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Pryce-Jones: Pioneer of the Mail Order Industry |
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© The Powysland Museum, Welshpool |
This was a drapery shop with a difference. Pryce-Jones sent local gentry patterns and leaflets of Welsh Flannel supplied by local woollen manufacturers and merchants. Their orders would then be dispatched, at first by stage coach, and later by train. This was a convenient way for people living in isolated locations to shop, without taking the time or effort to travel to town. The business was a success and he won several awards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. By 1880 he had in excess of 100,000 customers, including Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria, whose names he happily used when advertising material.
© The Powysland Museum, Welshpool |
As the railway network expanded, so did his business. He was able to sell Welsh Flannel to the rest of Europe, America and eventually Australia. The London and North Western Railway Company provided him with 3 parcel vans for daily deliveries along the Newtown to Euston line and he was able to promise next day delivery to most of England. Having already moved to bigger premises once, he moved again in 1879 and built the Royal Welsh Warehouse, near Newtown train station. In 1895 he built a factory opposite and in 1901 he added his own post office to help him cope with his burgeoning trade. He was rewarded for his efforts in 1887 when he was knighted by Queen Victoria.
Words: Carolyn Cowey
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