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s and u

  • Thread starter Thread starter cazxx1
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Hi Astonian,

I was born in the Bull Ring and all my family were either working in the retail market or in the wholesale Smithfield market, therefore I was in Edgbaston Street, working every day of the week, the one thing that I remember about S&U Stores, was that it was one of the first modern office blocks built in the city centre after the war and that the 'boss' always parked his shining new car right outside the main double glass doors, the most interesting one that I every saw and was completely taken with, as it was a most beautiful car was a silver Gordon-Kebble sports car, this was in 1963 and what took my attention was the badge on the bonnet which was a yellow 'Tortoise' I just could not work out what significance this had to a wonderful looking fast car. I made a few enquiries and found out that the car was owned by the 'boss' Mr Coombs and he owned the 'Blues', I went right off him there and then, as I was a 'Villa' supporter, but it was a beautiful car!!!!

Smiler
 
I remember the S & U Building on Edgbaston Street very well. I worked around the corner at 45 Upper Dean Street in 1959. S & U had a small cafe on the top floor
and I remember going there some Saturdays. I remember seeing furniture in there. It was a very modern building and the views of city centre were great. Bit more history of the company.
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S&U was founded in Birmingham in 1938 by Clifford Coombs, a charismatic figure from South Wales. His secret lay in his ability to charm and motivate people, whether they were customers or employees. By 1975, changing customer tastes and sophistication saw S&U and its sister company S.D. Taylor Ltd transform their goods based credit businesses into a finance and HP operation. This was successfully taken forward by Clifford’s sons Derek and Keith Coombs for the following three decades! Consistent with this customer focussed home credit operation
 
My uncle Cyril Trigg who played for the blues ,went to work at S&U after retired from playing. Also my aunt Ida worked for them,she had a part time job
collecting the weekly payments from the people who had taken out a loan
 
Hi Bob
Further researching back down through the lines resezar thing further back about the climbs generations its now his great grandsons family
Now whom are behind all this finance business now its seems they are regenerating the style of the original family bussines started off by there grand fathers
They are behind the bright house shops business today and brighter homes are all connected which is the same style as s,and u building in
The bull ring also for many years back they was world wide car finance people called shopacheck if you wanted to obtain a car on fiance
They recently bought out the Providence group finance club where you could get a loan like thousands of people have for donkey years
And if you recall The S and U building in the bull ring and there business they was also known as mores finance lenders
Where they have agents collecting money from peoples houses which operated from there yes it was S and U with two names

Just correct my spelling Morse,s money lenders was also there name way back in the sixty seventy eighths
And now they have brought back that name now again only its added the club name to the title
They have just introduced the name change last month they are no longer known and trade as shopocheck and pro indent
But are now trading as Morse,s club money lenders
And if you knew about them you would recall there original name Morse,s then s,and u ,building set up
And also in there was is wife used to run a clothing store and sell clothes on the Birmingham market at the same time
Just like the plocknecks fashion clothing whom built there empire in high fashions in five ways edbasdton and whom her father built and traded as allied carpets all
Those years ago and may I had lock necks manufacture ladies fashions even today best wishes Astonian,,,,,,
 
The company had a sports ground in Icknield St. Kings Norton. It was known as Sandu. There was also a connection with the Coombes family and the actor Peter O'Toole. Did his sister marry a "Coombes"?
 
We bought from S&U back in the early seventies, couldn't afford to pay cash so every week the collection man came a visiting. We bought a Nairn dining table and chairs and a great G plan type sofa with modular coffee table. After buying our new house in Cheswick Green we changed to Times furnishing, in those days we tended to buy everything on credit ( very much against my Mothers advice) and were over the moon when we were accepted for the new Access card, what a mistake to make :(
 
Hi Devonjim
At the moment I have not got to that stage yet but image gone deep into it with an old friend whom was really close to them
And did work for them way, way back in time
I do believe they did have a ground down the old ickneild street kings Norton, many hearts ago
And if anybody recalls that street alone is full of history within its self it was an old roman rd I used to take my little daughter
When she was very young and born most Sunday morning before lunch when I lived down on the new Hawksley estate
She would be of seven years of age , mind you half the time walking down there I always had to carry her back home half way
We often speak about those days when one sunny morning on the Sunday
We got chased by a flock of big huge Geese they came at us like a bat out of hell I grabbed her and run as fast as my legs could carry me
These geese was squaring. Very loud and flapping there wings I was in a bit of a panic because I thought any mins I might just dropped her
And these dammed geese hot our trail in the end they stopped coming after us thank god never went down that lane and street again
Astonian,,,,
 
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Derek Coombs married a Patricia T O'Toole but although she had a brother Peter he was a lot older than the actor.

Alan, I hope your original query of January 2014 has been answered by all the members who have contributed since then.

I will close the thread now if that is OK with you and perhaps members will contact you by message if they can give you any further info, regards Alberta.
 
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