South Yorkshire Times, March 26th, 1960
President’s Message
In a centenary year message to readers of the “South Yorkshire Times,” Mr. E. S. Blacker, President of Kilnhurst Co-operative Society, writes: I joined Kilnhurst Co-operative Society Board of Management in 1931 when the board consisted of Coun. A, Russell (President) and committee Messrs J. Beighton, G. Beckett, S. Lightfoot, J. Heald, T. Briggs and A. Saunders. I have seen during my period many changes, both in trade and expansions.
Many of you will know that first of all we opened a branch at Meadow View, and also at Sandhill, which I had the pleasure of declaring open for business.
We have done a lot of alterations; we have added to the grocery department and we also put in a furnishing dept, taking the old entrance and the cottage. We have since then, owing to Furnishing Shop not being big enough for trade, set out to find somewhere to build, so we have bought the W.M. Chapel and it has done a good business for us.
I have seen five of our old employees who have retired from the Society under the Superannuation Scheme: W. Philpot, F. Taylor, A. Aellars, S. Hargreves, and J. Warring, who have done among them 202 years’ service. When I joined the Society, it had just under 3,000 members; it now has 6,000.
We also branched out in the Butchery Trade and I am pleased to say we have a shop service and quality second to none in the district.
We have a Travelling Shop to serve our members in the outlying districts.