DOBSONS

Company Background

In 1918 from humble beginnings Thomas Walter Dobson first planted the seed that is now Dobsons Pty Ltd.

Opening his first store just 100 meters from our current location in Glenferrie Road, it was Thomas’ dream to supply every school in the surrounding area with affordable school wear garments, sourced from the finest quality.

A successful menswear business early on, Thomas saw the potential in school wear and so did his son Walter Dobson who entered the business in 1935. Wal grew the business with his father and set about laying the foundations of a secure future.

Thomas passed away and it was then up to Wal to continue in his father’s footsteps. He championed anything local, following his beloved Hawks on the weekends as well as being appointed the Mayor of the City of Hawthorn and Justice of the Peace.

In 1949, Ian Dobson was born and was destined to follow his father. After completing a degree in Economics at the University of Monash, Ian was appointed General Manager and soon became the future of Dobsons. Being a new wave thinker, Ian’s passion for developing the business soon became apparent and his desire to take Dobsons to even greater heights forged new territory.

Ian established our first ever school shop on campus in 1985. Since then, Ian has built Dobsons into one of the largest school shop operators nationally.

Primarily focused on the Victorian market, it wasn’t until Warwick Dobson joined the business in 1996 that Dobsons expanded interstate.

Warwick’s expertise in technological advancement assisted Dobsons greatly by creating a specialised system for buying and analysing stock delivery.

Currently Dobsons operate 28 school shops, employing more than 80 staff and continues to grow today. There are now 7 direct descendents working within the company.

Key Personnel