Plaques & Gloria - many thanks for your info. I'll try and find out more about the Redmans stores. In the meantime, the J H Lupton entries in the 1905 Kelly's directory might have provided the sort of breakthrough I was hoping for. My father recollects that Albert Lloyd saw the co-operative stores as "the enemy" - not surprising since (as Plaques has shown) the first Burnley Co-operative Society store was 100 yds or less from his store at 138 Colne Road. I've also read about how independent grocers mounted a national campaign from the turn of the century to villify the Co-op such was it's commercial advantage. Dad also had a vague memory of Albert working for Lipton's (the national multiple chain of grocers started by Thomas Lipton in Glasgow, I think). Sounds like Albert might well have worked not for Liptons, but for James Henry Lupton (who, according to the trade directories, had numerous stores in Burnley and in other Lancashire towns) and that he may have bought the store at 138 Colne Road off him. I'm hoping that J H Lupton's may also have had a store or stores in Bolton and that Albert "transferred" to Burnley. Why would Albert have bought a grocery store so close to such a large competitor as the co-operative store? As Gloria suggests, there were probably different "classes" of custom which independent, multiple and co-operative stores appealed to in those class conscious days. Looking at the directories I'm struck by the number of grocers in a relatively small area. In 1905 there were grocers at 42, 44, 71, 78, 105, 106 & 138 Colne Road as well as the first Burnley Co-operative Society store and Brierfield Co-operative & Industrial Society stores at 16-20 and 63 Colne Road. Local shopping must really have been LOCAL shopping then. Presumably shopping had to be done every day or two for many commodities as there was no refrigeration and there were fewer tinned goods. Also the amount that could be bought was limited by how much could be carried home either by the shopper or the grocer's lad. Many thanks - this has given me a number of promising leads to follow up. I'd also welcome hearing from anyone who knows any more about James Henry Lupton & his stores, the Burley Co-operative Society or the Brierfield Co-operative & Industrial Society (secretary shown as James Swallow in 1905).
_________________ Gordon
Where there's a will, there's a relative
|