Introducing Skipper The Jarrolds Bear
This year marks a great milestone in the history of our iconic department store, as we celebrate being in the heart of Norfolk for 200 years. As part of these celebrations, we introduced a lovely little Jarrolds Bear to our Toy Department who needed a name fit for the occasion...
Through the reigns of nine monarchs, two World Wars and massive changes in the world of retail, Jarrolds has played a part in the lives of Norfolk families for generations. We therefore knew the naming of the newest member of our Jarrolds family was of great significance and that our local community should help us find a name for the Jarrolds bear.
We received hundreds of brilliant name suggestions, however one stood out, Skipper.
Inspired by local architect and Norfolk legend, George Skipper, who was responsible for our Norwich store front and many iconic buildings across the city, we felt Skipper was the perfect name to celebrate both our history and future in Norwich.
George John Skipper was a leading Norwich-based architect of the late Victorian and Edwardian period. The interwar period saw the rebuilding of the Norwich store with the addition of the first restaurant. George Skipper, who had designed the London Street building in 1903, remodelled the frontage of the Exchange Street/London Street corner in 1923, resulting in the iconic corner store front known and loved in Norwich today.
Skipper was behind other city landmarks including the Royal Arcade and Norwich Union Marble Hall. To celebrate this connection to the city of Norwich, we took our newly named Skipper bear on a tour of the city to discover more of George Skippers iconic work…
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who shared name suggestions and to Camilla Mills, for the winning suggestion of Skipper.