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Home | Membership Services | 4 July 2012 - Richard Langley's 'Life and Times'


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Recently inducted President Richard Langley gave the club members a lighthearted talk on his career in the textile and soft furnishings industry.

In 1933 Richard’s parents moved to Rickmansworth and Richard was sent to school at York House, which in those days was in Money Hill Parade.

Richard wished for a career in farming but was advised by his headmaster that his future was in sales.  Wise headmaster!

Richard’s family was in business as textile wholesalers and father suggested that Richard should join Harrods, one of eight salesman in the soft furnishings department, being paid £5 per week plus commission.  Before work started in the morning, each member of the sales force would be inspected for polished shoes, black socks, clean fingernails, pressed trousers and smartly groomed.

Richard told the tale of three ‘warehousemen/porters’ who arrived one morning, travelled up three floors in the goods’ lift and removed a Grand Piano from the sales floor. They then travelled back down to the basement, wheeled the piano into the back of a van and disappeared with their ill gotten gain.  The management of Harrods was so embarrassed by the incident that the staff were sworn to secrecy.

Eventually Richard was persuaded to join the family firm and given the position in charge of sales in the Eastern Counties, and eventually brought ‘inside’ to learn about buying.  

His best memories of selling soft furnishings was during the time as salesman in Northern Ireland based in Port Stewart on the north coast, east of Londonderry/Derry.  He travelled to Banbridge just after a bombing and had to walk through the damaged window of a shop and across the fixtures and fittings to speak to the owner.  He was rewarded with a large order for goods, paid for by the British taxpayer!