About Shopfittings (Manchester) Ltd:
Shopfittings Manchester were established in 1864, and are probably the oldest shopfitting
and display equipment suppliers in the country.
In 2006 we merged with John Gray (Paper & Twine) Ltd . The merger helped us extend our
product range to include carrier bags, paper bags, mail order bags and general shop supplies.
With over 3000 individual product lines in stock we offer a "one stop shop" for retailers.
We supply quality products at competitive prices. Our extensive stock holding enables us to respond to our customer's requirements and most orders are dispatched the same day via a national carrier network.
If you are unsure about ordering over the web or need any technical support please phone our sales office on 0161.834.8943 or email us on sales@4-shops.co.uk.
You are welcome to visit our large showroom which has our full product range on display.
We are based in Manchester and open Monday - Friday 9.00am - 5.00 pm
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A brief History of John Gray's, who merged with Shopfittings in 2006:
John Gray's was established on Thomas Street in 1875, but was originally on the other side of the road to where it stands today. Gray's were packaging merchants, supplying wrapping papers and twine to Smithfield wholesale fruit, vegetable and fish markets, as well as servicing the packaging needs of Manchester's wider commercial community.
Having been demobbed at the end of the Second World War in 1945, Fred B Wyatt bought the business from its then owner, a Mr Russell. Fred wasn't the only one to have seen action in the war; the warehouse beneath his newly purchased premises had until recently been used as an air-raid shelter. Fred found trading difficult due to the lack of decent paper supplies; one of the many shortages in the immediate post war years. To get round the supply problems he had to rely on importing Kraft paper and bags from Scandinavian countries such as Sweden.
In 1951 Mr Wyatt employed his nephew Mr Geoff Hulme who had just left School. Geoff was to experience one of the biggest changes in the packaging industry's history; the introduction of polythene products. Gray's trade increased substantially with the supply of polythene bags and related lines to many of the textile wholesalers, who are located in the northern quarter of Manchester to this day.
In 1970 Mr Wyatt retired and sold the business to Geoff Hulme, who ran it with his Father Frank, and from 1975 with the additional help of Mr Hulme’s wife, Joyce. Together they continued to expand the business until their retirement in April 1996.
John Gray’s was purchased from the Hulmes by Andy and Sue Robinson. Andy, with twenty years experience in both polythene extrusion and the importation of packaging materials was the ideal successor, given the difficult trading period which lay ahead. In 1996 Manchester was devastated by the IRA bomb; this made trading extremely tough as the city lost many independent retailers.
In January 2000, John Gray’s purchased S.K. Sundries of Stockport from Mr. David Wilkinson who was retiring after 25 years of established business. This helped Gray’s expand its delivery service to the south of Manchester and enabled us to increase our product range.
In February 2001, John Gray’s were delighted to purchase one of the oldest companies in Manchester; E Tapp & Co., established in 1861! With help from Joe Hinds, Tapp’s former owner, we have been able to add a new dimension to John Gray’s portfolio; introducing point of sale and display materials to our range of products. This is part of an ongoing process to adapt to the changing needs of our customers, whilst continuing to be a ‘one stop shop’. |
