Chopes of Bideford

Years of Change 1948-1973

It can be said that the word ‘change’ is synonymous with ‘fashion’ but in relation to the story of Chopes over the last twenty-five years, the word takes on a different meaning. Fashions in clothing and textile goods have indeed continued to change frequently and in bewildering ways. Fashion has reached into areas of merchandise not before affected to any marked degree. Once a sheet was White and it was cotton: today we slumber amidst fields of daisies printed on nylon or terylene. Children's clothing reflects current fashion right down into the tiny sizes. Even so the spread of television and magazine advertising has enabled manufacturers to dictate fashion to a degree and make it more predictable.

Change has come more significantly in the way in which goods are sold and presented to the public, and in the importance which modern retailing ascribes to shop siting and interior layout. Economic factors have led to a need for very much higher productivity and this has been achieved at the expense of some of the personal contact in shopping. The great achievement at Chopes over the last twenty-five years has been that this change to more modern retailing methods has been achieved with the retention of an atmosphere of personal and friendly relationships between the shop and its customers.

In 1948 it was noted that the post war years brought a pause in the activates of the firm. 1949 saw the end of clothes rationing and two years later the hairdressing was leased to be run as a separate business. The Bargain Shop Top Floor was re-opened in 1955 and quickly became a successful selling area for keenly priced ranges of Ladies Outerwear and Underwear.

During these quieter years, with the business running smoothly the partners devoted a great deal of time to work outside the firm and in 1949 after some years' service on the Council, Arthur became Mayor. Norman continued his work on the Bench to which he had been elected as a JP in 1938.

In 1956 the Partnership was dissolved and the firm formed into a limited liability company.

In the closing years of the fifties changes occurred that were to speed the march of events and bring about further swift changes in the firm's story.

In 1960 Roger Chope, Arthur's son, returned to work in the family firm, after years away at school followed by an apprenticeship to Colson's of Exeter (the third generation to have learnt his trade there), a spell of National Service in the Army and a further year's training with Jones of Bristol, a Debenhams Store.

In the meantime the pattern of shopping in Bideford had been altered by the removal of the Post Office from the High Street to the Quay, the closing of the cattle market near the market place and its re-siting at Bank End. Trade appeared to be moving away from the Grenville Street, High Street area and the shops remaining in Grenville Street quickly found premises in lower parts of the town. Bromleys Cafe closed and some of the smaller shops in High Street changed hands several times.

However despite the air of uncertainty prevailing, Chopes renewed the lighting in their windows and inside the shop. The Co-op opened a fine new shop on the site of the old Post Office and the situation was restored. In fact trade was so buoyant at this time that it was decided to embark upon a considerable expansion to take advantage of the feeling of optimism and also to give young Roger Chope something "to get his teeth into."

Behind the shop was the derelict site of Tardrews Iron Foundry. In 1961 this was purchased from Messrs. Timothy Whites and a new structure to house the fashion showroom was planned by Mr. F. Whiting, of Whiting and Wickham. Work was started in 1962, and despite the terrible winter that year Mr Roy. Glover's firm of Builders was successful in completing the building on time for an opening in the Spring of 1963.

The mystery and excitement of shopkeeping lies in the unexpected way in which plans seldom mature as intended and forecasts and estimates are frequently awry. In this case it was not the Fashion Departments that showed the greatest benefit from the new extension, but the other sections of the shop which were re-arranged in their old locations with extra space, that made the great advances in turnover that immediately justified the money spent and the risks taken.

1965 was a sad and disruptive year for the firm. In September Arthur Chope succumbed to his third attack of coronary thrombosis at the age of 62. In October, Norman died suddenly from the same complaint, aged 59, and thus within the space of a month the company was shorn of the accumulated experience of these two men. Both brothers had contributed a vast amount of time in their lives to being involved in the affairs and interests of the Town and District of Bideford; both had a great regard and concern for their fellow men: both were widely mourned by a large circle of family and friends.

Within two years Chopes had settled back to normal under the sole management of Roger Chope. During this time growing competition and the introduction of selective employment tax on staff put the firm under pressure to re-examine its trading methods. The outcome was a decision in 1967 to condense selling space and aim for higher sales with fewer staff, and the first step towards the fulfilment of this policy was to bring the underwear and corsetry down to the showroom and demolish the staircase to the first floor thereby opening up the ground floor. No staff were ever made redundant in the furtherance of this policy, but numbers were reduced by not replacing staff who left in the normal course of events.

In 1968 a consultant from the Drapers Chamber of Trade was called in to run a critical eye over the business and his findings reinforced the decisions towards change: departments were re-arranged and re-fixtured to introduce an element of self selection; the shopfront was thrown open by the removal of the arcade island windows, at the same time reducing display costs. These measures had an immediate and dramatic effect on sales, and staff and customers enjoyed the vitality and bustle of a modern store.

Finally in 1970 the Bargain Shop was closed and leased to a local firm to be run as a restaurant. Great care was taken to incorporate the Bargain Shop goods into the Main Shop ranges in a manner which would ensure that the Bargain Shop customers were encouraged to shop in the Main Shop. This combining of the two shops was successfully achieved and the fact that a full price range of goods was carried under one roof proved to be of enormous benefit and a further large increase in trade was recorded.

At the same time the lease was taken of a small lock-up shop in Westward Ho!, one of a block of three new shops erected by Mr Laws, next to the Post Office in Nelson Road. Open only during the summer season this shop was an immediate success catering to the visitor trade. It is often noted that on sunny days when perhaps Bideford is quiet, Westward Ho! will be busy and the reverse is true on rainy days. The best of both worlds!

Frequently the best business decisions are made on a hunch and this would seem to be true of the decision in 1971 to make an offer to the Methodist Trustees for the freehold of the Bridge Street Methodist Chapels sited behind the shop and reaching back to Bridge Street. This was done without any really clear idea as to the purpose which the property would be put to, except that it seemed a good idea to have some control over the area. It seemed a good idea a little later to demolish the Chapels and establish a car park and the outcome is that 1973 sees a small but very busy car park at the back of the shop with direct access into the showroom and a way through into the High Street.

The only certainty about the future is that further changes will come. A new shopfront is planned incorporating wider doors and less window space. This was planned for 1973 but planning problems have now put it back to 1974. Change is interesting, it is usually fun and it is certainly the stuff of life in shopkeeping.

Chopes enjoys being independent in an age that is becoming more and more stereotyped and the owners and staff look forward to the changes and challenges of the next 25 years.

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Chopes of Bideford • 13-15 High St • Bideford • EX39 2AE • 01237 472091