Harrogate Christmas & Gift show: Hall C, Stand C17
For over a century, the Cornelius family has been at the heart of the toy industry with four generations at the helm and theirs is the only company to have attended all 75 Harrogate Toy Fairs/Harrogate Christmas & Gift Show
It was in 1911 that William Cornelius, known affectionately as Con, was appointed as the UK sales agent for the well-known German toy manufacturer Saalheimer and Straus. After World War 1, he continued as an agent for several toy, stationery and fancy goods suppliers until it was possible to import European merchandise. He was joined shortly afterwards by his brother-in-law Syd Vening who took over the reins on Con’s death in 1944.
The next generation of “young” Sydney and John Vening, Leslie and Jack Cornelius joined the firm, now W.H.Cornelius Ltd, when they were released from military service at the end of WW2. Jack had a particularly noteworthy war service, being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for exceptional bravery whilst flying his Lancaster bomber with the Pathfinder squadron. Once trade was possible again with Japan, excellent supply lines we re-established offering tin and clockwork toys to the wholesale trade. The company continued to specialize in Pocket Money toys and were steadily becoming the go-to source for Christmas cracker fillings in the UK, setting up a separate operation for this dedicated range, Vening Cornelius Ltd. Alongside this, a close relationship had been forged with the British Christmas decoration manufacturer H & P Decorations and printers, Mamelok Press Ltd. In 1964 Jack and Sydney were amongst the earlier buyers to head to Hong Kong, which became their principal source of supply for the next 3 decades. This prefaced a period of excellent growth for the company whilst continuing to concentrate on pocket money ranges and spreading their buying sources to Taiwan, Europe and, in due course, China.
“The company continued to specialize in Pocket Money toys and were steadily becoming the go-to source for Christmas cracker fillings in the UK”
In 1967 and 1969 respectively, Warren and Bill Cornelius joined the firm, heralding the third generation. This injection of personnel soon bolstered the sales force and gradually, as their experience grew, they climbed the managerial ladder, eventually taking over all the buying responsibilities in the 1990s. The Cornelius and Vening families have contributed much to the toy trade beyond their own business. They have achieved 3 chairmen of the Harrogate Fair, 3 chairmen of the British Toy Importers Association and 2 chairmen of The Fence Club, the industry’s leading charitable organisation. A pretty impressive track record!
In 2001 The Playwrite Group was created by Cornelius Ltd in partnership with S. Oppenheimer Ltd. Following 15 years of successful trading, Richard Towse from the Oppenheimer side, retired and sold his interest in the company back to Cornelius Ltd. Now, Playwrite is run by Warren’s sons, James and Guy. The “new blood” has succeeded in keeping the business up to date and has dealt admirably with the changes in the trade, new technologies, not to mention Covid and the current cost of living crisis that has bedeviled so many companies. Today, though still principally in the pocket money market, Playwrite has expanded its Christmas ranges and Santa’s Grotto gifts whilst maintaining their year-round products, soft toys and stationery lines.
As James has said “The immediate future holds many challenges, especially as our main sources are in China and, going forward, who knows what problems might arise there”. He is keen to pursue sustainable raw materials and is actively sourcing biodegradable products and recyclable materials. “I am not an empire builder,” says James, “but I would like to see the company prosper into yet another generation. One of my teenage sons is already showing an interest in the business, so there is every hope that we will achieve a fifth generation.”
Warren Cornelius first attended Harrogate as an exhibitor in 1967 and has been a director of the Toy Fair for over 40 years. He reminisced about the changes he has witnessed over those many years.
“Of course, so much has changed. Back in the day we erected and painted our own stand -primrose yellow pegboard! All, or certainly most, stands were enclosed and with several of the larger companies, buyers had to book appointments in advance. Many exhibitors would not show the prices of products on display. This was possibly due to the worry of competitors discovering their prices or because it allowed them to quote different rates for different customers!
There were a growing number of exhibitors through the 60s and 70s and the show had an extensive waiting list. There were many more smaller companies then, often family-run, but the industry has changed so much, which is demonstrated by the number of huge stands that we see today. The flexibility of the exhibition space in Harrogate has certainly helped it remain the most effective show for our industry.
Undoubtedly the atmosphere has changed. It was, to my mind, less serious then. It has, and still is, a friendly and congenial place to do business, even though there are no longer the many and varied social functions of those early days. One got the impression that the trade came to Harrogate as much to enjoy themselves as to work.
How the times have changed, it has to be work first now. The world is a smaller place, so buying overseas is now within the reach of many. The internet has fundamentally changed the way we buy and sell, and the pace of everything is breathtaking. It is certainly more competitive than it was, but our industry still abounds with good people with whom it is a pleasure to do business.
For more information visit: www.playwritegroup.com
Harrogate Christmas & Gift show: Hall C, Stand C17
