seedub
Well-known member
Was the company in any way associated with the Rolls-Royce company that manufactures cars and airplane engines; or, is the name entirely coincidental?
Origin of Rolls Rapide
- Thread starter seedub
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There's a member here with that name, but unfortunately his profile is a big fat chunk of white space.
Well, no one asked me, but never the less...
Not *that* Rolls (as in Royce), but this one.... Rolls Razor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls_Razor
A brilliant man named John Bloom got the idea of selling washing machines in UK at lower prices than main brands. He did this by starting out with door to door and other direct sales.
At first his machines were imports from the Netherlands, but Mr. Bloom soon realized could keep more of profits for himself by cutting out the middle man. So he searched around UK for a manufacturer. Who better to make washing machines than a company (Rolls Razor) who already was making things from steel.
"Rolls" from Rolls Razor and "Rapide" is French for "fast". The rest as they say is history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bloom_(businessman)#Washing_machines
Not *that* Rolls (as in Royce), but this one.... Rolls Razor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls_Razor
A brilliant man named John Bloom got the idea of selling washing machines in UK at lower prices than main brands. He did this by starting out with door to door and other direct sales.
At first his machines were imports from the Netherlands, but Mr. Bloom soon realized could keep more of profits for himself by cutting out the middle man. So he searched around UK for a manufacturer. Who better to make washing machines than a company (Rolls Razor) who already was making things from steel.
"Rolls" from Rolls Razor and "Rapide" is French for "fast". The rest as they say is history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bloom_(businessman)#Washing_machines
How the mighty fell
As you would well imagine Mr. John Bloom's selling tactics (direct sales, and later buy one get another free or at discount) ticked off major appliance manufactures in UK like Hotpoint. What ensued were at least two (IIRC) washing machine wars with majors going after Rolls by cutting their prices, boxing that company into a corner.
On top of second washing machine war Hotpoint and I believe others began legal proceedings against Rolls for selling tactics.
To put this all in perspective one must remember state of British economy in post war years. While America was going through a post war boom, GB had not only a war to pay for, but an economy to rebuild as well.
Export or die was the the mantra of 1950's through well into 1970's GB. Flip side of this was to limit imports which of course cause trade imbalances. Washing machines were expensive for a host of reasons, one of them were measures designed to limit imports from elsewhere in world.
As we've discussed here in group this explains why British housewives in post war years were lumbered largely with semi-automatic twin tub type washers, or wringers.
Twin tub washers are rather simple machines, and easily built on large scale production. So you can see how Mr. John Bloom managed to nab a fairly decent market share for what his products.
Rolls (later Rolls-Colston) with factory direct pricing and also offering easy payment/credit terms allowed more families to afford a washing machine than otherwise.
As you would well imagine Mr. John Bloom's selling tactics (direct sales, and later buy one get another free or at discount) ticked off major appliance manufactures in UK like Hotpoint. What ensued were at least two (IIRC) washing machine wars with majors going after Rolls by cutting their prices, boxing that company into a corner.
On top of second washing machine war Hotpoint and I believe others began legal proceedings against Rolls for selling tactics.
To put this all in perspective one must remember state of British economy in post war years. While America was going through a post war boom, GB had not only a war to pay for, but an economy to rebuild as well.
Export or die was the the mantra of 1950's through well into 1970's GB. Flip side of this was to limit imports which of course cause trade imbalances. Washing machines were expensive for a host of reasons, one of them were measures designed to limit imports from elsewhere in world.
As we've discussed here in group this explains why British housewives in post war years were lumbered largely with semi-automatic twin tub type washers, or wringers.
Twin tub washers are rather simple machines, and easily built on large scale production. So you can see how Mr. John Bloom managed to nab a fairly decent market share for what his products.
Rolls (later Rolls-Colston) with factory direct pricing and also offering easy payment/credit terms allowed more families to afford a washing machine than otherwise.
