Radleys and the Christchurch Fruit & Vegetable Markets

By Robert Radley

This history of the wholesale fruit and vegetable markets trade in New Zealand beautifully illustrates how small businesses and market gardeners interacted with the wholesale merchants in the 1930's style of business in much of the 1900's. Many colourful characters were involved and methods of operating have largely faded away against the onslaught of big business and the supermarkets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Radley
• Release date: Sep 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476155722

Robert Radley

Bob Radley has enjoyed a career made up of many facets and enterprises that have painted an exceptionally interesting life. His versatility has endowed him with multi skills. Following his brief, but extraordinarily interesting and exciting time working at Deep Cove Bob returned for a time to continue working a further 5 years in the wholesale fruit and produce industry. He then spent the following 12 years in the tourist industry operating jet boats, pioneering in river rafting, ski holidays, and tourism publishing. The advent of desktop computers saw Bob shift into this new technology starting with importing PC's, then engaging in data services, stock market publishing, and finally moving into IT consulting. Latter times saw time spent in gold mining, building and land development. Late in his career Bob gained his PhD. in Marketing and more recently has been spending leisure time in writing several books on immensely varied topics. Other books include: •Profits from Shares (Stockmarket Technical Analysis) •Marlborough Sounds Gazetteer and Guidebook •The Ancient History and Geology of Karamea •A Kiwi Quest (Bob's own autobiography) •A history of the Christchurch Fruit and Vegetable Markets Different again is a new book underway which contemplates coming "divergence within humanity" and the vastly different future for each faction. Bob's wife of 37 years whom he married only week's after he left Deep Cove was killed in 2004 by a motorist driving under the influence of drugs. He has two adult children. He has since remarried to a Philippine Dentist who has a young family of her own. They have given Bob a renewed zest for life. Bob Radley is now living in semi retirement in Blenheim.

Book preview

Radleys and the Christchurch Fruit & Vegetable Markets

1900's Fruit and Vegetable Merchants Golden Age

Robert Radley PhD

Radleys and the Christchurch Fruit & Vegetable Markets

Copyright 2012 by Robert Radley PhD (Marketing)

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.

Dedicated to the memory of

Herbert (Bert) Radley 1901-1975

1936 1971

And the wonderful grower, buyer, market and transport characters

who populated the fruit and vegetable industry of the 1900’s

Table of Contents

Foreword

Chapter 2 - Early history of Radley's and the Christchurch Markets

Chapter 3 - Changes in industry organisation

Chapter 4 - Organisations and operation of the markets

Chapter 5 - The business itself

Chapter 6 - Events in the history of Radley's

Chapter 7 - Other major events in the history of Radley's

Chapter 8 - Radley Bros sold - End of an era

Chapter 9 - The Turners and Growers era

Chapter 10 - The passing of Bert (Herbert) Radley- 1975

Chapter 11 - Values put into perspective

Chapter 12 - Swan song of an old institution - Demise and relocation

Chapter 13 - Management - Christchurch Markets

Chapter 14 - Appendix - Various documents

Chapter 15 - About the author - Bob Radley

Foreword

The heyday years before the supermarket and free market induced melt down of the early 1970’s

Radley Bros and the other three main Christchurch wholesale fruit and vegetable markets typified these businesses in New Zealand.

Through early last century until the clear signals of the demise of this style of business in the 1970’s, the markets were a colourful business with their own unique character and trading style. They were and enjoyed by thousands of people in the trade and numerous casual customers just experiencing their own contacts with the markets.

The markets themselves hosted many personalities and this likewise applied to the grower community and those who traded retail with their purchases from the market floors.

With the advent of the supermarket and the decimation of buyer numbers, mechanization of goods handling, bulk packaging, and free trade demolishing exclusivity in imports, the markets institution, as it previously existed became obsolete.

No more is there the daily bustle of numerous growers and buyers, no more the raucous noise generated by a host of simultaneous auctions, and no more is there the unique venue of the Christchurch fruit and vegetable markets of the 1900’s.

So many wonderful characters are now fading into obscurity.

Acknowledgements

– Special thanks to:

Burroughs Corporation – Office machine images.

Lauritzen Line – Shipping images

Zwart Family, Nelson - Images

Home

Chapter 2 - Early history of Radley’s and the Christchurch Markets

Early career of Herbert (Bert) Radley

Born in London in 1901 Bert Radley was the son of Geoffrey Radley who had died in 1907. His mother Edith soon after becoming a widow migrated to New Zealand in 1909. She sailed on board the steamship SS Rangitoto to Wellington along with her young family, eldest son Geoffrey Squire, daughter Gertrude and youngest son Herbert Edward.

Edith ran a Wellington boarding house and the children contributed to the household as best they could. From 9 year old Bert rose at 3.30 a.m. to deliver newspapers for 2/6 a week.

He started full time work at 14 when he became office boy with Wellington fruit and vegetable market Laery & Co, Blair Street, Courtney Place. He became an auctioneer’s clerk when he was 17 (1918).

When he moved to Christchurch in the 1920’s he left the industry for a time and tried his aptitude with a Cashel Street farm machinery firm named Ivory’s only to find his heart was not in that business.

When he was 20 years of age Bert took up work with Christchurch firm Brown Little and Co. as an auctioneer. He also worked for a while with the Canterbury Orchardist's Co-op.

Doug Park of Park Davis & Co. early employer and mentor of Bert Radley

In 1926, at 25 years old, he was offered a position with produce market Park Davis and worked under the colourful Doug Park. The pay was a handsome ₤7.10.0 a week, but good performance over 18 months saw this increased to ₤10.0.0 a week plus a small stake in the business.

Bert’s mother Edith, always a woman with a strong mind, soon encouraged Bert and his accountant friend Harry Frampton, who also worked at Park Davis, to save their money and start their own business. A period of saving saw Bert with ₤300 and Harry with ₤150.

Being married Harry was not able to match Bert who was still single. However, Harry managed to borrow ₤150 from his war pension. He had fought in WWI and wounded in the Battle of the Somme.

Beginnings of Radley Bros

With their combined ₤550 capital, the two men founded Radley Frampton Limited and for ₤7.10.0 a week, rented premises to start business as fruit and vegetable merchants.

They also bought an old FN car (Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre automobiles) which was fitted with gas carbide lights to do their canvassing for business support with growers and buyers. The car cost them ₤30.

It is amusing to note a recollection of Bert of how when he was canvassing one Saturday and traveling in the car with his girlfriend the car stalled at the intersection of Armagh and Colombo Streets. Only problem was an approaching procession that included the Duke and Duchess of York. Bert cranked the machine furiously and only just managed to start it just in time before halting the procession.

1914 FN Roadster

Similar to first business car bought in the late 1920’s by the new merchant firm of Radley Frampton.

Business was slow in its early days, but hard work by both partners soon saw the venture begin to prosper. In the beginning, the partners operated by negotiated sales only, but buyers pressured for auctions and thus sales by auction commenced about 3 weeks after opening business.

By early 1932 Harry Frampton and Bert were experiencing some friction and it