History
In 1872, Caleb Soul and his son Washington opened their first store at 177 Pitt Street, Sydney, trading as Washington H. Soul and Co. They later moved to 158-160 Pitt Street.
Lewy Pattinson emigrated to Australia in 1881 after hearing of Soul's success and became good friends with him. They were never in competition in business, and in the early 1900s, the Souls asked Pattinson to buy their business. As a result, Pattinson and Co. bought out Washington H. Soul and Co. and the entity became Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited, the company named out of respect for Pattinson's friend.
The first public offering of shares was in December 1902, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited was listed on the Sydney Stock Exchange (now the Australian Stock Exchange) on 21 January 1903. WHSP celebrated one hundred years as a listed public company in 2002 and is Australia's second-oldest public company and it's headquarters remain at 160 Pitt Street Mall, Sydney.
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