Salt Bros: Store prided itself on service

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In our series looking back on long-gone popular shops, restaurants, cinemas and dance halls, Stuart Haywood, of Church Gresley, fondly remembers Swadlincote store Salt Bros.

TAKE a walk along Swadlincote High Street and ask anyone over the age of 50 if they remember Salt Bros department store. If they reply in the affirmative, they will invariably add: “It was a wonderful shop. They sold everything.”

The memory of Salt Bros is revered and the shop has become a legend in local folklore.

Of course, it did not sell everything, but it did provide a very wide range of merchandise for a department store situated in the high street of a small town.

Salt Bros prided itself on their personal service, quality of goods and value for money.

The popularity of the stores was exemplified by the vast crowds that gathered outside their three shops on the first day of their annual sales.

People travelled from all over the locality and from farther afield to take advantage of bargains on offer.

When the doors opened at 9am the staff risked being caught in a loose maul and being trampled underfoot.

Salts had three shops on Swadlincote High Street. The one on the south side was on two floors. The ground floor was mainly devoted to haberdashery. Upstairs was a discreet section set aside for ladies wear – no blatant displays of lingerie for Salts in the 1940s.

Men’s clothing was also sold from this shop. They had a loyal following of coal miners who bought their boots and moleskin trousers from there.

I remember my grandfather advising me, when I was young, to buy the best quality footwear that I could afford as they were cheaper in the long run. He always polished his boots every day. “I have had these boots for more than 10 years and, because I have looked after them, they are as good as new,” he told me one day. “I bought them from Salts for 12s 6d.”

I bought my first business suit from this shop, towards the end of my Teddy Boy period (1955-59) during which time I obtained some “exotic gear” – not the sort of thing Salts would sell.

The business suit was a three-piece in charcoal grey and cost eight guineas, I think.

My boss was flabbergasted when I turned up to work in such a conservative mode of attire.

Salts had two shops next door to each other on the north side of High Street.

One was mainly household goods such as furniture, carpets and linoleum.

The other was the hardware department selling wallpaper, paint, glass and potteryware and other merchandise. Many young couples furnished their first homes taking advantage of the easy terms offered on goods.

There was a delivery service which covered the entire area.

I recall the Lampson Paragon system employed in the shops.

Any money taken by an assistant was put into a cylinder which was inserted into a tube. Compressed air would then power the cylinder to the cash office, saving much legwork.

The Salt family were originally from farming stock form the Leek Moorlands and quite a few emigrated to Canada during the late 19th century.

Two brothers, Enoch and Joseph, were not interested in agriculture and, instead, followed a career in commerce.

In 1895, they opened their first shop, a drapery store in Swadlincote High Street.

Later, branches at Moira, Newhall and London Road, Derby, were opened.

In 1904, Joseph followed other members of his family to Canada and Enoch was joined by another brother, Hezekiah.

It was during this partnership that Salt Bros grew and gained their much-envied reputation.

Like many successful companies of the Salt Bros era, they failed to move with the times.

They were probably overstaffed or, at least, not making the most of their staff.

Perhaps too much emphasis was placed on giving the customer a superior personal service when this was coming to an end – witness the rise of the supermarkets.

So, this wonderful shop closed its doors for the last time in 1982. With it went the heart of Swadlincote as a shopping centre.

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