Cave Austin and Company facts for kids

Cave Austin and Co., Ltd was a popular chain of grocery stores and cafés. It was mainly found in the southeast of England. Over 70 years, it grew to about 50 locations. These stores and cafés were in places like Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and parts of South East London. Some cafés were even in seaside towns like Deal and Hastings.

How It Started

Cave Austin and Co., Ltd officially became a company in 1896. Before this, several different businesses joined together. These included tea sellers, wine and spirit shops, and grocery stores. They decided to work together under one management.

The first leaders of the company included C.H. Cave, A.J. Cave, and Alfred Austin. There were two main parts to the business: grocery stores and cafés. At first, they sold a lot of tea. But in 1903, they stopped selling tea wholesale. Instead, they started focusing on coffee. They roasted, blended, and ground all their coffee themselves! By the 1930s, the company wanted to be known as a top-quality grocery chain.

Cave's Cafés

Early on, the company opened a chain of cafés called Cave's Oriental Cafés. These cafés had a special look with an "oriental" style. They opened in many towns:

• Brighton (1896)
• Eastbourne (1899)
• Folkestone (1900)
• Dover (1903)
• Ramsgate (1904)
• Hastings (1905)
• Canterbury (1905)
• Cliftonville (1907)
• Hythe (1909)
• Broadstairs (1911)
• Deal (1912)

Mr. C.H. Cave was in charge of growing these cafés. After World War I, his nephew, Frank Cave, helped make the cafés even better and more modern.

Grocery Stores and War Times

After Mr. C. H. Cave retired in 1932, the grocery stores grew a lot. They expanded in London, Kent, and Surrey. Charles Stamp became the Chairman.

During World War II, the company faced big challenges. Some of their buildings were damaged by bombs. Their warehouse in Lewisham was bombed twice. In 1943, the Eastbourne café was destroyed. The next year, stores in Hastings were also completely ruined. The Blackheath grocery store was badly damaged in 1945 by a V2 rocket.

Even with all this damage, the company kept growing! They opened new stores in places like Dorking, Beckenham, and Petts Wood.

In 1950, Frank Cave passed away. Charles Alfred Stamp, Charles Stamp's son, became the new Chairman. The company continued to expand. In 1952, they opened their first self-service store in Hayes, Bromley. This was a new way for people to shop! In 1956, they even put a Mobile Grocery Shop on the road. It had a cold cabinet, so it could sell fresh items.

In 1954, a new warehouse was built in Lewisham. This large building had offices, a coffee roasting area, and a cold storage room. They also cooked hams there and stored wines. At the same time, Cave Austin started making and selling its own brand of products.

Sixty Years of Success

In 1956, the company celebrated 60 years! They published a booklet called 'Sixty Years of Trading'. It shared some amazing facts:

• Over 400 staff worked for the company.
• They had 24 delivery vans that drove over 190,000 miles each year.
• They roasted over 30 tons of coffee every year.
• They cooked 5,000 hams annually.
• They sold 92 tons of butter and 100 tons of margarine.
• They also sold 54 tons of tea.
• A huge 2,600 tons of food was sent from their warehouse to their stores.

They had 19 stores that sold alcohol, including many French wines. They also sold "fancy" groceries. These were special foods like okra, lychees, and bamboo shoots. This was exciting because food Rationing in the United Kingdom had only ended in 1954. The company's leaders felt sure they would continue to grow for many more years.

New Challenges and Changes

In 1963, Barry Stamp became the Chairman. He was the son of Charles Alfred Stamp. By this time, big supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury's were becoming very popular. These large stores could offer more products and better prices.

Even though Cave Austin had 40 grocery stores, it was hard for them to compete. The market was changing fast and becoming very competitive. Barry Stamp was the last Chairman of Cave Austin. In 1963, he arranged for the company to be bought by another company called Burton, Son and Sanders.

In 1966, the company was sold again. It joined with Moores Stores, and the name 'Cave Austin' disappeared.

Today, you won't find Cave Austin stores. However, a wine bar in Blackheath once used the name 'Cave Austin'. It was inspired by a floor mosaic at the entrance of the building. Both the wine bar and the mosaic are now gone.

Images for kids

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  High Street, Sidcup (c.1900)

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  The first warehouse in Clarendon Yard, Lewisham

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  Head Office and Central Warehouse, 34/40 Eastdown Park, Lewisham (c.1955)

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  23 Station Approach, Hayes, Kent (c.1955)

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  Interior of self-service store, Hayes, Kent (c.1955)