A remarkable businessman, Burton pioneered the concept of providing a 'made-to measure' suit to the ordinary working man at reasonable cost. In 1966 made-to measure suits could be purchased in a Burton shop for as little as £10. Buying a suit from them was a true shopping experience; with Burton's parquet floors, oak paneling and mirrors together with shelves containing bales of cloth their shops exuded quality. Helped by smartly dressed and well-trained assistants the unhurried task of choosing a style and being measured for jacket, waistcoat and trousers became part of the time-honoured Burton ritual. Before overseas competition in clothes manufacturing undermined the made-to-measure tailoring business, Burton's factory in Hudson Road, Leeds employed over 10,000 people. Burton created a mass-market for his clothes and spawned a host of imitators including John Collier (the fifty bob tailors), a business started by Henry Price with just one shop at Silsden, Yorkshire (1907). By 1932 the number of shops had increased to 232. The company is well remembered for its 1960s television advertising with the catchy jingle: John Collier, John Collier, the window to watch!
Before the dominance of the big supermarket chains extended to motor fuel, and in the years before large out-of-town self-service stations, the high-street petrol retailer was commonplace. In less safety conscious times, and when there were fewer cars, pavement pumps dispensing National Benzole or Power Petroleum, could be seen filling up a Hillman Minx or Ford Anglia. These pumps, with dials rather than digital displays, had extended supply pipes which swung across the pavement at a height which allowed pedestrians to walk underneath. Motor Benzole was a by-product of coal carbonisation at gas and steel works and by the early 1950s there were over 250 such 'Benzole' plants. For normal car engines the benzole was blended with petrol and the National Benzole brand name was once a familiar sight sold by thousands of garages.
In order to survive in a competitive world, businesses have to adapt and move forward. The giants of today were the minnows of yesteryear. Tesco's present-day success story thus owes much to the firm's creator Jack Cohen, an East London street trader. His philosophy of "pile it high and sell it cheap" struck a chord with a price conscious public in the inflationary 1950s and laid the foundations for Tesco's subsequent growth. Whether, the success and growing dominance of such large-scale retailers will still leave room for the small independent specialist high-street store is, however, a question still waiting to be answered.
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