Marcus Clark; Sydney, NSW

Marcus Clark & Co was a large department store chain starting in 1883 till 1966 based in Sydney, NSW. During 1931 to 1933 Marcus Clark sold radios branded “Conley Lee” and “Eclectic”. It is not clear if these radios were manufactured by Marcus Clark or sourced from other manufacturers and re-badged.

From a modest start in the Sydney suburb of Newtown in 1883, Marcus Clark & Co rose to become one of the city's largest department stores with a network of branches in towns and suburbs across Australia. Henry Marcus Clark (1859-1913) established the company when he purchased the drapery business of his former employer, John Kingsbury. The business quickly expanded, trebling itself within five years, and soon opened new stores in Marrickville and Bondi Junction. Many department stores of the early twentieth century had their own manufacturing facilities. Marcus Clark & Co's manufactures included timber and cane furniture, quilts and bedding On the death of Henry Marcus Clark in 1913, his son Reginald Marcus Clark (1883-1953), who was knighted in 1939 and then known as Sir Marcus Clark, took over the business. The company continued in family hands until taken over by rival department store, Waltons, in 1966