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Clarks: Made to Last

Page 38

by Mark Palmer


  Bryant, Thomas 10

  Bryant & May 24

  Buckingham, Reverend 138

  Buenos Aires 117

  Buffalo 165

  Bull, John 14, 15

  Bullmead warehouse, Street 224, 225, 232, 278–9, 347

  Burma (now Myanmar) 118, 184

  Burt, Maurice 190–93, 240–41

  Burt, Patricia (née Andrews) 192–3, 240

  Burton Group 293

  Bushacre factory, Weston-super-Mare 297, 298, 307

  butadiene 173

  Butlin, Honor (née Impey) 217

  Butlin, John 217

  C. & J. Clark

  established in 1825 1, 13

  headquarters in Street 1, 3, 237, 239, 329, 337, 345, 359, 360

  a Quaker company 1, 4, 241, 257, 325, 353

  structure 4, 208–9

  archives 6, 235, 236

  start of partnership (1833) 19–20

  capital in the business 20

  sales for first six months of partnership 20

  product quality 29, 57, 59, 83, 87, 128, 134, 136, 158, 165, 195, 234, 280, 292, 299, 302, 303, 306, 313, 327, 357

  productivity 31, 34, 43, 81–2, 132, 169–70, 229, 230, 279

  stock accounts 34, 93

  overdraft with bank 35

  and corn business 37–8, 40

  investors 39, 40–41, 62, 64–5

  price lists 41, 57, 84, 99

  and Crimean War 53

  fittings/sizes 5, 59, 176, 179, 255, 279, 354

  styles 59, 99, 116, 160–61

  mismatches between output and sales 60–61, 93–4

  financial crisis (1860–63) 62–6

  William succeeds the partners 32, 66

  rapid turnaround under William 67

  loan repayments 68, 80

  number of lines produced 82

  property owned by Clarks 90

  sole agencies 98

  becomes a private limited company (1903) 94, 108

  first foray into retailing 108–11, 114

  proud of its American influences 116

  non-family senior staff issue 113, 116, 135, 203

  centenary year of founding 130

  response to recession 134

  patriarchal, paternal tradition 134

  acquires Lane & Robinson 141

  Peter Lord Ltd set up 142

  overseas trips of members of the board 144–6

  ‘Clarks’ registered as a trademark (1920s) 150

  wartime government contracts 155

  annual reports 169, 200, 203, 212, 270, 274, 300, 306, 308, 309, 327, 339, 346, 349

  expansion 166–73, 200–203, 209, 213, 217, 229–30, 244

  survey of Somerset schoolchildren 179

  ‘Style Centre’ 180

  Overseas Division (OD) 184, 188–90

  125th anniversary (1950) 193, 240

  social responsibility 3, 206–8, 268, 281

  threat from British Shoe Corporation 211

  unbranded shoe market 211, 212

  graduate trainees 221, 259, 275, 350, 352

  management consultants 222–5, 232–4, 243, 303, 307–8

  factories closed down 4, 226, 242, 264, 265, 280, 296–7, 299, 303, 333, 338–9, 343

  Unbranded Division 229, 232

  150th anniversary 239–42, 240, 242

  acquisition of K Shoes 266–70, 269

  loss of £1.2 million (1982) 270

  gulf between manufacturing and retailing 273, 294

  retailing arm forms a complicated web of shops 274–5

  launch of first Clarks shops (1984) 276–8, 277

  board changes 282, 287

  a third of all shoes sold by Clarks bought in (by 1990) 297

  Portuguese adventure 297–9

  new management structure (from 1992) 305–6

  share of British footwear industry 306, 327

  Extraordinary General Meeting (1992) 308–14, 319

  nearly sold to a financial consortium (1993) 4, 228, 314–24

  Extraordinary General Meeting (1993) 315

  factory outlets sold to MEPC 329

  Bolliger succeeds Parker 346

  a wholesale and retail branded business 346

  worldwide sales 352

  see also Clarks factory, Street; technology; workforce

  C. & J. Clark America Inc. 284

  C. & J. Clark Continental Ltd 272

  C. & J. Clark International 293

  C. & J. Clark Properties 311

  C. & J. Clark Retail Ltd 208–9, 229, 244, 250, 270, 295

  C7 format 358

  col. pl. 15

  Cadburys 4, 24, 57, 89, 220, 320

  Cairo 184

  Caledonian Airways 288

  California Last construction 164

  Callaghan, James 225

  Cambodia 354

  Cambridge University 205, 231, 238, 261

  Cameron, David 357

  Canada 18, 32–3, 56, 202–3, 221, 352

  Canterbury, New Zealand 56

  Cape Town 98

  car industry 133

  Cardiff University 350

  Carnegie Mellon Business School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 250

