The wonder of Woolies eh?
An admission I rarely make in public, but as a student, I was a lucky
lad who worked for Woolies and being the archival nerd I was back then
(nobody dare comment!), attempted to get out of pick'n'mix re-filling
for a couple of weeks by angling for a trip to HQ to 'do something' in
the archives.
Boss ably began the process of tracking down the right people and lo and
behold, news came back that there was no such thing! Odd we thought at
the time, especially since she remembers in the late 80s I believe, the
'Order' that all of the ledgers and 'older paper' that was generally
still store based had to be sent to HQ.
We shrugged shoulders at the time and I got back to the pick'n'mix. I do
not have the same fond memories as other folk about that honest UK
staple food - unwrapped sweets are never healthy.
Andrew
*****************************************************
Andrew R Nicoll
Keeper of the Archives
Scottish Catholic Archives
Columba House, 16 Drummond Place,
Edinburgh, EH3 6PL, Scotland
Tel: 0131 556 3661 Fax: 0131 556 3661
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Visit our new website:
www.scottishcatholicarchives.org.uk
The Scottish Catholic Archives is a Commission of the
Bishops' Conference of Scotland
Catholic National Endowment Trust (also known as the
Bishops' Conference of Scotland) Charity Number: SCO 16650
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-----Original Message-----
From: Archivists, conservators and records managers.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gary Collins
Sent: 06 July 2009 11:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Museums Journal article on business archives
Dear all,
You may be interested in an article on business archives in the latest
edition of Museums Journal. For those of you who aren't members of the
Museums Association and can't access the article online; here it is
below.
In business
Deborah Mulhearn
Issue 109/7, p20-25, July 2009
Company archives can provide a wealth of historical information, but
many
are under threat because of the recession. Deborah Mulhearn reports.
Last winter, while shoppers were snapping up the last bargains from
Woolworths before the store disappeared after 100 years on the British
high
street, business historian Peter Scott was searching for more valuable
items
at the company's headquarters in London's Marylebone Street.
Scott, the director of the Centre for International Business History at
the
University of Reading's Henley Business School, was trying to locate and
secure the archives of Woolworths, which had more than 800 UK stores at
one
time. He was initially hopeful, but ultimately unsuccessful, and
disappointed that no one seems able or willing to say exactly what has
happened to the archive.
"The Woolworths archive has in effect disappeared," says Scott, "in as
much
as no information is available regarding the location or ownership of
the
archive, or even whether the archive has been preserved as a single
collection."
Woolworths, then known as FW Woolworth, opened its first British store
in
Liverpool in 1909. Its business records would be valuable, says Scott,
for
their insights into retail history. The mainly paper-based archive had
material relating to its unique pricing policy of "nothing over 6d", its
high turnover strategy and relationships with buyers.
Woolworths' virtual museum has disappeared from the internet, with just
a
few photographs reappearing on the website created by Liverpool-based
online
retailer Shop Direct, which bought the Woolworths name.
Scott believes that the current recession has revealed a wider problem
of
important archives being threatened when businesses fail.
"Traditionally, we have relied on the goodwill of liquidators to
cooperate
with efforts to protect archives in the event of a company going
bankrupt.
But, given changes in corporate culture since the 1980s, not all firms
can
be counted on to take actions for which there is no clear monetary
return,"
he warns.
He says that companies don't always understand the value of their
archives
even though they might keep them. "The machinery is not in place to
ensure
their survival. There is no national strategy to safeguard them as
collections."
While a museum may be interested in specific items from a local company,
they are not always in a position to take complete archives. Where
company
archives include business records, photographic material and objects,
keeping them together can pose problems.
Moving material into a trust affords some protection, says Stephen
Laing,
curator of the Heritage Motor Centre (HMC) at Gaydon in Warwickshire, a
trust that rescued material from the former MG Rover car factory at
Longbridge when it went into administration in 2005.
"But in the final push there is no legal requirement to keep an archive
intact," says Laing.
"People on the periphery"
The Heritage Motor Centre has older material from the original Austin
Motor
Company in its collection and worked with administrators to get access
to
the plant when MG Rover collapsed.
"We were at a different starting point because of our existing
relationship
with the site," says Laing. "But it wasn't easy by any means. It's the
biggest challenge for archivists because administrators and new owners
don't
necessarily want business history in the public domain. They are not
usually
keen on people on the periphery having access."
Laing says if a local company is under threat of closure and a museum
feels
it might have relevant archives, it is a good idea for a museum to make
connections before the gates close, even if it's just to compile a
photographic record in the first instance.
"Make personal contact before a company goes bust. The PR or marketing
department is usually the best starting point, where you can demonstrate
the
benefits of material being in the public domain."
Never knowingly under-archived
A company's heritage, however, can also form part of its assets. "It's
important to recognise that while we see the benefits of having company
collections or archives in the public domain, companies themselves may
want
to keep it within the framework of the business," adds Laing. "It all
depends on the politics of the particular company."
Judy Faraday, archivist at John Lewis Partnership, says that many
companies
do look after their archives, but admits there are concerns that
archives
will be dispersed or lost if companies fail in the current economic
downturn.
