John Barker & Co Ltd
In 1894, the business was incorporated with John Barker as the chairman of the board, joined by his brother Francis and H H Johnstone (both established partners in the firm), along with Tresham Gilbey (his son-in-law) and J G Barnes, the former manager of the Kensington branch of Parr's Banking Co. In the same year the business bought Seaman Little & Co, a large competitor, which had divided up the Barker premises. The company at this point had 33 shops, including sixteen fronting onto Kensington High Street.[2] By this time the business had grown to 64 departments selling everything from clothes to groceries. It even had its own drug-dispensing department.
By 1895 the company had purchased every property on the south side of Kensington High Street between King Street and Young Street, except for numbers 73 and 85, which the business would go on to acquire in 1900. New space allowed for the addition of jewellery, watch, and bicycle departments to the ever-growing assortment. In 1907 Barkers bought its near neighbour Ponting Brothers, but continued to run the store as a separate concern.[2]
In 1912, the earliest section of the Barkers store was devastated by fire. Temporary premises were located opposite whilst rebuilding was commenced by Barkers' own construction department in 1913. John Barker, the store's founder, died in 1914. He was replaced as chairman by Sidney Skinner, who had worked his way up in the firm after joining in 1889. The First World War devastated the Barkers business and activities were scaled back.[2]
After the war, the policy of expansion was resumed with the purchase of neighbouring competitor, Derry & Toms, in 1920. The store was located in between the Barkers and Pontings stores, and again was run as a separate entity.
In 1924 the business opened new shops in Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester selling pianos and gramophones, but this venture proved a failure and the provincial branches were shut in 1926.[2] More successful was the 1925 acquisition of Zeeta Cake Company, a high-class bakery and confectionery business, created in 1919 by a group of John Barker & Co directors. The purchase extended Barkers' own already well-established catering operations and eventually up to twenty Zeeta branches would be opened in the London area.
A large new furniture building at 26–40 Kensington High Street was opened in 1926. The site had previously been occupied by the temporary home of a number of departments following the fire of 1912, with the freehold acquired by the company in 1919.
