borneo.
Many of the Malay Rulers were among his customers, as well as King Mongkut of Siam, who was then the most powerful ruler in South-East Asia.
Close to the end of 1864, a financial crisis saw the crash of firms and many stores closing down, but Robinsons managed to survive during this time.
Phillip Robinson passed away in 1881 and his son, Stamford Raffles Robinson, took over the business in 1886.
The 1890s saw the company doing more business than ever before in Malaysia, which was then known as the Malayan states.
The company launched a large advertising campaign in the newspapers and increased its number of travelling salesmen.
In the early 1990s, Robinsons stocked musical instruments as most homes had a piano, horn, or gramophone. Sometimes all three.
According to The Star, Robinsons was among the first agents for Raleigh bicycles globally when they started selling the bikes in 1907.
People had access to a cheap form of transportation aside from walking for the first time.
By 1958, Robinson’s had sold over half a million Raleigh bicycles.
Staying Open Despite A Japanese Bombing
The company opened up its main store in Kuala Lumpur in 1928, just before the start of the Great Depression came.
In April 1932, the Straits Times reported that Robinson & Co lost S$233,745 from the effect of the continued Depression.
One of the factors was because its chairman refused to sell the store’s goods at lower qualities and more affordable prices to preserve the brand’s reputation.
The company rode out the storm and made its first profit of S$25,355 in 1936.
This led Singapore’s Robinsons to move to a bigger building in Raffles Place, located in the country’s financial district.
Come December 1941, The Japanese had bombed Raffles Place, which blew out the front of the store.
Robinsons however, stayed put and advertised “Open as Usual” on their door the next day.
It suffered damage and was attacked again in February 1942.
When the British returned to Singapore in 1945, the Robinsons building served as their headquarters.
Namely, the British Navy, Army and Air Force Institute and the Entertainments National Service Association—the entertainment and service organisations of the Allied forces.
Back in Malaya, allied troops were running short of supplies. The manager of Robinson’s Kuala Lumpur branch stepped in to provide hundreds of camp beds, food and clothing supplies.
One of the former chairmen of the company, W. H. MacGregor, died in captivity in 1942.
Surviving The Fire
The Raffles Place store reopened in April 1946. For the first time in history, business flourished and earned a profit of $1 million.
Robinson’s became the first store in the Far East to be fully air-conditioned in 1955.
That same year, the company acquired a 76% interest in the capital of John Little (Malaya) Ltd, a former department store chain.
In November 1972, the Raffles Place outlet caught on fire, which reduced the building to rubble.
Nine people died in the blaze and the store moved to Specialist’s Shopping Centre on Orchard Road.
As a result of the 1973 oil crisis, the Kuala Lumpur branch on Jalan Tun Perak Masjid Jamek closed down in 1975.
The building was acquired by United Asian Bank in 1976, and it was demolished to make way for the bank’s headquarters, now known as Menara UAB.
Robinson’s made a comeback in Kuala Lumpur in 2007 after a thirty-two year absence when its new store opened at The Gardens, Mid Valley City.
A second store opened at Four Seasons Place, located next to the Petronas Towers.
This marked the return of Robinsons to Kuala Lumpur’s central business district.
A Robinsons department store operator said that large name retailers in the world have exited the industry and cited a study on retail trends.
Additionally, he shared that more than half of mall-based department stores will close in the next five years.
Source and image credit: Vulcan Post. Robinson Kuala Lumpur branch, 1970s.
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22/12/2024: 3.05 p.m
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