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Rose Calendars is a promotional calendars manufacturer and long-standing family business, based in Essex, England, since around 1908. Intended primarily as an advertising medium for the B2B market, each calendar in the range is designed so that it can be printed with customer branding and contact details to order.
History of the Business
editCompany founder George Rose (b.1858, Buckinghamshire, England),[1] explored various careers including running a restaurant[2] and a temperance hotel in Colchester,[3] before he began to produce his own advertising calendars. Initially, Rose outsourced the printing to Cullingfords in Colchester, later printing them himself in Frost’s yard, adjacent to The Peveril Hotel.[4]
The exact date George Rose founded E. Rose and Co. is unknown, but is believed to have been in 1908.* There may have been some early changes to the business, as the 1908 edition of Kelly’s Directory of Essex lists a ‘Rose & Co.’ calendar printers in Frost’s Yard,[5] whereas the 1910 edition shows an ‘E. Rose & Co.’ calendar printers in Kendall Road.[6]
The Kendall Road premises, a former boot factory,[7] remained home to the business for the next 77 years, although following incorporation in 1956, the company name became Rose of Colchester Limited.[8]
Ivor Rose, George Rose’s nephew, joined E. Rose & Co. in 1918, with Ivor’s eldest son Edward Rose (Richard) joining the business in 1956, and youngest son, Christopher, starting in 1959. The current Managing Director of Rose of Colchester Limited is Michael Rose, Christopher’s son and the great, great nephew of George Rose.[9]
From 1987 to the present day, Rose of Colchester Ltd (Rose Calendars) has been based in a purpose-built calendar factory in Colchester’s Severalls Industrial Estate.
Philanthropy
editKnown as a philanthropist,[10] by 1937 George Rose had built and endowed more than 33 almshouses in Colchester[11] in conjunction with almshouse charities, Winsley’s, Winnock’s,[12] and Kendall’s.[13]
George Rose donated £1000 to the Essex County Hospital in 1932[14] and in 1937 the Annual Report of the hospital, where there was by then a ‘George Rose Ward’, states that he was increasing his annual subscription by £100.[15]
In 1939 George Rose gave £6000 ‘to provide coal for those elderly and poor, in particular widows’.[13] This equated to over £300,000 in 2024[16].
No longer donating on quite this scale, Rose Calendars is however currently a corporate sponsor of St Helena Hospice[17] and a Silver Corporate Member of the Essex Wildlife Trust.[18]
Business Challenges
editAs part of UK WWII rationing, in 1943, under The Control of Paper (No.61) Order, The Ministry of Supply[19] issued severe restrictions on the weight of calendars. Calendars printed for 1945 could weigh no more than 1oz (1.5oz for daily block calendars), this meant printing calendars both sides and reducing the size. Some members of E. Rose & Co. staff were also conscripted to the services.[20]
In the 1950s, Purchase Tax proved to be one of the greatest challenges for the business, with high taxes being applied to business calendars.[21] The print industry lobbied and these taxes were eventually reduced.[22] A Centenary Booklet produced by Rose Calendars states that “Representations were made to Parliament and the company sent a commercial calendar to every member of parliament and lobbied that this was surely an advertising medium, essential for businesses rebuilding trade after the war, and not just a gift.”[23]
Rose of Colchester Limited also suffered a major setback on 24th February 1962 when a fire broke out in the Kendall Road factory. There was luckily no loss of life, but production had to be moved to rented premises for much of the year, whilst part of the factory was rebuilt. Many of the colour blocks used for the pictures were destroyed in the blaze.[24]
In recent years, various changes to UK Bank Holidays have affected production at significant cost to the business, as the calendar range is produced up to two years in advance. In 2000 production was delayed while Rose Calendars awaited the official announcement on an extra Bank Holiday to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.[25]
The movement of the May Bank Holiday in 2020 (to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE day on the day itself)[26] had a major financial impact on Rose Calendars in 2019 - presentation packs were specially manufactured to amend the date in already printed stock.[27] The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee meant another Bank Holiday change in 2022[28] and consequent page reprints, however this had less financial impact than the 2020 change, as more notice was provided.[29]
Products
editEarly E. Rose & Co. advertising calendars were monochrome and adverts were composed using Founders Type from a case.
Colour printing did not reach E. Rose & Co. until after the war, when Ivor Rose began to use three colour letterpress printing for the pictorial calendars. A fourth plate, black, was later added.
Investment in technology continued and in 1994, a new MAN Roland press was purchased to complement the existing Heidelberg and Solna presses.[30] Alongside litho printing, Rose Calendars now also uses digital presses.
