News

Obituary: Former President Dennis Rose 1921-2017

May 3, 2017
Mr Dennis Rose who served as President of the EWF in 1976

Past President (1976) of the Electrical Wholesalers’ Federation (EWF), the forerunner of the EDA, Dennis Rose passed peacefully away at his St John’s Wood home on Sunday 26th March 2017, at the age of 96. He had enjoyed a very full, healthy and happy life.

Dennis’s grandfather John Altman had founded The Wholesale Fittings Company Ltd in London in 1894. After wartime service in the RAF, Dennis joined the business in 1946 and later became co-director with his father Samuel.

After Sam’s death he became Chairman in 1956. His brother Lennard had joined the business and, as co-directors, they steadily built the Company until in 1972, with 10 distribution units, they floated it as a listed company on the London Stock  Exchange. He was always proud of the fact that Mothercare came to the market on the same day in 1972 and WF was 14 times oversubscribed and Mothercare only 6 times. Lennard was always the sharp commercial operator and Dennis was the genial front man. Dennis’s son Stephen and Lennard’s son Richard joined the company in the late 1970s.

Dennis was President of the Electrical Wholesalers Federation in 1976. Council meetings were conducted with style and humour. His fellow councillors could always rely upon the introduction of a humorous tale or two to enliven the proceedings.

During his career, Dennis was a Councillor at Tower Hamlets Council and a Justice of the Peace – sitting at the Horseferry Road Magistrates Court.