  Carr’s of Carlisle 24

  Carter, Howard 137

  Carvela shoes 333

  Castelo de Paiva, Portugal 298

  Castle Cary, Somerset 171, 209, 307

  Catcott, Somerset 10

  Cave & Son 98

  CCNA see Clarks Companies North America

  Cegmark International 284

  celebrities 5, 137, 174, 181–2, 181, 182, 187, 193, 241–2, 278, 302

  col. pls. 6–7, 13, 14

  celluloid 155

  Central Somerset Gazette 130, 147–8

  Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) 118, 187

  Chalet, The, Millfield School, Street 80

  Chalice Hill, Glastonbury 8

  Chalmers, Judith 241

  Chamberlain, Neville 156

  chamois leather 2, 14, 26–7, 61

  Chanel 262

  Character Shoes Ltd 197

  Chariots of Fire (film) 247, 253

  charities 3, 353

  Charles, HRH The Prince of Wales 271

  Charlton, Robert 39

  ‘Chase’ 250

  Cheeseman, Dudley 334

  Chelsea at Nine (television series) 216

  Chelsea Boot 218

  Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 180

  Chicago Shoe Fair (1949) 186

  child evacuees 156–7

  Children’s Enamel Seal Ankle Straps 41

  children’s footwear

  showcards col. pl. 5

  Clarks’ dominance 4–5, 358

  footgauge 5, 45, 176–9, 358

  col. pls. 8, 11, 16

  design policy col. pls. 10, 11

  Clarks’ first range of children’s shoes 29

  cheaper line urgently needed 136

  children’s shoe production 151

  children’s sandals 151, 159–60

  Clarks Ireland Ltd 166

  ‘Play-ups’ made in Shepton Mallet factory 168

  a Shepton Mallet factory dedicated to children’s shoes 170

  Pedescope 176

  every child in Street has feet measured 177

  survey of Somerset schoolchildren 179

  stocking all width fittings 179

  teenage market 180, 199, 274

  fitting areas 180, 234

  in New Zealand 203

  school shoes 227, 243

  new design policy 255, 256

  ‘The Foot N0.1’ brochure 290

  pressure on children’s division 290

  number of styles (1980s) 290

  Kalcher’s influence 291–2

  children’s shoes central to Clarks’ business 292, 358

  Harrods’ children’s shoe department 302

  Parker on 338

  range for crawling babies 344

  Clarks universally recognised for measuring children’s feet properly 354


  back-to-school market 358

  children’s range of clothes 262–3

  Child’s ‘Dress Anklet’ 82

  China 4, 282, 308, 339, 346, 350, 354

  Chong Hok Shan 308

  Christian Science movement 126, 127

  Chung Nam Group 308

  Chupplee 184

  Church, Dudley 196

  Church of England 11

  see also Anglican Church

  Church’s 177

  C.I.C. Engineering Ltd 209, 226, 227

  Cica Blades range col. pl. 13

  Cincinnati 165, 299

  Citroën 261

  City shoes 218

  Civil Justice Review Advisory Committee 314

  C.J.C. Savings Bank 122

  Clarendon Code 10

  Clark, Alfred (1885–1941) 210

  Clark, Alfred S. (1828–1900) 12, 54, 56, 64, 74, 75

  Clark, Alice 3, 110, 123

  tuberculosis 80, 108, 126

  shareholdings 108

  campaigns for women’s suffrage 119, 123

  personnel management 119, 126

  Closing Room 119

  and Day Continuation School 123, 124, 125

  studies at London School of Economics 126

  and Christian Science movement 126, 127

  and dispersal of company profits 126–7

  resigns her Quaker membership 127

  Roger Clark on 127

  death 128

  her estate 127, 128

  Working Life of Women in the Seventeenth Century 125–6

  Clark, Amy Jane 32, 33

  Clark, Ann (née Coaxley) 10

  Clark, Annie 33

  Clark, Bancroft see Clark, William Bancroft

  Clark, Caroline (née Pease) 170

  Clark, Cato (Catarina) (née Smuts) 140, 149, 205

  Clark, Cyrus 149, 331

  Clark, Cyrus (1801–66) 15, 28

