of 98 Charlotte Street, Birmingham. (1922)
of Charlotte Street, Birmingham. London Office: 1 Paternoster Buildings, London, EC4. Telephone: London - City 7418. (1929)
of Vicarage Street, Langley Green, Oldbury, near Birmingham. Telephone: Birmingham, Broadwell 1302. Cables: "Challenge, Birmingham". (1947)
c1837 The business was founded by Meyer Myers, and was initially based at 8 Newhall Street. After trading on his own account for a while he entered a partnership with Philip Phillips, who in the early to mid 1840s had his own business at 2 Newhall Street, but Phillips dropped out after a few years.
1854 The firm moved to a purpose built works in Charlotte Street.
1901 Manufacturer of pens.
1914 Public company.
1922 British Industries Fair Advert for Steel Pens, Metal Pens, Customers' Imprint Pens a Speciality; Carded Penholders and Carded Novelties; School Compasses and Children's Mathematical Sets; Letter Clips, Fold-Back and Bull Dog Clips; Paper Perforators, Ticket Clips and Suspenders; Card Display Stands. (Stand No. K.74) [1]
1929 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. Manufacturers of Steel Pens, Pen-holders, Fountain Pens, Letter Clips, Stationers' Sundries, Drawing Compasses and Sets, Letter Balances, Window Display Stands and Clips, Steel Springs, and Metal Novelties. (Stand No. R.28) [2]
1939 The firm moved again, this time to Langley Green, Oldbury. The company, which remained throughout in the control of the Myers family, made corkscrews, drawing instruments and office supplies, including the famous bulldog clips, as well as pens. In common with Brandauer and Baker and Finnemore, they successfully diversified into precision pressings.
1947 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. Manufacturers of Writing Pens, Penholders, Bulldog Foldback Letter Clips, etc., Propelling Pencils, compasses, Mathematical Sets, Perforators, Cosmetic Cases, Window Display Fixtures, Steel and other Metal Pressings for all trades. (Olympia, 1st Floor, Stand No. H.2136) [3]
1961 Manufacturers of office requisites, writing instruments, mathematical instruments, display appliances, small metal pressings and importers. 600 employees. [4]
1985 The company was sold to an American label company, Avery International, who wanted to expand their European office stationery business. The old Myers directors quickly retired and the business transformed virtually overnight from a typically English family firm to part of an international conglomerate, which sold the factory and its land in Langley Green, and like many other long established British companies, it is now a housing estate.
The firm now operates under the Avery name from what was the distribution centre next to the railway crossing in Langley Green.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1922 British Industries Fair Advert clxiii; and p57
- ↑ 1929 British Industries Fair p122
- ↑ 1947 British Industries Fair p195
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- [1] More about the pen trade
- Birmingham’s Industrial Heritage by Ray Shill. Published by Sutton Publishing 2002. ISBN 0-7509-2593-0