E Laxon & Co - Wholesale Grocers

Any members out there used to work at "Laxons" in Charter Ave during the late 60's, 70's & 80's - especially in the Warehouse/Goods Inwards?

Yep, I was a delivery driver 1970-72, I also had twin cousins who worked in the warehouse. I was a weedy 22 yr old but soon gained muscles lifting sides of bacon, 1/2 hundredweight bags of sugar and catering tins of baked beans. I travelled down to Cheltenham, Oxfordshire, Birmingham, Nottingham and Derby delivering to VG food stores, factories and schools.

Would Barry Canavan have been transport manager then? (he took over from Stan Strong) What did your cousins do in the warehouse? I worked in Goods Inwards/Replenishment and remember unloading the trays of bacon from the container parked in the well outside the provisions dept. I still have a Price List from the '70s somewhere listing every item stocked! Happy days - I think.

Stan was the transport foreman when I was there. My cousins, whose names I cannot remember, worked in the small office in the warehouse near the dock. Both were blond and quite attractive.

I worked at Laxon's from 1959-1960, when it was at Gas Street. I presume that some people would have still been there when it moved to Charter Avenue. The names that I remember, Norman Gough, cheese dept. manager. Tom Morris was provisions manager, I think, ran the bacon, hams etc. A guy called Peter was transport or deputy manager. Mr Blackburn was warehouse manager, I have had contact from him in the past. Other names, Terry Jones, worked in the warehouse. Albert ran the catering department. I remember the guy that ran goods in, but not his name, he was a big chap. Mr Mundee is another name that comes to mind. Rae Prince, a very hard working gent, worked in the warehouse. Did you know any office staff? I remember a Hillary Welch. A very nice young lady. I left to join the navy, but very happy days for me too.

When did you work at Laxons? I was there 1959-1960. At Gas Street. Regards, Peter Louch

Stan was my dad! Great bloke,

I worked with your dad Mick, although we were at opposite ends of the building, he was a really great bloke. Always called a spade a spade, as well as lots of other things and often preceded by words I can't repeat here! I joined the company in 1969 when Len Hurst was warehouse manager. I can remember Len calling for me about 9:00am the morning after my stag-night to see if I was going into work that day as they were short-staffed! He was replaced by a chap called Roy Higgs. I left in 1976 and then rejoined in 1980 before being made redundant in 1986.

My Dad was David Fitzpatrick and I am his son Michael. I worked frequently on the trucks, as a drivers mate. Barry Kavanagh was a friend, he's dead so is my Dad. I reckon Tommy Morris, Stan Strong, Len Hurst the same. Tough men but all good. I drove past Charter Ave 6 months ago, no trace of Laxons. Sad really, an end of an era.

Hi radfitz, welcome to our forum Your father was a director at Laxons wasn't he? I had the unfortunate job of borrowing his brand new Austin Maxi to drive over to a customer in Leamington to deliver some cheese from Tom Morris's provisions department. Sadly, I got as far as the island on the A45 (by the Fire Station) and sitting stationary waiting for a gap in the traffic some {insert expletive here} drove straight into the back of me!! I continued to Leamington, managed to prise the boot open to get the cheese out, then returned and gingerly handed over his keys. Needless to say, I wasn't flavour of the month! I remember well all those people you mention. Len Hurst was a decent guy (Warehouse manager) and also Fred Mundy - Goods Inwards manager Happy days!

Hi, my dad was Stan Strong, I also knew Barry very well and used to go on trips with him

Hi Bob Gleason here I worked at Laxons from 1969-1986. Worked first in the bacon room then went into the warehouse on assembly and goods inwards.

Hi Bob, welcome to our forum. Gosh, where do the years go? I was there pretty much the same period as yourself. Were you also in the batch of redundancies that went in '86?

Does anyone know when they moved from Gas Street to Canley? (I think). Someone talked about the young ladies in the office, was that at Gas Street or wherever they went. In my time, 1961, there was a Kathy, tall slim blonde lady, very pretty girl. Another girl, I think a Marjorie, and a younger lass, Hilary Welch. Whomever it was working in the bacon in 1969, was Tom Morris still there? A lovely man.

The 1960 Telephone Directory lists them in Gas Street, and the 1962 in Charter Avenue As you were "there" in 1961, this should give you the answer!