Many talented and successful people have been born in Liverpool, including business leaders, scientists, actors, writers, and athletes. Today, we’re going to talk about the success story of the famous English businessman John Moores, who became a Freeman of the City of Liverpool. Read more about the biography of this distinguished businessman at liverpool1.one.
The Businessman’s Childhood and Youth
The future businessman and philanthropist was born in 1896 in Eccles, Lancashire. He grew up in a large family. By the age of 12, John was already working. Before his lessons, the boy helped with milk deliveries. A year later, Moores left school and became a messenger boy at the Post Office. The young man later began attending courses at the Post Office School of Telegraphy. This was followed by a job as a junior operator at the Commercial Cable Company. In 1917, Moores volunteered for the Royal Navy.
Life in Liverpool
After being demobilised, John continued to work for the company, and in 1920, he was sent to Liverpool for training.
It should be noted that John Moores had an entrepreneurial spirit. He came up with various schemes to earn more money. As early as 1921, the future businessman opened a bookshop in a small town in Ireland, where he sold not only books but also stationery and golf balls.
In 1923, John, along with two friends and colleagues, founded the Littlewoods Football Pool. Each member of the start-up invested £50 in the new venture—a large sum of money for them at the time. However, the business did not grow very actively and only drained money from the young entrepreneurs. Each of the business partners invested a further £200, but nothing changed. John’s partners decided to close the business, but Moores offered to buy their shares. He paid his two partners £200 each. By 1932, Moores was a millionaire. He decided to launch the Littlewoods mail-order business. The first store opened in 1937, and by the start of the Second World War, there were already 25 such stores across Great Britain.
Business Development
Moores’s company began to grow rapidly, and in 1957, the first computer was installed to improve efficiency. In 1961, Littlewoods acquired the company Sherman’s Pools of Cardiff. Moores decided to found a sixth mail-order company, ‘Peter Craig’. This happened in 1967 in Preston.
It should be added that the businessman managed the company until 1977, when he handed over the reins to his son, Peter. However, in 1980, Moores returned to manage the company again, as its profits had fallen significantly. Two years later, John resigned once more but continued to attend board meetings until 1986.
Moores was a great lover of sport. This is probably why he became a director of Everton Football Club in 1960. In addition, he lent money to the football club so that Everton could buy players.
Baseball was another of the businessman’s passions. In 1933, he created a league for Liverpool teams. For his services to the sport, John Moores was posthumously inducted into the British Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Titles and Honours
In 1970, the businessman was made a Freeman of the City of Liverpool. Two years later, he was appointed a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). In 1978, Moores was awarded the first Gold Medal for achievement, and two years later, he was knighted. The businessman received his knighthood from Prince Charles in 1980.
In 1992, Liverpool Polytechnic was granted university status. The educational institution not only received a new status but also a new name: Liverpool John Moores University.
John Moores was married and had four children. His wife, Ruby, died from cancer in 1965. The businessman himself passed away in 1993.
This is the life story of the famous businessman John Moores. We hope you found this article informative and have drawn your own conclusions.