Alfred Dunhill

This article is about the English businessman. For the companies bearing his name, see Alfred Dunhill Ltd. and Dunhill (cigar).

Alfred Dunhill
FRSA
Alfred Dunhill in 1893
Born(1872-09-30)30 September 1872
Hornsey, Middlesex, England
Died2 January 1959(1959-01-02) (aged 86)
Worthing, Sussex, England
NationalityEnglish
Occupations
  • Tobacconist
  • entrepreneur
  • inventor
Known forAlfred Dunhill Ltd.

Alfred Dunhill FRSA[1] (30 September 1872 – 2 January 1959) was an English tobacconist, entrepreneur and inventor. He is the progenitor of Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. a London-based luxury goods company owned by Swiss company Richemont and the Dunhill tobacco products company owned by British American Tobacco (now two independently owned entities).

From 1893 Dunhill ran a company selling motoring accessories, and in 1902 opened a shop in Mayfair. He developed a pipe designed for motorists in 1904. He opened a tobacconist's shop in St James's in 1907, offering tailored tobacco blends. Shops were opened in New York and Paris in the 1920s. With his international ambitions, Dunhill helped to create the modern luxury goods market. He retired from business in 1929, and married his mistress in 1945, following the death of his wife.

  1. ^ "Alfred Dunhill, 86, tobacconist, dead". The New York Times. 5 January 1959.