Home and Colonial Stores
Encyclopedia
Home & Colonial Stores was once one of the United Kingdom
's largest retail chains. Its formation of a vast chain of retail stores in the late 1920s is seen as the first step in the development of a UK food retail market dominated by a small number of food multiples.
who in 1883 went into partnership with John Musker selling groceries at a small shop in Edgware Road in London
. He subsequently opened stores in Islington
, Birmingham
and Leeds
. The shops mainly sold tea
and by 1885 they were trading as the Home & Colonial Tea Association.
William Slaughter took over the Chairmanship of the business on incorporation in 1888. By the turn of the century the Company had over 100 stores and by 1903 it had 500.
Between 1924 and 1931, several stores, including Liptons merged with Home & Colonial to form a company with over 3,000 branches. Within this period of rapid change, Home & Colonial formed Allied Suppliers to act as a buyer on behalf of the whole group.
From 1948 until 1964 the group Chairman and CEO was Sir Lancelot Royle
KBE. He had joined the group in 1928. By 1955 the company was ranked 27th largest in UK.
By 1960, Home & Colonial Stores Ltd was still a major force in the UK food industry. With retail operations in the UK and abroad and factories in the UK, it was able to report a 10% rise in profits to £4,033,057.
By 1961, reflecting the end of the British Empire
, the group had restyled itself under the name of the company it created in 1929, Allied Suppliers. Early in 1972, Allied was acquired by Cavenham Foods
, formed six years previously by British entrepreneur James Goldsmith
. Melia's Grocers and Tea Dealers
, another popular grocery chain at the time, was forced to amalgamate with the Home and Colonial company due to competition from larger national supermarkets.
By 1981, Allied had a turnover of £800m. In the following year Allied was acquired by James Gulliver
's Argyll Foods
and five years later Argyll merged with Safeway UK
.
poem "Myfanwy":
In Dorothy Sayers' "Busman's Honeymoon
" (1935), the "Home and Colonial" network is mentioned as maintaining a branch also at the small Herefordshire village where the book's plot is set - indicating its wide reach at the time of writing. A local woman tells Lord Peter Wimsey
and his servant Bunter that groceries sold at the "Home and Colonial" are "better and half a penny cheaper" than those provided by the village's unaffilated grocer.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's largest retail chains. Its formation of a vast chain of retail stores in the late 1920s is seen as the first step in the development of a UK food retail market dominated by a small number of food multiples.
History
The business was founded by Julius DreweJulius Drewe
Julius Charles Hendicott Drewe was an English businessman, retailer and entrepreneur, known for being the creator of the successful Home and Colonial Stores, as well as for the building of Castle Drogo in Devon as his family's country home.-Early life and career:Julius Charles Hendicott Drew...
who in 1883 went into partnership with John Musker selling groceries at a small shop in Edgware Road in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He subsequently opened stores in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. The shops mainly sold tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and by 1885 they were trading as the Home & Colonial Tea Association.
William Slaughter took over the Chairmanship of the business on incorporation in 1888. By the turn of the century the Company had over 100 stores and by 1903 it had 500.
Between 1924 and 1931, several stores, including Liptons merged with Home & Colonial to form a company with over 3,000 branches. Within this period of rapid change, Home & Colonial formed Allied Suppliers to act as a buyer on behalf of the whole group.
From 1948 until 1964 the group Chairman and CEO was Sir Lancelot Royle
Lancelot Royle
Sir Lancelot Carrington Royle KBE was a British olympian and businessman.Royle was an Olympic athlete , Chairman and CEO of Allied Suppliers Ltd., Home and Colonial Stores Ltd., Lipton Ltd., NAAFI and one of Britain’s leading 20th century retail businessmen.- Education :Lancelot Royle was the son...
KBE. He had joined the group in 1928. By 1955 the company was ranked 27th largest in UK.
By 1960, Home & Colonial Stores Ltd was still a major force in the UK food industry. With retail operations in the UK and abroad and factories in the UK, it was able to report a 10% rise in profits to £4,033,057.
By 1961, reflecting the end of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, the group had restyled itself under the name of the company it created in 1929, Allied Suppliers. Early in 1972, Allied was acquired by Cavenham Foods
Cavenham Foods
-History:The Company was founded by Sir James Goldsmith in 1965 when he bought up a series of bakeries.In 1971 Cavenham acquired the Bovril Company but then sold most of its diaries and South American operations to finance further take-overs...
, formed six years previously by British entrepreneur James Goldsmith
James Goldsmith
Sir James Michael "Jimmy" Goldsmith was an Anglo-French billionaire financier and tycoon. Towards the end of his life, he became a magazine publisher and a politician. In 1994, he was elected to represent France as a Member of the European Parliament and he subsequently founded the short-lived...
. Melia's Grocers and Tea Dealers
Melia's Grocers and Tea Dealers
-Daniel Melia:Melia's grocery and provisions store was founded by Daniel Melia of Manchester originally under the name Daniel Melia & Co. Ltd. In 1896, it was formed into a limited company with a capital of 60,000 and 60 shops across the country...
, another popular grocery chain at the time, was forced to amalgamate with the Home and Colonial company due to competition from larger national supermarkets.
By 1981, Allied had a turnover of £800m. In the following year Allied was acquired by James Gulliver
James Gerald Gulliver
James Gerald Gulliver CVO was the founder of Argyll Foods, one of the United Kingdom's largest retail businesses.-Career:...
's Argyll Foods
Argyll Foods
Argyll Foods plc was a large supermarket operator in the United Kingdom. In 1987 it acquired Safeway Inc.'s UK subsidiary and in 1996 it changed its name to Safeway plc.-Early years:...
and five years later Argyll merged with Safeway UK
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
.
In literature
Home and Colonial was one of three stores immortalised in a verse in John Betjeman'sJohn Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
poem "Myfanwy":
Smooth down the Avenue glitters the bicycle,
Black-stockinged legs under navy blue serge,
Home and Colonial, StarStar Supply StoresStar Supply Stores were one of three British high-street stores immortalised in a verse in John Betjeman's poem Myfanwy:Smooth down the Avenue glitters the bicycle,Black-stockinged legs under navy blue serge,Home and Colonial, Star, International,...
, InternationalInternational Tea Co. StoresInternational Tea Co. Stores was a leading chain of grocers based in London. It was a constituent of the FT30 index of leading companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:...
,
Balancing bicycle leant on the verge.
In Dorothy Sayers' "Busman's Honeymoon
Busman's Honeymoon
Busman's Honeymoon is a 1937 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her eleventh featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. It is the fourth and last novel to feature Harriet Vane.-Plot introduction:...
" (1935), the "Home and Colonial" network is mentioned as maintaining a branch also at the small Herefordshire village where the book's plot is set - indicating its wide reach at the time of writing. A local woman tells Lord Peter Wimsey
Lord Peter Wimsey
Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey is a bon vivant amateur sleuth in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, in which he solves mysteries; usually, but not always, murders...
and his servant Bunter that groceries sold at the "Home and Colonial" are "better and half a penny cheaper" than those provided by the village's unaffilated grocer.