Daniel's of Hayle
Daniel's in the 1930's
Daniel's in the 1930's
Left to Right: Lottie Thomas, Lylie Blewett, Bessie Clemence, John Daniel, Minnie Gloyn and Freda Pascoe

The local drapery and grocery store situated at the then busy Fore Street, Copperhouse part of Hayle had been trading and expanding since the late 1800's. The Bazeley family of Hayle and Penzance were millers, traders, wholesalers and shipowners at the end of the 19th century. They also owned two shops in Hayle one at Foundry and one at Copperhouse.

Click to see an enlargement Click to see an enlargement Click to see an enlargement
Daniel's in the 1900's with a headed invoice from September 1919
Click on photos to see an enlargement

In 1894 John Daniel, having learned his trade managing Cornish's speciality food store in his home town of Penzance, married Mary (Minnie) Eddy who had been employed at Mitchell's the well known drapers situated on the Terrace.

Eight years later in 1902, now with two children, the opportunity arose to purchase the Copperhouse grocery and drapery store from the Bazeleys and to use their joint skills to develop it. They traded successfully through two world wars and a depression thanks to largely the extensive order canvassing and home deliveries in the surrounding areas, a healthy local trade and thrice-yearly visits to the owner's contacts in the Isle of Scilly. Branches were opened briefly at Phillack and Kehelland but were not very fruitful due to the coverage of the delivery service.

Click to see an enlargement Click to see an enlargement
Daniel's in the 1920's
Click on photos to see an enlargement

On the death of John and Minnie in the 1940s the burden of management fell upon daughter Dorothy and son Frank whose early demise led his widow joining her sister-in-law for some if the toughest years of all.

Click to see an enlargement Click to see an enlargement
Home delivery, the van is from the wartime service and the poster from about 1960
Click on photos to see an enlargement

By 1960 increasing road traffic had rendered the site of the store on a blind corner something of a liability and it was decided to sacrifice the range of stores and garages to the east of the shop to alleviate liability to rating and to offer customer parking. This helped increase local and passing trade since self-catering holidays were flourishing largely due to more car owners heading west. Canvassing of orders ceased but home deliveries continued until the retirement of Percy Uren who had spent his entire working life with the family.

As turnover grew it was crucial to attempt to keep abreast of new ideas - self service, new shelving, frozen food, an off licence in 1963. Walls were frequently knocked down to create more trading space. Green Shield stamps were used for a few years and proved to be huge draw (especially on Tuesdays, when Double Stamps were given).

Green Shield Stamps

Click to see an enlargement
Daniel's in the late 1960's (Click on photo to see an enlargement)

Enduring philosophies from this time, were:
  • Availability and to pay a fair price - to use local produce whenever possible
  • On a permanent basis - to employ the best local staff available
  • Across the whole stock range - to charge the lowest possible price
  • To upgrade the store, facilities - and service whenever the opportunity arose

One after another new departments were opened. The Off Licence became popular for its range and competitive pricing. Delicatessen and provisions attained widespread local fame under Ken Visick's energetic application. Produce boomed because much was local and none overpriced. Butchery was renowned for its quality many animals came from our own herd! A large Freezer centre was opened in an adjacent building, providing the town with a new shopping experience with the added delights of a weigh out department.

Daniel's of Hayle

Click to see an enlargement Click to see an enlargement Click to see an enlargement

In 1988 The Co-operative group built a new 9000 square foot food store on an empty site across the canal and Daniels planned a major refit to repel the competition. With the help of N.I.S.A, (the national independent supermarket association) voluntary group that the store had joined, the operation was a huge success and kept Daniels well ahead of opposition.

The major refit included complete change of store layout with the Fruit and Vegetable Dept relocated to the new entrance area, the Dairy/ Provisions ran down the side wall of the store with Fresh Meat and Delicatessen counters across the back of the store together with the Frozen food fridges. The departments were all set out in their new colour schemes with change of carrier bag advertising and point of sale (POS) changes. The adjacent Freezer store was also included in the major refit and boasted the very popular select and weigh stock as well as super range of frozen products.

Daniel's of Hayle

Daniel's of Hayle Click to see an enlargement Click to see an enlargement
Daniel's in the early 1990's
Click on photos to see an enlargement

Daniel's bag (click to see an enlargement)However in April 1994 John Daniel decided to sell the store to the Co-Operative Society. The store continued to trade with "Daniels" as the facia logo but as more supermarket competition engulfed the surrounding area trade began to decrease. As time went on Co-Op were bringing Daniels in line with range and price this also had an adverse effect with trade although the store still maintained a level of profit. During June 2002 staff at Daniels were informed of the intention for Co-Op (by then CWS) to extend the now Pioneer supermarket by several thousand feet square allowing the store to meet the needs of today's demanding customers. This unfortunately brought the long history of the Daniel family's local store to an end. The store closed Wednesday 20th November 2002, finally having the key turned for the last time at 8pm.

Daniel's of Hayle

Grateful thanks are due to those loyal customers, staff and suppliers from the Scilly Isles to Camborne and beyond
from 1904 to 1994.
 
Contact Us
 
 
 

Top of Page

© Copyright by Daniel's of Hayle All Rights Reserved. An AJH site