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Graham Kirkham, Baron Kirkham of Old Cantley CVO[1] (born 14 December 1944 in Doncaster), is an English businessman famous for founding sofa retailer Dfs. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Doncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland DFS is a national furniture retailer in the United Kingdom which specialises in sofas

Presently Executive Chairman of DFS Furniture Company Ltd, Kirkham is a strong political and financial supporter of the Conservative Party, and is one of South Yorkshire's richest men, with a personal fortune estimated at £315m

Contents

Biogrpahy

Adopted at the age of three weeks, he is the only son of Edlington miner Tom Kirkham and his wife Elsie: "My whole life has been the luck of going to a good family. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Divisions and environs South Yorkshire is divided into four local government districts they are the City of Sheffield, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster Adoption is the act of legally placing a child with a Parent or parents other than those to whom they were born Edlington is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, lying to the southwest of Doncaster Coal mining is the extraction or removal of Coal from the Earth by Mining. "[2]

After passing the Eleven plus exam, he attended Maltby Grammar School and hoped to join the Royal Air Force as a pilot. In the United Kingdom the Eleven Plus or Transfer Test is an Examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education A grammar school is one of several different types of School in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries Failing to get the required five O levels, Kirkham got a job in a local furniture store. The General Certificate of Education or GCE is a secondary-level academic qualification that Examination boards in the United Kingdom confer to students

Northern Upholstery

In 1969 aged 22, Kirkham was married with two children, which he describes as great motivation. [3]

Having visited a few manufacturers in his daily work, he decided that making furniture was relatively easy and that by cutting out the warehouse dealers in the middle of the supply chain, he could sell direct to the public at cheaper prices. Kirkham rented a room above a snooker hall in Carcroft, and started making furniture upstairs and retailing it downstairs. Snooker is a Cue sport that is played on a large Baize -covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long Carcroft is a village in South Yorkshire. The village is roughly six miles north north west of Doncaster.

Dfs

By 1983, Darley Dale–based Direct Furnishing Supplies had become one of Northern Upholstery biggest suppliers. Darley Dale, also known simply as Darley, is a Town in Derbyshire, England, with a population of around 6000 people When Direct Furnishing Supplies went bankrupt with debts of £900,000 on a turnover of £3,000,000, Kirkham bought it. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their Creditors Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against Northern Upholstery now renamed itself DFS and at the time had a total of 63 stores employing 2,000 staff.

In 1993, DFS was floated on the stock market and valued at £271 million, with Kirkham and his family trusts owning just over half of the shares. This brought the Kirkham family to the attention of thieves, who in 1994 broke into the family home at Sprotborough while they were on holiday. The Parish of Sprotbrough and Cusworth lies three miles to the north west of Doncaster town centre in South Yorkshire, England and is split by the The burglars bound and gagged the housekeeper and made off with money and jewels worth £2. 4m - later recovered, but still South Yorkshire's largest armed robbery. [4]

In 1998 DFS announced its first drop in profits in 28 years to the London Stock Exchange. The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. The company found a third of customers admitted to a leather fetish, and so repitched its advertising from a middle aged couple to lithesome blondes and brunette models draped over sofas, and a billboard of a model covering up her breasts with flowers on a DFS armchair. Leather is a material created through the Tanning of hides and Skins of Animals primarily Cattlehide The Tanning process In 2000 DFS announced a 79 per cent profit increase. [5]

But the revival was short lived, and in light of the continuing prevalence for private equity, Kirkham took the chain private again, leveraging his family's own 9. In Finance, private equity is an Asset class consisting of equity Securities in operating companies that are not Publicly traded on 46% stake with £150 million of family funds[6] in an eventual £496 million deal. [7][8] Kirkham told the Yorkshire Post: "It's something that's caused me fitful sleep in the time I've been thinking about it. The Yorkshire Post is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper, published in Leeds, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company I've no hobby, this is my hobby – it's what I do. I'm an entrepreneur. It's almost as if I can feel the adrenaline running through my veins. "[9]

Politics

Kirkham is well know for his support for the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. By 1996 he had lent the party £4 million in an interest free loan,[10] and in the New Years Honours List was given a knighthood. The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery achievement or service to the United Kingdom. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. John Prescott, then in opposition called it: "the crudest example yet of honours given for financial services to the Tory Party. John Leslie Prescott (born 31 May 1938 is a British Labour Party Politician, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First " Kirkham responded that the honour was for his charitable work for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the Animal Health Trust. The DofE (or The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a programme of activities that can be undertaken by anyone aged from 14 to 25 regardless of personal ability "The biggest threat to animals isn't cruelty but injury and disease [11] In September 1996 Kirkham told The Daily Telegraph that his donations were not "anything at all like that sort of magnitude", and that the £4m had in fact been a loan to the party from his son Michael which was repaid a few weeks later. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. [12]

Kirkham gave £200,000 to Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex's Ardent TV company in 1994 because he had "a burning desire to succeed". [13]

