Charles Sumner Woolworth, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetCharles Sumner Woolworth
businessperson
Date of Birth: 01-Aug-1856
Place of Birth: Rodman, New York, United States
Date of Death: 07-Jan-1947
Profession: businessperson
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Leo 
About Charles Sumner Woolworth
- Charles Sumner Woolworth (August 1, 1856 – January 7, 1947), was an American entrepreneur who went by the nickname of "Sum", opened and managed the world's first five-and-dime store in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and was founder of the "C.
- S.
- Woolworth & Co" chain of 5¢ & 10¢ stores.
- Sum's brother, Frank Winfield Woolworth was first to venture into the retail business with his own store, and soon after, he asked Sum to join him.
- Frank founded "F.
- W.
- Woolworth & Co", which later merged with other Woolworth affiliate stores to be the F.
- W.
- Woolworth Company.
- After the death of his brother, Sum became the longest serving Chairman of the F.
- W.
- Woolworth Company.
- During the early years, Sum also partnered with a long-time friend, Fred Kirby, to open a "Woolworth and Kirby" store in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.
- When Fred bought out Sum's share, that store grew to become a "friendly rival" affiliate store, in close alliance with the two Woolworth brothers. In 1904, Sum and Frank Woolworth were affiliated with six (6) chains.
- Frank developed the back office side of the business.
- Sum developed the front of the business, pioneering self-service methods, customer service, training new managers, brightly lit stores, and frequently-changed window displays to lure customers inside.
- In 1912 C.
- S.
- Woolworth & Co, with the other affiliated chains, merged 596 stores under the corporate name "F.
- W.
- Woolworth Company".
- After the death of his brother, Frank Winfield Woolworth, Charles Sumner Woolworth became the reluctant Chairman of the Board of F.
- W.
- Woolworth Company (now Foot Locker), for 25 years.
- As a philanthropist and business man, he was involved with several institutions and businesses in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and other areas.
Read more at Wikipedia