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Opened on July 7th 1907 in London’s fashionable St. James’s district, Alfred Dunhill created a legacy that endures to this day. Originally conceptualised as an exclusive specialist tobacconist and pipe shop in 31A Duke Street, its proximity to the clubs of St. James’s and Pall Mall helped to ensure instant success and a loyal and distinguished customer base. The “dunhill’s” shop on Duke Street quickly gained a reputation for custom tobacco blends, the best pipes money could buy and an unsurpassed customer service. In the coming years, the shop would be enlarged to the premises on 30 and 31 Duke street and today the store still occupies the same space, although the building had been re-erected in the 1950’s (after the original building was almost completely destroyed by two German landmines during the WWII) and the entrance has now moved around the corner to 48 Jermyn Street. The success of this store was so great that in the mid 1920’s, more than 260,000 Dunill pipes were sold over the counter, its profit financing the expansion of the White Spot brand in terms of product offering and internationally. The famous White Spot pipes are till this day a cherished element of the product offering and an even more so important part of the heritage of the brand. |