Reference
Z1560
Title
Records of the Cosmic Crayon Company Limited and Binney & Smith Limited
Date free text
c.1920s - 2005
Production date
From: 1920 To: 2005
Admin/biog history
Company History by Paul J Day
During the First World War priority was given to essential imports due to the huge losses of shipping during the U-boat campaign. The vast majority of bulky imported manufactured materials that could be made in Great Britain were assessed and the British government negotiated with a number of US companies to set up manufacture in the UK, one such product being school chalks. The Consul in New York negotiated with Binney & Smith Inc and The American Crayon Co Inc who jointly formed The Cosmic Crayon Company.
In 1916 all the equipment was shipped from the US and manufacture initially started with gross boxes (144 sticks) at Letchworth. From then on Cosmic made the vast majority of school chalks used in British schools. By the end of the war the premises in Letchworth were outgrown and in also the two companies wished to expand their product ranges & develop sales in Europe & particularly the colonies & Commonwealth..
Premises at Ampthill Road
Upon closure of Elstow Private School* (buildings & playing fields comprising over 22 acres) the company was relocated to Bedford in 1920. The US General Manager Mr Messenger & Plant Manager Mr Sexton, increased the product range to include pastels, wax crayons & modelling materials directed toward the toy & stationery trades as well as education in which the traditional gross stick boxes of school chalk were exclusively used by teaching staff.
It is interesting to note that two adjoining streets to the Ampthill Rd are named Cosmic & Sexton, and a bungalow facing the main road, nearest to the 1964 factory, though much altered still retains some features of a 1920’s exterior styling seen in Pennsylvania.
In 1958 Cosmic became exclusively owned by the Binney & Smith Inc and the name changed in 1972. Mr Messenger retired in 1961 having managed the company for a long period, even remaining here during the 2nd world war.
The next phase involved the appointment of a British Managing Director Eric A Clayton who oversaw further expansion of the company in Europe, Africa & the Middle East. The sales office was relocated to Bedford from London and a wholly British management committee established in Bedford and plans made for a new factory.
The old school buildings** in which most of the manufacture was conducted in converted classrooms and dormitories had become totally inadequate and a new single story 60,000 sq ft factory was planned with the most up to date systems & equipment The new factory was built on what had been the school playing fields on the south side of the area and the old school buildings demolished with new premises built by Robinson Rentals later to be acquired by Granada & is now technology House.
The new factory was opened by The Minister of Education, Sir Edward Boyle in 1964.
Following this new phase Bedford became the largest school chalk manufacturing base in the world. During the period from mid-1960’s to the 1980’s millions of gross boxes were exported to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Eric Clayton who was instrumental in planning this strategy, was awarded the MBE for services to Export. Overall, about 50% of all Bedford production, including wax crayons, paints & modelling materials were exported annually to over 50 nations as well as shipments under contract to UNICEF & UNWRA. During the height of it’s operation there were as many as 150 manufacturing jobs at Ampthill Rd.
Ultimately the US parent company shareholders accepted a cash takeover bid from the privately owned Hallmark Card Company Inc. The manufacturing site at Bedford was closed down in 2005 and although there are administrative facilities in the Binney & Smith name at Manton Lane, Bedford there is no manufacture of crayons & chalks.
Notes:
* The school was established in 1869-originally named Bedfordshire Middle Class Private School, then Bedford County School & finally Elstow School(although located within the boundaries of Kempston).
**The War Memorial Window & Communion table were removed from the school chapel & transferred to Elstow Abbey during the re-development of the site.
** *See copy of 1920s catalogue for the product range introduced by the company
& on the inside cover a depiction of the buildings showing what was the headmasters house & separate chapel building. Also shown is a proposed railway siding which was never built.
Binney & Smith(Europe)Ltd.
An interesting aspect related to marketing & the power of TV advertising is well worth recording here.
Prior to the dissolution of the US partnership (as competitors in the US there was limited incentive to expand on a large scale) so the Binney & Smith management decided to make the British Isles their stepping stone to Europe, especially after our entry into the EC. Furthermore, in the US they had a multi-million Dollar business (established in 1903) for their Crayola brand of wax crayons which in the US were so well known that as a brand they were dominant in childrens (4-9yrs) Stationery & Toy sectors. Such was the strength of the Crayola that generations of grand parents, parents & children were as familiar with the brand as Coke Cola, Ford, Hoover etc.
In the early 1970’s wax crayons in the UK market was such that when market research undertaken by the company it revealed that no brand name at all was recognised, including Finart which was then the B&S Europe brand (of the same quality as Crayola crayons) & the biggest selling colouring item for young children.
Furthermore, it was estimated from market research that for every child in the UK (yrs 4-9) on average used only 2 sticks per year in the home vs 65 sticks per child in the US.
This then reflected not only a lack of brand identity but also a very l low level of appreciation of the wax crayon as a creative colouring product for young children.
A total change had to be made & to achieve something approaching US sales, the company embarked upon one of the most ambitious marketing campaigns for a childrens creative art product ever attempted outside the US with amounts spent on TV advertising, & sales promotion, initially over a 2 year period, exceeding the UK company,s turnover 5-fold; this was, of course, financed by the US company.
Within a few years sales in the UK increased by an estimated 22-fold during which most of the supermarkets & chains stocked the crayon range, wholly as a result of the advertising campaigns & supportive marketing. Prominent product placements encouraged & generated continuity of purchases once brand awareness had developed.
Remarkably, within a few years of the campaign starting, market research revealed that even some adults when questioned actually thought they knew the brand from childhood-such is the power of intensive product/brand advertising!
Paul J Day-employee of The Cosmic Crayon Co Ltd /Binney & Smith (Europe) Ltd.
1960-1981.
Initially joined Cosmic as sales administrator. At that time the ambitious plans for the British company provided great opportunities for me & after a brief training period I became a sales representative for a third of England calling on Local Education Authorities & Stationery/Toy Wholesalers,
During this time I studied sales & marketing at evening classes & correspondence courses, and that combined with practical experience enabled me to become involved in the sales & marketing of the UK products in Europe, the Middle East & Africa. I had several visits to the USA attending seminars and receiving detailed information & exposure to every aspect of the parent company operations.
With the new factory opening in 1964, the company was ideally placed to expand exports of educational & childrens creative activity products in the regions for which I was responsible. At this juncture I was appointed to the tri-partite UK management committee & had to travel extensively in Western Europe, parts of the Middle East & Africa as well as being involved in the US/UK team establishing the “Crayola” crayon brand name which until the mid 1970’s was unknown here.
During this period the company had a very active innovative marketing & manufacturing ethos, which has provided the basis for the continuation of the Crayola marketing success to the present, though no longer with significant UK manufacture.
Scope and Content
Binney & Smith (Europe) Ltd formerly known as The Cosmic Crayon Co Ltd., established in England in 1916.Located in the Ampthill Rd, Bedford from 1920 until manufacture ceased in2005 some years after the parent US company was acquired by Hallmark Inc. The premises are now those of the Kings House organisation.
Level of description
fonds