  partner with cousin in wool and tanning business 2, 13, 14

  sheepskin business 1, 2, 14

  James apprenticed to 1, 2, 14–16, 19

  and James’s slipper business 16–17

  in partnership with James 2, 12, 13, 19–20

  and Quaker principles 22, 26

  and financial problems 35, 37, 38–9

  attitude to alcohol 35

  corn business 37–8, 40

  personality 38

  considers emigrating to Australia 39

  on meeting the Queen and Prince Albert 41–2

  and innovation in the company 47

  loses a son due to typhoid 50

  his house, Elmhurst 54, 54, 63

  financial withdrawals for own benefit 54–5, 63, 64

  commitment to quality 57, 59–60

  William succeeds 32, 67

  death (1866) 2, 71

  acrimonious battle over his will 2, 71–8

  Clark, Daniel 149, 242, 250, 263, 269

  education 238

  joins Clarks 238

  visits Russia and Ukraine 201

  in charge of Strode Components 209

  managing director of Clarks Ltd 228, 229

  chairman of C. & J. Clark Ltd 3, 238, 239, 240

  personality 238

  reiterates key values 241

  Fiennes on 260

  runs the company at a dispiriting time 265, 266, 270

  and K Shoes 267, 268–9

  and non-family managers 280

  and resourcing abroad 280, 282

  reminds family of its charitable commitment 281

  stands down as chairman 287–8

  Bancroft’s letter thanking him 288

  and Henry Moore 305

  treasurer of Bristol University 313

  Extraordinary General Meeting (1992) 313

  on Bid Committee 314

  Extraordinary General Meeting (1993) 322–3, 324

  stands down as non-executive director 326

  research and writing 326

  Clark, Edith 33

  Clark, Edward 48

  Clark, Eileen 149

  Clark, Eleanor (daughter of James) 33

  Clark, Eleanor (née Stephens) 31, 32, 33, 52, 54, 72, 100, 149

  Clark, Fanny 33

  Clark, Florence 33

  Clark, Frances (Fanny) (née Sturge) 12, 92

  Clark, Francis Joseph (Frank) 33, 113, 113, 114, 115, 119, 146, 286

  education 94

  forms partnership with William (1889) 94

  largest shareholder in the company 108

  and costings 115

  chairman of Clarks 3, 132, 137

  on Tor brand 132–3

  death 141

  Clark, Giles 140

  Clark, Gloria 331

  Clark, H. Brooking 167

  Clark, Hadwen 141

  Clark, Helen Priestman (née Bright) 78, 80, 107, 110, 130, 149

  Clark, Hilda 108, 110, 128

  Clark, Hugh 115, 150, 174, 331

  education 114

  joins Clarks 114

  and John Walter Bostock 113, 114

  war service 114

  manager of the Machine Room 116

  head of sales 114, 141, 143, 152, 159, 182

  and lease on Mitre House 141

  and purchase of Walwyns 142

  Clarks’ first national advertising campaign 151

  and Bebe Daniels 153–4

  retirement from the Board 161

  Bancroft on 162

  interest in advertising and publicity 182–3

  joins Rohan 293

  non-executive director at C. & J. Clark Ltd 293

  Clark, J. Anthony (Tony) 149, 231

  made a director 141

  on the superiority of American machinery 165

  a member of ‘the Holy Trinity’ 170, 171

  a ‘people person’ 170

  a liberal Quaker 170–71

  becomes a main board director 206

  managing director of C. & J. Clark 215

  meeting with Levison 215–16

  commissions McKinsey & Co. 222–3

  chairman of Clarks 3, 229, 285

  reports drop in profits (1972) 232

  on Boston Consulting Group reports 232

  on Peter Clothier 235

  rare interview 237–8

  retirement 238

  death 285

  Bancroft on 285

  Clark, James 15, 320, 323–4

  born in Street (1811) 2

  education 14

  apprenticed in his brother Cyrus’s sheepskin business 1, 2, 14–16, 19

  produces sheepskin slippers and socks 2, 16–18, 361

