George Coles (entrepreneur)

George Coles (entrepreneur)

George James Coles (28 March 1885 – 4 December 1977) was the founder of what was to become the Coles Group shopping empire, the largest chain store group in Australia.

Born in Jung Jung (now Jung, Victoria) to shopkeeper George W. Coles (d. 1932) and Elizabeth Mary Coles (née Scouler - other sources have Scoular, Souter)(d. 1900), the first of ten children, and educated at Beechworth College. His mother died following the birth of her eleventh child in 1900.

His father married Ann Cameron "Annie" Topp of Buninyong on 20 August 1902 and sold his shop (measuring 20 ft by 18 ft (6m x 5.4m).) in the Victorian country town of St James to eldest son George in 1910 for £4500, then moved to Wilmot, Tasmania, where he opened yet another shop.

In 1914, with brothers Jim and Arthur and capital of £2000, he opened his first shop in Smith Street, Collingwood (he gave his address as 28 Smith Street - above the shop?) with the slogan "Nothing over a shilling", which in the early 1930s became "Nothing over 2/6d"

Brother Arthur enlisted with the AIF shortly after Australia joined the "Great War" (World War I). He was twice wounded and was repatriated in 1916. George enlisted with the 60th Battalion of the AIF in March 1917. Brothers Jim and David were killed during the conflict. Their uncle Jim helped manage the store during their absences.