David Reiss (fashion retailer)

David Anthony Reiss (born May 1943) is the founder of the British global fashion chain Reiss, which originated from a store in Bishopsgate that David inherited from his father, Joshua Reiss. The original store was started by David's granduncle Samuel Reiss (born 1903), who was an immigrant from a south-eastern Polish shtetl in Radomyśl Wielki.^[2] In London, David's grandfather's family became members of the orthodox Raleigh Close (Hendon United Synagogue).^[2]

Early life

David Anthony Reiss was born in May 1943.^[3]

Career

David took over his father's gentlemen's outfitters on the corner of Bishopsgate and Petticoat Lane in the City of London, in 1971, when he was in his 20s.^[4] The brand is not a family-run business as such. Reiss's son is a director at HSBC, and his daughter Debra worked for the chain in Los Angeles until her death in 2015.^[5] David's eldest daughter was involved in the business for many years before leaving in her 30s to concentrate on her children.^[6] Reiss lives with his wife in Hampstead, London.^[7]

Today Reiss is the last big owner-founder entrepreneur left in British retail.^[4] Reiss has a target to open 260 stores around the world, including 100 franchise stores (the company has already signed a deal for 40 in Europe, the Far East and the Middle East), and 50 stand-alone stores in Europe and the United States.^[6] The debut in New York City proved a success, recouping the money Reiss invested in just one year, which made Reiss continue pursuing his international plans and in 2007 the retailer boasted eight more US stores,^[8] including stores in Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.^[9] Additional stores opened in Short Hills, New Jersey and Boca Raton, Florida.^[10]

In April 2016, a majority stake was sold to the American private equity firm Warburg Pincus for £230 million.^[11]

Personal life

Reiss is married, with three children, Ally, Debbie and Darren, and lives in Hampstead, London. His "only extravagance" is a Bentley.^[12]

His daughter Debra died suddenly in 2015 from a "long-term illness".^[13]

Notes