Petersen's Ltd

Date of birth
1863
Place of birth
High Street/Christchurch Central/Christchurch
Biography
Benjamin Martin Petersen (1837-1916) was a Norwegian watchmaker who emigrated to Christchurch and started a watchmaker's and jeweller's business in High Street in 1863. IN 1868 he was appointed Swedish and Norwegian Consul-General and held this position until 1871 when he left for London to establish a timber and general merchandising business in Mincing Lane. He sold the business to Solomon Nashelski, an ironmonger. Nashelski shortly afterwards on-sold the firm to Herman Cohn. IN 1875 Cohn left for London, leaving John Monson in charge of the shop, Albert Gunderson in charge of watchmaking and Albert Blytt in charge of silversmithing. Monson left for Melbourne, Blytt moved to Timaru in 1880, and in 1882 Gunderson set up his own business in Christchurch. Shortly before the latter, W H Seed joined the firm and remained as manager for 40 years. Heinrich Kohn ( a brother of Herman Cohn who had changed the spelling of his surname to avoid confusion) took over the business and also established a Wellington branch, known as Kohn & Co.
Albert Blytt made many of the firm's items in the 1870s. On Heinrich Kohn's death in 1912, W H Seed managed the firm for the trustees and the business became known as Petersen's Ltd.

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