Where
it all began...
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1 of 2
The
Rowe story traces its roots back to South Wales in 1880,
when Mr. Robert Rowe opened his first retail fruit and vegetable
shop in Cardiff. Over a 120 years later, the current shareholders,
the great grand children of Robert Rowe continue the legacy with
immense expansion and diversification of the business to being
one of the largest private employers in Cornwall. This section
covers the story of The Rowe Group of Companies as seen for over
120 years.
The business that was started in South Wales soon moved to Cornwall,
where he opened a shop in Redruth. Redruth has been, ever since,
the centre of operations for the group though Rowe Holdings now
operates effectively beyond the confines of Cornwall.
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The
son of Mr. Rowe, Stanley, joined his father's family business
in 1927 and it was not
long before he was exploring new areas of business; and soon
became actively
involved in the wholesale distribution of fresh produce.
Deliveries began with a car, then a lorry until eventually;
rapid expansion
brought command over a fleet of vehicles for the business.
The
same period was also witness to the beginning of the Rowe’s
direct importing business.
The next tangible step was in 1932 with
the building of the first wholesale distribution depot.
During the war years the Company was engaged in supply
of produce to
the high concentration of troops in Cornwall, and Ministry
of Transport work to keep the commercial fleet fully occupied.
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At
the end of the war the Company resumed its wholesale distribution,
and as currency restrictions were lifted,
importing resumed with
an ever-increasing tempo. It was at this point in 1945 that
the private limited Company was formed.
1949 saw the last season
in which the Ministry of Food handled the Cornish potato
crop.
In
an endeavour
to continue some form of marketing so as to present a
commercially acceptable product in competition with imported
produce,
an organisation
called the Cornish Potato Exchange was formed consisting
of seven private merchants including Rowe & Co. This
operated for sixteen years before being fully integrated
within the
Company.
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The 1950's saw considerable
expansion in the Company's fleet to cater to its internal
needs.
The rapid
expansion continued throughout the 1960s with
the take-over of a number of fruit companies and the
only fruit market in the UK owned by a private Company
was
planned
and opened in 1966, to
accommodate wholesalers, traders and growers. The expansion plans gained more pace in the 1970s with
the acquisition of 15 companies thus incorporating
the opening of 11 new wholesale depots; in addition
5 retail
shops were acquired. Following the development of the Roscoff ferry, the
French business expanded and an office was opened in
France
in 1974.
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