Hiltonbury Farmhouse

This store was a star independent in the 1950s. As I remember, Mr. Torbock opened this as the first ever self service store in the UK. He brought the idea back from the US where he visited often during the winter months due to his illness which I believe was chronic asthma.

The store was enlarged several times and eventually included a first floor sales area for white goods. He was a much respected pioneer of the then grocery trade.

I knew him and his manager, Harold Sims, very well as I was a sales representative in the area from 1959 until 1965. Sadly, Harold Sims died very early from a heart attack when he was about 60. I also remember an Assistant Manager, Mr. Jennings. They were all devoted to this business which helped them to be very successful.

The store was very popular with manufacturers in those days, very different days from the grocery trade as it now is. Torbocks could be relied upon to feature new products with large displays and and also those subject to local promotions, such as money off coupons delivered door-to-door and they especially would arrange displays to support brand TV advertising which was becoming important then.

Major manufacturers also liked to use the store for demonstrations and tasting of products where the demonstrator was employed to increase the sales of those products. This, for me, was a happy period where the grocery trade was keen to support manufacturers.

The advent of the supermarket changed that situation dramatically in more ways than one. As mentioned, Fine Fare opened a large store in the next road (Market Street?) and this caused considerable competition and especially for the independent trader. Independents started a downward and difficult spiral then, though even today many of them are still trading profitably.

Happy days though were the 1960s. All the large manufacturers employed large sales teams, and representatives of the big companies were everywhere. For instance, all the biscuit companies had reps and there must have been 10 guys all selling different brands! Brooke Bond Tea was delivered by van sales drivers on a weekly basis. Unbelievable now.

And, of course, The Beatles were just starting and that helped the day pass, especially if you were a lucky representative with a radio in your car. Not many did, nor did they have heated rear windows, heaters in the car or windscreen washers. Very unsafe. Even worse, it was reported some reps in the North of England used to drive around in the cold weather with a paraffin heater in the well of the front seat! Madness, just think of that!