Death of the Founder of What Every Woman Wants Fashion Retailer

The founder of the renowned fashion retail chain What Every Woman Wants has passed away at the age of 87. Vera Weisfeld, along with her husband Gerald, established the women's fashion brand in Glasgow in 1971, before expanding its presence across the UK. The company rapidly grew, opening stores in towns such as Irvine, Blackburn, Hartlepool, Ormskirk, Leyland, and Swansea, as well as one on the Isle of Man. A spokesperson for the family confirmed that Vera passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones, on Thursday evening.

Vera Carlin was born on February 10, 1938, in a basement flat in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, which lacked both electricity and indoor plumbing. Despite her later wealth, Vera often reflected on how no property could ever replace the cherished memory of her humble beginnings in the small, single-room flat at 29 Coats Street. Her retail career began at C&A on Glasgow's Argyle Street, where she quickly climbed the ranks from a 15-year-old junior to head of the branchs Marking Off room within just a year. She had an exceptional memory, able to recall the duration for which garments had been in stock, their buying and selling prices, as well as their color and size.

Veras meticulous attention to detail and organizational skills at C&A would influence her future work when she and Gerald launched What Every Woman Wants in 1971. Together, they created a high-street giant, providing women with affordable London-style fashion at competitive prices. Staff would sing the companys anthem as they opened the store each day, and the brand's advertisements were famously set to the tune of Status Quos hit Whatever You Want. The stores grand opening on Argyle Street was marked by comedian Billy Connolly arriving in a horse and cart.

The Weisfelds sold their business in 1990 for 50 million, setting what was then a record for the sale of a Scottish fashion business. The first of their stores, a B-listed building, was demolished in November 2020 after standing vacant for 16 years.

Through their charitable organization, The Weisfeld Foundation, the couple donated millions to various causes, with a particular focus on initiatives that helped children. In 1994, they traveled to Bosnia to manage the distribution of aid to refugees from the Balkans War, despite warnings from the Foreign Office. They also established homes for children in Romania who had been abandoned by their families due to HIV infections.

Gerald Weisfeld, Vera's husband and business partner, passed away in January 2020 at the age of 79, following a prolonged battle with Alzheimer's disease.