Bowring
Dartmouth

About Bowring Dartmouth

Few companies in Canada can claim as rich and long history as Bowring.  Established in Newfoundland in 1811, Bowring is one of the oldest and most respected names in Canadian retailing.

Bowring was started by Benjamin Bowring, an English watch and clock maker, who in 1811 came to St. John’s, Newfoundland and set up shop.  His wife also opened a general dry goods shop.  This shop later evolved into a thriving general department store and the clock-making was eventually phased out. 

Over the next century, five generations of the Bowring family built the enterprise into a vast global empire.   In the 1850’s through to the 1870’s Bowring was best known for its ships including oil tankers, cargo fleets, passenger liners and a coastal mail service.  The company logo “Terra...