The business started out because of a bet, which turned out to be a winner. In 1867 a young man Edward Thompson placed a bet on a horse and won £60 a great deal of money in those days, he added this to his life savings and bought some property in Sunderland High Street. Edward worked hard building up his printing business and also added a stationary business to go with it. As Edward had no children of his own, when the time came he passed on his business to his nephew George Curren. As he himself was a bachelor and had no children, he in turn passed on the business to his nephews, George Edmonds and John Louis Cronin. John Louis did not join the family business until 1918 when he returned from WWII. John Louis who was the father of 3 sons would become the sole owner of the business.
After his national service in the RAF was over Frank the middle of the 3 sons joined the business in 1953. Even though his father John Louis still played an active role in the business Frank became the managing director in 1956.
It was in 1959 when the turn around for Edward Thompson's came. Their stationary shop now in South Street and Walworth Street had been getting their supply's from a firm in Ipswich, unfortunately the Ipswich firm could not supply enough bingo tickets for Edward Thompson's needs.
Frank Cronin as managing director decided that Thompson's should start printing their own bingo tickets. Not quite happy with just printing and delivering the bingo tickets the company also began to make all the equipment that went with playing bingo and installing it. This expansion led to a bigger workforce and in 1965 they needed a second factory.
In 1975 the company bought the old Sunderland Echo Office premises in West Wear Street and by 1981 had opened as a match factory producing book matches for the UK and Europe. Edward Thompson's are believed to be the only match manufacturer left today in the United Kingdom. In 1981 Thompson's also bought the Hendon Paper Mill from a Canadian paper making company, Domtar, which they used to produce 100% recycled paper.
In 1956 when Edward Thompson's were was taken over by Frank Cronin, it was a small printing and stationary company with only seven staff. Now with their factories and their stationary shop, now in John Street which sells all manner of stationary, they employ over 600 people and export to over 57 countries all over the world. This earned Edward Thompson's the Queens Award for Export in 1993.
The business headquarters in Richmond Street, Sunderland is beside the Stadium of Light, the home of the Sunderland football club. In his headquarters Frank Cronin has his own personal squash court built in.
Frank and his wife Teresa, who is also the company secretary have 4 sons and 10 grandchildren. For all the hard work they have put in to build up the business they are now reaping the rewards. They have a home on the coast, a holiday home in Tenerife and a Daimler car each.
Thompson's Fawcett Street Sunderland. Now that two of their sons Patrick and Philip are headed for the next generation of management it seems that Edward Thompson's will continue to be a family run company for many more years to come. Sadly this will be without the stationary shop on which the business was built in Fawcett Street, it seems the shop is losing too much money and was closed on 24th December 2003.
Thompson's premises in Sunderland High Street at the turn of the century
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