Rolls Royce v Rolls Rapide
"Was the company in any way associated with the Rolls-Royce company that manufactures cars and airplane engines; or, is the name entirely coincidental? "
Hello Chris, absolutely not, Both complete extremes of the same name, you could smelt down a whole twintub and still not have the metal quality of a wheel hub nut !!
Saying that with all the information above he did revolutionise the washer industry here by supplying a cheap twintub afforded by the masses but alas even volume of sales didnt stop him going bust spectacularly.
Heres an article from the UK Twintub thread posted by Austin.
www.automaticwasher.org
"Was the company in any way associated with the Rolls-Royce company that manufactures cars and airplane engines; or, is the name entirely coincidental? "
Hello Chris, absolutely not, Both complete extremes of the same name, you could smelt down a whole twintub and still not have the metal quality of a wheel hub nut !!
Saying that with all the information above he did revolutionise the washer industry here by supplying a cheap twintub afforded by the masses but alas even volume of sales didnt stop him going bust spectacularly.
Heres an article from the UK Twintub thread posted by Austin.
British Twintub Washing Machines 1959 - 1990
Heres a fun compilation video of British Twintub washing machines (or twinnies) have put together after requests from our overseas friends comparing different styles/actions etc. I`ve also shown some inside money shots to get an idea how they work, its interesting from initial feedback you get...
www.automaticwasher.org
Rolls - John Bloom
page 2...
Do any of you know of the 1520AD restaurants he owned ?
www.automaticwasher.org
page 2...
Do any of you know of the 1520AD restaurants he owned ?
British Twintub Washing Machines 1959 - 1990
Heres a fun compilation video of British Twintub washing machines (or twinnies) have put together after requests from our overseas friends comparing different styles/actions etc. I`ve also shown some inside money shots to get an idea how they work, its interesting from initial feedback you get...
www.automaticwasher.org
rolls_rapide
Well-known member
Rolls Razor / Rolls-Royce
No relationship whatsoever. Bloom just liked the idea of getting a free marketing boost with the 'Rolls' name.
Probably if that sort of game was tried today (playing off the reputation of a distinctive quality brand), the perpetrator would no doubt be dragged through the various courts.
I seem to remember that a small one-man/woman shop-type-of-business, was served with a 'Cease & Desist' notice for daring to have a name similar to a well-known retailer - even though the businesses were different.
Excerpt: 'Critique of Entrepreneurship', by Peter Armstrong.
No relationship whatsoever. Bloom just liked the idea of getting a free marketing boost with the 'Rolls' name.
Probably if that sort of game was tried today (playing off the reputation of a distinctive quality brand), the perpetrator would no doubt be dragged through the various courts.
I seem to remember that a small one-man/woman shop-type-of-business, was served with a 'Cease & Desist' notice for daring to have a name similar to a well-known retailer - even though the businesses were different.
Excerpt: 'Critique of Entrepreneurship', by Peter Armstrong.
In Santa Cruz, California there was once a hippie dippy restaurant called McDharma's, just a couple of blocks from a beach shack that Dave and I used to rent super cheap from a friend of a friend for weekend getaways. McDharma's thrived for many years until 1986 when an evil giant burger chain sued them. They had to drop the "Mc" or stop operating, because the evil giant burger chain holds exclusive rights to the "Mc" mark for anything restaurant-related. So they chose to keep operating as (<span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Mc</span>)"Dharma's" since they couldn't afford the legal battle and fortunately, they are still going strong in a bigger, better located space on a busy boulevard just down the road from their antagonist, and long ago dropped the "<span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Mc</span>" entirely.
Considering the restaurant's original name, it was obvious that they weren't in any competition with a global chain that specialized in serving sacred cow, but the giant evil burger chain worth $McBillions is apparently quite an insecure entity.
people.com
Considering the restaurant's original name, it was obvious that they weren't in any competition with a global chain that specialized in serving sacred cow, but the giant evil burger chain worth $McBillions is apparently quite an insecure entity.
