Clyde Factors

Robert Pool, who worked for Clyde Factors from 1971 to 1993, has been kind enough to send this additional information, which reveals that Clyde Factors had a wider base and a larger range of stock than the others:

Clyde Factors, 79 Washington Street, Glasgow were Scotland's largest Record, Electrical, Hi-Fi & Video distributors and were part of the Philip Woolfson Group which was founded in 1912 and traded in the Trongate, Glasgow. Clyde Factors was created by Mr Edward Woolfson in 1964 to be a distributor of gramophone records, radios and electrical appliances. They had depots in Glasgow (head office), Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Manchester and Newcastle. They distributed virtually all major records and associate labels from the 1960's to the early 1980's including EMI, RCA, Camden, Jewel, Soul City, Hallmark, Island, Pye, Polydor, Philips, Polygram, CBS, WEA, Transatlantic, Lismore, Warwick, Pickwick and Pickwick International, Young Blood, Badger, Mother, Arcade, K-Tel and many more.

All the senior members of the record department were ex musicians; saxophone players, drummers, trumpet players, guitarists, keyboard/piano players etc. A few of the sales representatives were ex band members; Jim Divers and Colin Finn of 'The JSD Band' fame as well as others. The company received a Platinum Album Disc from Arcade Records for the distribution sales of the 'Elvis's 40 Greatest Hits' album which followed his death in 1977, Gold Album Disc from Warwick Records, Gold Album Disc from K-Tel Records, Silver Album Disc from K-Tel and a gold 'Mr Pickwick' bust for record sales of that label.

In 1977 Clyde Factors introduced, in association with the Record Industry, 'The Scotstar Awards'. The awards were presented to Scottish artists across all styles of music as well as artists from TV, Theatre and Films. The event was held at Tiffany's, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow with the final awards presented in 1982 at the Albany Hotel, Bothwell Street, Glasgow. A few of the artists who received the award were Billy Connolly, Barbara Dickson, Nazareth, Claire Grogan, Dee Hepburn, John Gordon Sinclair, Lena Zavaroni, Alastair McDonald, The Tannahill Weavers, Jimmy Shand and Rikki Fulton plus a lot more that l can't remember.

In 1989 Clyde Factors moved from Washington Street, Glasgow to The Buchanan Business Park, Stepps, North Lanarkshire. They were bought over in 1991 by AAH Ltd and moved to South Street, Glasgow in 1992. The AAH-Clyde Factors company was later sold on to The British Distribution Company in 1995 who only wanted the customer base and closed the distribution offices and warehouse for the final time later that same year.

Edward Woolfson | Michael Woolfson | Philip Woolfson