Whitcombe and Tombs
Whitcombe and Tombs was a book publisher, stationery manufacturer, and retail bookseller in New Zealand. It began in 1882 in Cashel Street, Christchurch, as a partnership between a teacher of French who had become a bookseller, George Hawkes Whitcombe, and printer George Tombs.
In 1883 the company was among the first registered under the Companies Act 1882. It had market dominance for several decades. Thousands of schoolchildren were taught with the aid of Whitcombe's Progressive Primers and later enjoyed Whitcombe's Story Books such as The Adventures of Hoppity Bobtail.
The company, in common with most companies, did not have a completely trouble-free relationship with employees. A court judgment Whitcombe & Tombs Limited v Taylor (1907) 27 NZLR 237 stated the principle that "a well established custom or practice may become part of a contract" (as noted by the Court of Appeal of New Zealand in CA246/03, nearly a century later, despite half a dozen intervening changes of employment law).
The Whitcombe and Tombs fire in Princes Street, Dunedin, was a major event (producing numerous bargains at the subsequent Fire Sale).
Disrespectful New Zealanders occasionally used a Spoonerism of the company name.
In 1971 the company was merged with Dunedin-based firm Coulls Somerville Wilkie to become Whitcoulls, and has since been sold several times. It now operates as a retail chain only.
External links
Categories: Stub | Companies of New Zealand