Stamped “CA France H.G. Stephenson Ltd. Manchester”
In 1860 Henry George Stephenson moved from the North East to Manchester, where he sold pottery from a rented stall at Salford Flat Iron Market. After eight years, H.G. Stephenson moved into the newly built Barton Arcade on Deansgate, Manchester. At this time the business focused on the retail market selling famous brands such as Royal Doulton and Wedgwood. Further retail shops were opened in Manchester in Piccadilly, St Anne’s Square, Cross Street and Lytham St. Annes.
As the business grew ever more successful H.G. Stephenson launched into new sectors including hospitals, breweries and hotels. The company registered with Companies House in 1900 and thrived up until the World War One which brought recession and severely limited supplies. H.G. Stephenson died in 1918 and supplies remained scarce after the war, then later the recession of the 1930s forced the closure of all but the Barton Arcade shops.
Third generation Harold Stephenson, joined the company in 1932, however at the start of the Second World War, entered the army and fought in Burma. Later in 1943 a bomb raid destroyed Barton Arcade forcing the business to close for the remainder of the war. The Barton Arcade store reopened in 1945 and business resumed.
Michael Stephenson joined the business in 1963 and developed a full product range for the catering industry. In 1968 Michael moved the business from Barton Arcade to its current premises at Kennerley Works, Stockport.
In 2005 Henry Stephenson joined the business as Marketing Director and later became Managing Director in 2010.