In June 1999, Kirkham was made a life peer as Baron Kirkham of Old Cantley,[14] one of the working peers recommended by then Tory leader William Hague who had borrowed Kirkham's helicopter for electioneering. William Jefferson Hague (born 26 March 1961 is a British Politician. [15]

Charity

Kirkham has given generously to charity, allocating grants totalling £455,000 in 1998/99. [16] Among his charitable donations made mainly via the Graham Kirkham Foundation,[17] Kirkham gave £225,000 to help cancer research by Bradford University, had a gallery named after him at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley on Thames,[18] and is also Deputy Patron and a member of the board of Outward Bound trustees. The University of Bradford (est 1966 is a University in Bradford, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. The River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, is located on a site at Mill Meadows by the River Thames. Henley-on-Thames is a town on the north side of the River Thames in south Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from This page is on the organization For other uses see Outward Bound (disambiguation. [19]

Personal life

Kirkham married Pauline Fisher in 1965 The couple have daughter Julie Ann Kirkham (born December 13, 1970), and son Sean Michael Kirkham (born August 9, 1972). Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Kirkham has two houses in his native South Yorkshire, one in Cadeby Road, Sprotborough; and Grade II-listed Georgian mansion Cantley Hall which he bought in 1990 from motor dealer John Carnell. Divisions and environs South Yorkshire is divided into four local government districts they are the City of Sheffield, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster The Parish of Sprotbrough and Cusworth lies three miles to the north west of Doncaster town centre in South Yorkshire, England and is split by the A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance Georgian architecture is the name given in most English -speaking countries to the set of Architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840 Cantley Hall is a Georgian Mansion set in 160 hectares in the village of Old Cantley just outside Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Edward John Carnell ( April 8, 1912 - March 23, 1972) known to his friends as either Ted or John was a British science fiction editor known for [20] Neighbours have complained about both a wall Kirkham built to protect his privacy, as well as noise from a 1998 fireworks party at which the singer was Elaine Paige. Elaine Paige OBE (née Bickerstaff born 5 March 1948 is an English Singer and actress, best known for her work in Musical theatre

Kirkham furnishes his homes using DFS sofas, as well as old master paintings including John Constable's View of the Stour (bought for £6. " Old Master " (or " old master " is a term for a European painter of skill who worked before about 1800, or a painting by such John Constable ( 11 June 1776 &ndash 31 March 1837 7m[21]) and Thomas Gainsborough's Peasants Going To Market (bought for £3. Thomas Gainsborough (christened 14 May 1727 &ndash died 2 August 1788 was one of the most famous portrait and landscape painters of 18th century Britain. 5m). In 1997 Kirkham lent works by Édouard Manet and Orazio Gentileschi to the Getty Center in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (1563 - 1639 was an Italian Baroque painter one of more important painters influenced by Caravaggio (the so-called Caravaggisti The Getty Center in Brentwood Los Angeles California, USA, is the current home of part of the J Brentwood is an affluent district in western Los Angeles, California, United States; it is not to be confused with Brentwood California, in [22]

Awards

References

  1. ^ thePeerage.com - Person Page 19150
  2. ^ Sofa king sitting pretty on £315m pile - The Star
  3. ^ Sofa king sitting pretty on £315m pile - The Star
  4. ^ Sofa king sitting pretty on £315m pile - The Star
  5. ^ Sofa king sitting pretty on £315m pile - The Star
  6. ^ InvestEgate
  7. ^ Outlook: Just say no to Kirkham's insulting DFS bid | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com
  8. ^ World Business Briefing | Europe: Britain: DFS Accepts Founder's Bid - New York Times
  9. ^ Latest News and Features: Famous Doncastrian: Graham Kirkham, on Donny Online
  10. ^ http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/contemp/swuk/sw110395.html
  11. ^ Sofa king sitting pretty on £315m pile - The Star
  12. ^ Briefing notes: 'Paying the parties' by Martin Rosenbaum | Prospect Magazine February 1997 issue 16
  13. ^ Sofa king sitting pretty on £315m pile - The Star
  14. ^ House of Lords - Minute
  15. ^ Sofa king sitting pretty on £315m pile - The Star
  16. ^ The Charities Information Bureau - Fit4Funding | Regional | Bradford - Local Trusts
  17. ^ Kernow Education Arts Partnership
  18. ^ http://www.museophile.lsbu.ac.uk/rrm/visitors/
  19. ^ The Trustees
  20. ^ Sofa king sitting pretty on £315m pile - The Star
  21. ^ http://www.museum-security.org/97/july18.html
  22. ^ British Museum News - The New York Times

External links

Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary "The biggest threat to animals isn't cruelty but injury and disease The University of Bradford (est 1966 is a University in Bradford, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, life peers are created members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as Hereditary Yorkshire Television is the ITV contractor for the Yorkshire franchise The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords"
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