Life working at iconic former Nottingham sports shop Redmayne & Todd
Brian Clough visited during the football season and players came for their boots.
An ‘after shop revamp book signing by Kevin Keegan’, the smell of gunpowder and the time Brian Clough and his
Nottingham Forest European Cup winners came in for a photo shoot with their silverware – these are just some of
the fascinating memories of staff working at an iconic former sports shop in the city centre.
When he attended his Redmayne & Todd interview on a Thursday in the October of 1970, Ian Adcock says he felt
daunted as a 15-year-old teenager at the time.
“After only ever been in to get my football boots and school sports kit I was taken aback by how big and busy the
store was,” he says.
“All very grand with big glass counters, lots of customers and staff – a very busy store.”
After a roughly ten-minute interview, he was given the job offer to begin work on Monday in the toy department of
the Carrington Street store, which is housed in the opulent “City Buildings,” which have been dubbed the “port of
Nottingham” recently.
In addition to indoor games like table tennis bats, tables, balls, snooker tables, cues, accessories, chess, and darts
based on the first floor, this included all Christmas toys like Scalextric, Hornby train sets, Meccano, etc.
“The department changed over to camping and hiking through the spring/summer months.”
Mr. Adcock, who is now 66, continues: “I was told to sweep the floors and clear the bins on both first-floor portions
following the grand tour on the first day.
An overhead view of the City Buildings, in Carrington Street.
“I was totally overwhelmed by what they actually sold and how many sports they catered for. I thought ‘this is
brilliant’ as I loved sport and was spoilt for choice.
“Ron Baker had told me that I would be moved around the departments to improve my knowledge once I had
completed my trial period – all these years later I’m still waiting to hear if I passed.
“All this and I was getting £6 three shillings and sixpence a week, brilliant.”
On the opposite side of the floor was where the Santa’s grotto would be set up.
“We were in the middle of selling fireworks which amazed me how big some of the fireworks were, I’d never seen
fireworks as big as these close up,” says Mr Adcock, who lives in Woodborough and these days owns Pinfold
Promotions with wife Kerry, 58.
“They sold for all sorts from the big displays for Raleigh, Players, Plessey etc, assorted boxed sets and individuals.
Nottingham Forest players Garry Birtles, Larry Lloyd, John McGovern, Colin Barrett and Viv Anderson in the swimwear department, on the first floor of Redmayne & Todd.
“The filling up of stock was an adventure in itself, catch the lift to the basement, through the warren, up the ramp on
the left, turn left and then right, then into the ammo store with a big ‘NO SMOKING’ sign on the door full to the brim
of fireworks and cartridges for the Shooting Department. That smell of gunpowder, I can still smell now.”
In his 18 years working there, he rose from junior sales assistant to shop manager.
The 74-year-old recalls the Reds’ European Cup-winning photoshoot, the Keegan book signing, a Trevor Francis
book signing and Forest, Notts County, Derby and Leicester players coming in for their boots.
Mr Clough would pop in quite often during the football season as well, he recalls.
“Also during this period of the 70s/80s was the street cred’ tracksuit and tracksuit top craze with Adidas, Puma and
Nike seemingly hit by the coming of (Sergio) Tacchini, Ellesse and Lacoste – plus we sold hundreds of Head holdalls,
St Moritz and Monte Carlo, and American football shirts also had a run.
“We had the usual Christmas parties, an annual branch five-a-side football tournament, played some friendly cricket
matches, had a team in the Thursday football league – Notts Corinthians – and were even taken gliding.
“Unfortunately, there were other new stores opening up that did it better, so the company made the drastic decision
to embrace the fashion trends in apparel and footwear and spend less time on the sports equipment side.
Should Redmayne’s have continued doing what they did best? We will never be able to know.
However, I can honestly say that my 15 years of employment at Redmayne & Todd and Sport Service were the most
enjoyable of my career.
“It’s fantastic that I’m still coaching tennis after almost 40 years, but Redmayne’s was truly exceptional.
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