Sued by Mcdonald's, a Santa Cruz Eatery Refuses to Cowtow
Sued by Mcdonald's, a Santa Cruz Eatery Refuses to Cowtow
rolls_rapide
Well-known member
It is a pity that the multi-million dollar corporations can't see beyond their balance sheets and allow a 'one-off' concession, with one single entity of the store/restaurant being allowed to exist with the 'dodgy' name brand as it is or was. Simply as a goodwill gesture and local tourist curiosity.
vacerator
Well-known member
Balance sheets?
They could, but they deliberatley don't. Either to force a merger, a sell off, or bankruptcy to reorganize or liqidate. It's about taxes, and profit. The Hoover free air fare to Florida comes to mind. We all know nothing is free. Someone somwhere must pay.
There is also the instance where descendent's don't want the business. Sometimes the big fish eats the smaller fish.
Also some are coined as "too bif to fail", empoying thousands. Those that would lose jobs mean recession, and steep tax revenue defecits. So They are bailed out by tax payers and or banks.
I say this because you rarely see the top executives or key people let go without golden parachutes or huge retirement quotas. It's all built into the books.
Here is one name from the pre-bankruptcy of GM in 2009. Robert Lutz. He spent decades at different companies in the auto industry. He followed in his fathers footsteps, a Credit Suisse finacier. Do the math, follow the money.
Delphi was first to file bankruptcy in that fiasco because of deep parts outsourcing which resulted in GM laying off many of it's customers employed by them. Suddenly they had too many divisions and models. They didn't before 2005 though. They blame competition from other companies like Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, (Toyo Koygio) etc., but I say can't means won't. Those companies were all on the scene long beforehand. While they cut deep into market share, it wasn't a drowning percentage. The age of old US plants had some bearing, but FCA just built a new one here to produce Jeeps, etc. Some were only as old as the 1960's or 70's. Oshawa Ontario, Lordstown Ohio, and Elizabeth Australia, which closed with every other auto plant there because the Govt. decided to end subsidies. With only about 26 million people, fewr drivers than that, and vehicles lasting so long because of the better climate, the most Holden sold annually was in 1976, at about 300,000 units. Oldsmobile had those numbers alone in the US then.
They could, but they deliberatley don't. Either to force a merger, a sell off, or bankruptcy to reorganize or liqidate. It's about taxes, and profit. The Hoover free air fare to Florida comes to mind. We all know nothing is free. Someone somwhere must pay.
There is also the instance where descendent's don't want the business. Sometimes the big fish eats the smaller fish.
Also some are coined as "too bif to fail", empoying thousands. Those that would lose jobs mean recession, and steep tax revenue defecits. So They are bailed out by tax payers and or banks.
I say this because you rarely see the top executives or key people let go without golden parachutes or huge retirement quotas. It's all built into the books.
Here is one name from the pre-bankruptcy of GM in 2009. Robert Lutz. He spent decades at different companies in the auto industry. He followed in his fathers footsteps, a Credit Suisse finacier. Do the math, follow the money.
Delphi was first to file bankruptcy in that fiasco because of deep parts outsourcing which resulted in GM laying off many of it's customers employed by them. Suddenly they had too many divisions and models. They didn't before 2005 though. They blame competition from other companies like Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, (Toyo Koygio) etc., but I say can't means won't. Those companies were all on the scene long beforehand. While they cut deep into market share, it wasn't a drowning percentage. The age of old US plants had some bearing, but FCA just built a new one here to produce Jeeps, etc. Some were only as old as the 1960's or 70's. Oshawa Ontario, Lordstown Ohio, and Elizabeth Australia, which closed with every other auto plant there because the Govt. decided to end subsidies. With only about 26 million people, fewr drivers than that, and vehicles lasting so long because of the better climate, the most Holden sold annually was in 1976, at about 300,000 units. Oldsmobile had those numbers alone in the US then.
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