Waltons (department store)

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Waltons was an Australian department store chain, founded by Sir John Robert Walton. [1]

[edit] History

Walton bought a menswear store in 1951, located in George St, Sydney, opposite Town Hall railway station and the Queen Victoria Building. In 1955, he formed an alliance with the American retail giant Sears and Roebuck.

Waltons Ltd took over McDowell's Holding Ltd in 1971, the owners of McDowell's department stores in 1971. By 1972, the Waltons chain had expanded to 96 department stores before Walton retired as executive chairman. Sir John severed his ties with the company in 1976, when his son John took over. The company was sold to Alan Bond in 1981. The Waltons name disappeared when Bond sold the company in 1987.

The flagship Waltons department store in George Street was demolished and replaced by the Citibank office tower which includes the Galeries Victoria retail space.