‘In the best position to reap mutually beneficial results’: Sole-agency agreements and the distribution of consumer durables in inter-war Britain

Nicholas D. Wong and Andrew Popp

Business History, 2018, vol. 60, issue 6, 884-907

Abstract: This article uses a case-study approach to explore the use of exclusive sole-agency agreements in the distribution and retailing of specialty branded consumer durables in inter-war Britain, a neglected topic in the business history literature. Utilising an extensive correspondence between piano manufacturer Broadwood and Sons, and Liverpool-based musical instrument retailer Rushworth and Dreaper (with comparisons made with two smaller sets of manufacturer–retailer correspondence) we argue that the stability of a sole-agency agreement encouraged the emergence of a highly reciprocal and collaborative relationship that led to innovations in marketing, selling, branding and product development. We urge a reconsideration of the value and effect of sole-agency agreements.

Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:bushst:v:60:y:2018:i:6:p:884-907

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DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2017.1360287

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