From humble beginnings in the early 1970s Gerald and Vera Weisfeld grew their retail empire across the UK before selling in 1990 for £50 million.

The power couple created What Everyone Wants, with 40 stores, more than 2000 staff and annual revenues of more than £100 million.

Gerald Weisfeld is one of Britain’s outstanding entrepreneurs and was a Founder member of the Entrepreneurial Exchange. Working alongside him was his wife Vera, who had started her retail career at just 15. They worked as a team with Gerald’s buying skills a thing of legend, whilst Vera was very much the face of the company – leading with passion and flair.

Following the sale of What Everyone Wants Vera and Gerald created the Weisfeld Foundation, believing that with great wealth came the responsibility to give something back – especially to the communities that supported the business.

Their Foundation now co-ordinates work in Africa, Europe, America and throughout the UK and operates with a focus on helping people to gain and maintain greater control of their own lives; achieving a sense of self worth and fulfillment of personal potential.

Growing a business of such scale requires dedication and ambition – the original Queen of Retail, Vera will tell her story of the 20-year entrepreneurial journey she took with her husband.