Kays Catalogues
Encyclopedia
Kay and Co Ltd was a mail-order catalogue business, with offices and warehouses throughout the United Kingdom
. It was a very successful company, especially during the latter part of the 20th century.
The company had offices and warehouses in Worcester
, Leeds
, Glasgow
, Newtown
, Bradford
, Bristol
, Droitwich, Lancaster
and York
.
The company often commissioned artwork for the front of its catalogues. For instance, in 1974 and 1979, two pictures of Worcester Cathedral
were used. In fact, the cathedral at Worcester was used as the basis for the front cover from 1958 until 1982.
The company was founded in Worcester
in 1794. The company opened a purpose-built warehouse in Leeds
in 1981 and this was closed in August 2004 (pictured).
On 23 February 2007, Kays original depot in Worcester closed.
This was part of the work to amalgamate Kays and Littlewoods
, calling it Shop Direct. Shop Direct is now centred around the traditional home of the Littlewoods group, Liverpool
. The Kays brand continued to be used by Shop Direct until January 2011 when Kays, Empire Stores and Great Universal Stores
merged to become K&Co.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was a very successful company, especially during the latter part of the 20th century.
The company had offices and warehouses in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Newtown
Newtown
-Australia:*Newtown, New South Wales*Newtown, Queensland *Newtown, Queensland *Newtown, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong*Newtown, Victoria , a locality near Ballarat-Ireland:* Newtown, County Cork* Newtown, County Laois...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Droitwich, Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.
The company often commissioned artwork for the front of its catalogues. For instance, in 1974 and 1979, two pictures of Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
were used. In fact, the cathedral at Worcester was used as the basis for the front cover from 1958 until 1982.
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
in 1794. The company opened a purpose-built warehouse in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1981 and this was closed in August 2004 (pictured).
On 23 February 2007, Kays original depot in Worcester closed.
This was part of the work to amalgamate Kays and Littlewoods
Littlewoods
Littlewoods is the name of a former retail and gambling company founded in Liverpool, Merseyside, England by John Moores in 1923.It started as a shopping catalogue company, processing orders by post in the early 1970s. In 1981, it expanded to a call centre, processing orders via telephone. At its...
, calling it Shop Direct. Shop Direct is now centred around the traditional home of the Littlewoods group, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. The Kays brand continued to be used by Shop Direct until January 2011 when Kays, Empire Stores and Great Universal Stores
GUS (retailer)
GUS plc was a FTSE 100 retailing group based in the United Kingdom. GUS is an abbreviation of Great Universal Stores, the company's former name before 2001...
merged to become K&Co.
External links
- K&Co website
- Kays heritage
- World of Kays (archive catalogues, held at the University of WorcesterUniversity of WorcesterThe University of Worcester is a British university, based in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It was granted university status in September 2005.-History:...
)