The Rose Calendars’ range still includes traditional commercial calendars in black and red, as well as full colour designs, such as interactive calendars where additional content is available via scanning a QR code.[31]
Sustainability
editSolar panels were first installed on the roof of Rose Calendars’ factory in 2014.[32] The number of panels was then increased in 2024 (to a total of 250).[33]
Paper for calendar printing is purchased through a Carbon Capture programme facilitated by Premier Paper and the Woodland Trust.[34]
Various other initiatives to minimise environmental impact are also in place, such as heat regeneration - where heat generated by the machines is diverted back inside the Rose Calendars factory to heat it during the winter. There is also recycling or repurposing of paper board, plastics, metal, ink, chemicals and computer hardware through regeneration programmes, with the aim of zero waste to landfill.[35]
Awards & Warrants
editRecent awards or warrants for Rose Calendars include:
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2024 | The Stationers’ Company Warrant - for the promotional calendars range[36] |
| 2023 | Best Animal/Wildlife Photography - Endangered Species, World Calendar Awards[37] |
| 2023 | Best Scenic/Other Photography - Iconic Structures, World Calendar Awards[37] |
| 2023 | Innovation Excellence Awards - Communications including Marketing, The Stationers’ Company[38] |
References
edit- ^ "George Rose in 1858". Findmypast. England & Wales Births 1837-2006, brightsolid online publishing ltd. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "History, Gazetteer & Directory Of Nottinghamshire, 1885". Findmypast. p. P499. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ "England, Wales & Scotland Census (1901)". Findmypast. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Crummy, Philip; Shackle, Richard (June 2010). "Survey of buildings behind the North Hill Hotel, 51 North Hill, Colchester, Essex June 2010" (PDF). Unknown. Colchester Archaeological Trust. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ Kelly's Directory of Essex. Kelly's Directories Ltd. 1908. p. 174.
- ^ Kelly's Directory of Essex. Kelly's Directories Ltd. 1910. p. 177.
- ^ Baggs, A P; Board, Beryl; Crummy, Philip; Dove, Claude; Durgan, Shirley; Goose, N R; Pugh, R B; Pamela, Studd; Thornton, C C (1994). "Modern Colchester: Economic development. A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9, the Borough of Colchester". British History Online. London: Victoria County History (Ed. Janet Cooper, C R Elrington). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "ROSE OF COLCHESTER LIMITED". Companies House. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Business News - Special Date for Chris". Essex County Standard. 13 August 2004. p. 12.
- ^ "COLCHESTER -GIFT OF ALMSHOUSES". The Essex Chronicle. Chelmsford. 29 March 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "COLCHESTER - GAVE THIRTY-THREE ALMSHOUSES". The Essex Chronicle. Chelmsford. 16 July 1937. p. 10. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ Lister, Chris (June 2018). "Historic building recording at 1-7 Winnocks, Military Road, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2AF" (PDF). Unknown. Colchester Archaeological Trust. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ a b Baggs, A P; Board, Beryl; Crummy, Philip; Dove, Claude; Durgan, Shirley; Goose, N R; Pugh, R B; Pamela, Studd; Thornton, C C (1994). "Charities for the poor. A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9, the Borough of Colchester". British History Online. London: Victoria County History (Ed. Janet Cooper, C R Elrington). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "COLCHESTER". The Essex Chronicle. Chelmsford. 26 February 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Annual report : 1937 / Essex County Hospital, Colchester". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Inflation calculator". www.bankofengland.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ "Corporate membership scheme | St Helena Hospice". www.sthelena.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ Rose, Elizabeth (2015-06-03). "Going Green for World Environment Day". The Latest Calendar News & Views - Rose Calendars. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ Records created or inherited by the Ministry of Supply and successors, the Ordnance Board, and related bodies. Department of Trade, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Aviation Supply, Ministry of Supply, Ministry of Supply and Aircraft Production, Ministry of Technology. 1664–1988.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Conscription: the Second World War". UK Parliament. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Purchase Tax (Greeting Cards) Volume 473: debated on Tuesday 28 March 1950". UK Parliament, Hansard. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Purchase Tax (Greeting Cards) Volume 475: debated on Monday 8 May 1950". UK Parliament, Hansard. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Rose, Richard (Dick); Rose, Chris. "A Century in Calendars The history of Rose of Colchester Ltd" (PDF). Rose Calendars. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "History of Rose Calendars". Rose Calendars. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Decision delay on jubilee day holds up calendar production". Essex County Standard. 11 August 2000. p. 18.
- ^ "Press release 2020 May bank holiday will be moved to mark 75th anniversary of VE Day". Gov.uk. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Collitt, Andrea (11 June 2019). "Calendar chaos after bank holiday is switched to mark VE Day". Daily Gazette Essex County Standard. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Press release Extra Bank Holiday to mark The Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022". Gov.uk. Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Jones, Rebecca (10 June 2021). "Rose Calendars undergoes huge reprinting task for Queen's Platinum Jubilee dates". Daily Gazette Essex County Standard. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "£2m Rose goes for Roland". Printing World. 11 April 1994.
- ^ "Colchester-based Rose Calendars moves with the times to launch interactive images". East Anglian Daily Times. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Stuart-Turner, Richard (21 October 2014). "Rose Calendars boosts green credentials with solar panel installation". Printweek. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Bhogal, Prubleen (6 September 2024). "Rose Calendars increases use of green energy". Printweek. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Woodland Trust Carbon Capture". Rose Calendars. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Sustainability Policy". Rose Calendars. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "SOME OF OUR CURRENT AND PAST WARRANT HOLDERS". The Stationers' Company. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ a b "The 2023 World Awards Go To…". Calendar Association. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "INNOVATION EXCELLENCE AWARDS". The Stationers' Company. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- *Although the founding date is believed to be in 1908, a company receipt from 1906 actually shows the name ‘E. Rose & Co.’ as well as ‘Peveril Printeries’, which may have been a nickname of the printers, due to its proximity and connections to the Peveril Hotel.