THE MOORES BROTHERS
Sir John Moores (1896-1993):
A lifetime of lessons can be learnt from Sir John Moores. From rags to riches, his story is one of foresight, determination and diversification born of his own life experience. John Moores, was born the eldest of eight siblings in Eccles, Manchester in 1896. His father was a bricklayer, but following an accident at work he turned to drink and John became the breadwinner for the family. Starting out delivering milk, he went on to become a Telegraphist. It wasn’t until 1923 that John’s entrepreneurial aptitude was realised with the Football Pools and furthered through the development of mail order and chain stores.
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Affectionately referred to as the ‘Old Man’, John fostered a reputation as an honourable and benevolent employer with great integrity. His business acumen was matched only by the loyalty and devotion of his employees - known as Littlewoodies.​
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For John, honesty, integrity, equality and opportunity were key to his businesses, but overriding all of these values was plain and simple hard work. He made a lasting impact upon those he came into contact with as his belief in himself and those around him was infectious and unrelenting.
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John’s legacy as a businessman and philanthropist is well-known, however, he was also interested in politics. He stood as a national candidate on two occasions and served as a city councillor for Kensington, Liverpool, and Sefton Park.​ In 1972 he was given a CBE for youth work and services to the arts on Merseyside and then in 1980, was awarded a knighthood.
Mr Cecil Moores (1902-1989)
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Through the popularity of the Pools business, Littlewoods become a national institution. Accordingly, John enlisted the help of several family members to help with the demands of the new company. John's brothers (Charlie and Arthur) along with his sisters (Hilda, Lou and Edna) worked for Littlewoods in various capacities. However, it was his brother Cecil, who would go onto become John's right-hand man.
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Cecil Moores, affectionately known as ‘The Chief’, is often overlooked in the history of Littlewoods. However, he was instrumental in developing the company and its ethos alongside his brother.
​When John turned his attention to the retail stores and mail order, Cecil took over the management of Littlewoods Pools in 1932. He soon became the face of the Pools with his image and words of wisdom appearing on the many
coupons.
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During his 47 years as chairman, he steered the company through the difficult war years, to the post-war boom era of the 50s and 60s. Cecil retired as Chairman from the Pools in 1979, he held the post of President until his death in 1989 after a long struggle with his health. Cecil went on to remain as president of the Football Pools until his death in 1989
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Cecil was a keen sportsman and the driving force behind the formation of the charitable Football Trust which led to the Football Foundation and the Foundation for Sports and Arts.
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What Cecil and John created was a sense of familial belonging among their employees which echoed through generations and is the reason why Littlewoods remains in the hearts of so many former employees to this day.
