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138
Briscoes 150 Years in New Zealand
Everything You Could
Possibly Want
By the 1930s, Briscoes stores
around the country were a Mecca
for everything you could possibly
want for everyday life in the
Dominion: household furnishings,
garden tools, Pyrex dishes, sporting
goods, lawn mowers, guns, radios,
watches, crystal vases, tea sets,
‘Gumlypta’ disinfectant, even
chimney pots.
In part, the comprehensive range on
offer was because Briscoes, as a major
wholesaler, serviced a diverse clientele
of New Zealand shopkeepers and
contractors. Its town and country
sales reps called on plumbers, builders,
engineers, small hardware stores,
government departments, sporting clubs,
even fruiterers.
There remained, however, a keen difference
between Briscoes in Australia and Briscoes
in New Zealand: the New Zealand stores
were retailers as well as wholesalers. The
imposing Wellington store on Jervois
Quay, for example, continually booked
advertising space in Wellington’s
Evening Post proclaiming its
current promotions and special
offers.
As a result, the goods shown here,
all promoted by Briscoes in the
1930s, offer a unique snapshot of
the eclectic tastes of New Zealanders.
Where else could you find people
equally at ease sipping tea from Royal
Doulton china cups, at the same
time as they were experimenting in
the back shed with their new Lane’s
Pattern possum trap?
Equally, the 1930s saw the early
stages of the home appliance boom, and
refrigerators, washing machines, radios, and
vacuum cleaners all made an appearance.
The Briscoes Wellington branch, offering
customers a late-night Friday, offered
curious Wellingtonians plenty to choose
from—for him, and for her.
As a result, the goods shown here,
all promoted by Briscoes in the
1930s, offer a unique snapshot of
the eclectic tastes of New Zealanders.