  col. pl. 1

  partnership with Cyrus 2, 12, 13, 19–20

  and Quaker principles 22, 26, 38, 51–2

  his house, Netherleigh 31, 33, 54, 304

  first marriage 31–2

  attitude to alcohol 35

  opposition to his brothers’ corn business 37–8, 40

  personality 38

  and innovation in the company 47

  loses a son due to typhoid 50, 51

  financial withdrawals for own benefit 54–5, 63, 64

  commitment to quality 57, 59–60

  William succeeds 32, 67

  and wrangling over Cyrus’s will 71–8

  forms partnership with William (1873) 80

  retirement 80, 94

  death of first wife 100

  second marriage 100

  increasingly religious 101

  death (1906) 101

  Clark, James Edmund 33

  Clark, Jan 149, 205, 229, 242, 244, 245, 269, 282, 283–5

  Clark, Jane (née Bryant) 10–11

  Clark, John H. 287

  Clark, John, I 10

  Clark, John, II 10

  Clark, John, III 10

  Clark, John, IV 10, 11

  Clark, John Aubrey 12, 54, 57, 58, 74

  Clark, John Bright 3, 98, 103, 105, 110, 119, 139, 171

  education 103

  worldwide busi
ness tour with Roger 103, 104

  health 103

  shareholdings 108

  costings department 114

  Hugh succeeds as head of sales 114

  on Tor brand 128–9, 132

  response to recession 134

  non-family members issue 135

  vice-chairman of Clarks 137

  Boot & Shoe Manufacturers’ Federation 137–8

  personality 138

  Good Friday working issue 138–9

  death (1933) 139

  Clark, Joseph, I

  birth (1762) 11

  lives all his life in or around Street 11–12

  builds Hindhayes 12, 12

  marriage 12

  health 12

  a Quaker preacher 1–2, 12–13

  covenants to assist James in his apprenticeship 15–16

  death (1831) 12, 20

  Clark, Joseph, II

  a yeoman farmer 2, 12

  corn business 37–8, 40

  and wrangling over Cyrus’s will 74

  Clark, Joseph Henry 50

  Clark, Lancelot (Lance) 149, 186, 242, 258, 269, 280, 285, 300

  education 204

  and Bancroft 204

  particular interest in how shoes are made 204

  Wallabees 204

  hosts 150th anniversary celebrations in London 241

  and sports shoes 249

  and advertising 254

  determined to bring the company up to date 256

  managing director of Clarks Ltd 265, 271, 272

  and K Shoes 267

  Cotton replaces 272

  leaves the company but remains a non-executive director 293

  proposed as chairman in letter to Tindale 301

  Extraordinary General Meeting (1992) 308, 312–13

  a member of the ‘Gang of Four’ 308

  open letter signatory 316

  Extraordinary General Meeting (1993) 321–2

  replaced by Ben Lovell 343

  Clark, Mabel 33

  Clark, Mary (née Metford) 11

  Clark, Nathan 149, 286, 288, 300, 331

  war service 184, 185

  creates the Desert Boot 5, 175, 184–6

  in charge of Overseas Division 188, 189–90

  works at Halliday’s in Ireland 189

  Bancroft’s criticism 189–90

  Clark, Pauline 322

  Clark, Ralph 209, 210, 239, 242, 269, 287, 303–4, 305, 312

  Clark, Richard 205, 287, 303, 308, 313, 316, 321, 323–4, 326, 354

  Clark, Roger 110, 139, 141, 149, 175, 286, 316, 343

  education 103

  at Clark, Son & Morland 103, 104

  health 103

  worldwide business tour with brother 103, 104

  meets and marries Sarah 103, 104–7

  interests 103–4

  on James’s death 100

  shareholdings 108

  becomes company secretary 119

  on Strode School 125

  on William’s funeral 130

  vice chairman of Clarks 137

  in mourning 140–41

  chairman of Clarks 3, 141

  chairman of Avalon Leather Board Company 147

  and Bebe Daniels 153–4

  attitude to appeasement 156

  and child evacuees 156

 

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