John Copeman & Sons Ltd
Wholesale Grocers and Provision Merchants
Business reminiscence page
- 1789: John Cozens, a farmers son came to Norwich and he, along with Jonathan Davey, purchased, Newman's wholesale and retail grocery store. Jonathan Davey later built the well-known Davey place in later years (1812). The business became know as Cozins and Davey and was situated on Gentlemans Walk.
- 1792: Jonathan Davey left the business. These were difficult times as the Weaving trade was in decline and there many such workers who had been made redundant.
- 1801: By this time takings were £400 per week. Wares at the time included hogsheads of sugar, sperm oil, whale oil, soap, tea, soap and snuff.
- 1802: John Copeman first appeared as a paid employee.
- 1804: Records show John Copeman had a monetary share in the business (by this time he was about 26).
- 1809: John Copeman had by this time become a full Partner. The business was now called Cozens and Copeman.
- 1827: John Copeman paid for his son to be apprenticed to a Grocer in Martham. The charge to him for this was £60 and the training took 4 years.
- 1831: John Copeman's son joined the business. John's son would travel by coach to sell goods.
- 1837: John Cozens retired, the father and son became partners and the business name changed to Copeman and Son. John Copeman's other son called Jonathon Davey Copeman joined as a partner but left in 1847.
- 1849: John Copeman junior married this year.
- 1851: Henry John Copeman was born.
- 1866: John Copeman senior died this year. He was 87 years old. John Copeman junior became sole Owner/Proprietor.
- 1873: To allow the wholesale side to expand, the premises at 21 The Walk were sold to Charles Underhill & Company and the wholesale buildings were extended.
- 1874: Henry John Copeman, who was now 23 became a partner with his father.
- 1876: Copeman's Parisian coffee and Royal Exhibition coffee were registered as brand names.
- 1884: Henry Charles Laycock joined the business as an office boy. His wages were said to be 4 shillings a week. Hours worked at that time were 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and finishing early on Thursdays (at 5 p.m.). Travelling salesmen were called riders because their mode of transport was by horse and goods were delivered in bulk by horse and cart - for example, sugar was dug out of the containers by shovel.
- 1895: Charles Copeman, Thomas Parker Copeman's son became a partner.
- 1899: John Copeman died at the age of 87, the same age his father had died.
- 1903: The business moved to premises in Davey Place/Castle Street after a long period in temporary premises at Bethel Street.
- 1914: The Company were requested by the War Office to get rations together for troops and as they so efficient at this, they were given the task countrywide. Later they started dealing in such items as beer, tobacco, kippers and sausages. At one point they were supplying rations to 30,000 troops.
- 1917: The business became limited - John Copeman & Sons Ltd. Directors were Henry and Charles Copeman.
- 1921: John Lacey Copeman, Charles' brother and William Oliver Copeman, Charles son were both appointed as Directors this year, together with Mr J W Longstaffe.
- 1925: Charles Copeman died this year.
- 1931: The Company purchased Thomas Bacon & Company of Muspole Street and a new subsidiary was thereafter formed, called Mancroft Food Products Ltd.
- 1935: John Lacey Copeman died this year. He was 83 years old. Mr J W Longstaffe left the business this year.
- 1936: Charles Laycock became a Director after serving with the Company for 50 years. A Clifford Copeman Makins also was appointed Director. He was a nephew of the Chairman of the Board.
- 1938: Henry John Copeman died this year. W O Copeman took his position in the Company.
- 1939: The Company moved to premises in Duke Street. These premises provided warehouse, garage and office space.
- 1943: Harry William Englebright was appointed as a Director after many years of faithful service. W O Copeman receives the O.B.E. this year for his work in supplying rations during the War years.
- 1948: W O Copeman visited the USA to learn the most modern methods of food distribution.
- 1954: Copeman's formed a small wholesale group system in East Anglia.
- 1960: MACE Marketing Services Ltd were formed by Copemans - this comprised of 5,000 retailers around the Country..
- 1964: Increasing trade forced a move to larger premises at Drayton Road. This site covered 3 acres and had 36,000 of floor space on just one level. The buildings housed offices, showrooms, a printing department, provisions department, refrigeration store etc.
- 1966: Grimwade Rdley & Co (Ipswich) Ltd becames associated through a common Parent Company called Copeman Ridley Ltd.
- 1970: A fire destroyed the warehouse and part of the office block and temporary facilities were used at Fifers Lane
- 1971: The damaged facilities were re-built by this time.
- 1972: Roger Barrington Copeman took over as Chairman
- 1974: W O Copeman died.
- 1983: Donald Bunyan retired from Copeman Ridley Ltd
- 1987: The Copeman organisation was purchased by Booker Plc.
The above John Copeman, together with J J Colman (of Mustard fame) W H Tillett sometime MP for Norwich, founded the Eastern Counties Newsgroup in 1845.
ECNG is now known as Archant and employs 3000 people. The Copeman and Colman families are still closely involved in Archant Group to this day.