Timothy Eaton

Born: 1834
Died: January 31, 1907
Place of Birth: Clogher, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

• Timothy Eaton emigrated from Ireland to Canada in 1854 as an apprentice shopkeeper.

• He and his two brothers set up a bakery business in St.Mary's but it soon folded so they then decided to open a dry goods store.

• Eaton thought the town was too small to expand a business so in 1869 he moved to Toronto.

• In Toronto, he set up a dry goods store with set prices on each product and a money-back guarantee if the customer wasn't satisfied.

• Eaton also actively improved the working conditions for his employees.

• Knowing that it was difficult for some customers to get to his store, in 1884 he introduced a catalog for his goods

• At the time of his death in 1907, Eaton's employed over nine thousand and had two business offices.

• Eaton's faced increased competition in the 1990's and loss of profits resulted.

• It remained a private family business until 1998 when it went public.

• In 1999 the business was sold to its major competitor, Sears Canada.

• Eaton had set up a business which set high standards and was a major part of Canada's history.

Last Updated: June 13, 2006
© Canada-Heros/Don Jones 2003