"Some contain attractive and collectable items, which makes them more
vulnerable because they are seen as assets by administrators to sell off
to
pay creditors," she says. "Other collections are reports and accounts
and,
while these are interesting for economic history, they have little
commercial value."
But this sort of material can provide context for museum artefacts,
particularly where a company has been in an area for a long time.
"There needs to be stronger links between businesses and museums and
local
records offices," says Faraday.
To address this issue, the Business Archives Council (BAC), of which
Faraday
is a member, launches a national strategy this month to raise awareness
and
give advice on how business archives can be safeguarded and what both
companies and museums can do with them.
"Heritage has very strong appeal," says Faraday. "The credit crunch has
made
it even more important because businesses need to retain customers and
longevity and tradition are powerful marketing tools. I hope they will
start
to realise that their archive is an asset and use it in positive and
creative ways."
She says that the BAC is trying to get liquidators and insolvency
practitioners to recognise that archives are valuable. The council is
also
setting up a disaster plan advising archivists on how to cope in the
event
of a collapse, and building partnerships with universities and museums.
Heritage fits well into the corporate social responsibility agenda, says
Faraday, and there is much that businesses can do to capitalise on their
archives and help secure their future.
"Businesses and museums can and should take their relationship further
for
mutual benefits. Businesses could help museums, for example with
marketing,
and museums could help businesses with skills such as sending out a
conservator, providing advice on using historic designs for products,
and
for community outreach."
Sparks from Marks
Marks & Spencer (M&S) put its archive on public display for the first
time
last month at the University of Leeds' Centenary Gallery. Michael Marks
opened his stall at the city's Kirkgate market 125 years ago, and the
archive includes more than 60,000 items, from products and photographs
through to company literature and advertising.
M&S and Leeds University are also in advanced discussions about
relocating
the entire company archive to Leeds and housing it in a purpose-built
location on campus. The full archive would be open to the public and
academics for the first time, though it would stay under M&S ownership.
Many companies take their heritage seriously and appreciate its
importance
to community and social history. John Lewis has retired staff and
volunteers
looking after community archives, building websites and collecting oral
histories.
John Lewis is among the many examples of well-preserved and valued
archives.
Others include Unilever and HSBC, while some are protected in trust
status
such as Royal Mail, Wedgwood and Rothschild.
Plenty of companies use heritage as a marketing tool, both through
websites
and by turning archives to commercial gain. John Lewis licenses its
historic
designs to fabric designers, and used an 1803 pattern found in the
textile
archives to create a fabric effect on the facade of the company's new
store
in Leicester.
The architects cleverly made reference to the city's 200-year history of
textiles and weaving, the translucency of saris worn by the Indian
population living in Leicester, and John Lewis' own tradition of
producing
quality fabrics.
Other companies have raided their own archives to reintroduce historic
brands, designs and packaging. For its 160th anniversary this year,
Boots
created a nostalgic product range, taking both skincare recipes and
packaging ideas from its archive.
Woolworths was not the only company to open its first UK outlet in 1909:
Selfridges unveiled its flagship store on London's Oxford Street in
March of
the same year. But while Woolworths has disappeared, 2009 is a year of
celebration for Selfridges, which is running a range of events during
its
centenary.
These include a 325-sq-metre exhibition at the Oxford Street store that
has
been curated by social historian Lindy Woodhead. It runs until 30 August
and
uses archive images and artefacts to chart the history of the business
that
American retailer Gordon Selfridge started in the UK 100 years ago.
With current business practices under the microscope following the
banking
crisis and the recession that followed, companies are doing all they can
to
reassure customers about their stability. Using their archives to look
back
at more buoyant times is one way of doing this.
Deborah Mulhearn is a freelance journalist
Mutual benefits
The archive of the Equitable Life Assurance Society (ELAS) was purchased
by
the UK actuarial profession in November 2006. Equitable Life has, by its
own
account, "undergone an exceptionally difficult period" since the 1990s.
The society had kept its archive well, but it was at risk and buyers
were
sought. As the archive of the world's oldest mutual society, it charts
not
only its own beginnings in 1762, but also the origins and development of
the
modern insurance industry.
"We have developed our special historical library collection, but have
no
cultural mission to buy archives as such," says librarian David Raymont.
"The ELAS archive was exceptional for its unique historical interest to
the
profession and to researchers."
It contains the first evidence of actuarial science in practice, where
life
expectancy was mathematically calculated from mortality data to set
life-assurance premiums. Its records of policyholders, some well-known
including English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and slave trade
abolitionist
William Wilberforce, can be a source for family researchers.
"There was no legal protection to safeguard the archive and given its
historic importance, individual items would have sold very well," says
Raymont.
"We were given the opportunity to buy the archive and luckily were able
to
raise funds through actuary members, firms and associations worldwide
donating generously to prevent it being broken up and sold off. It meant
we
could keep the archive intact, with enough left over to pay for
digitising
key manuscripts and for storage, cataloguing and promotion."
Links
www.businessarchivescouncil.org.uk
Regards,
Gary Collins
Project Archivist
British Cartoon Archive
Templeman Library
University of Kent
Canterbury
CT2 7NU
01227 823109 (w)
07932 747649 (m)
[log in to unmask]
www.cartoons.ac.uk
http://bcad.wordpress.com
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