THE
MORRIS ERA 1945
14
A young Nelson Morris juggling children
Nelson incorporated the grocery business of his father and kept the Ritchies name intact. He took over the liquor and grocery licence for Ritchies Stores from Manager Marshall. Nelson married in 1937 and family members were always involved in the store, a practice that would carry through Ritchies to the present day.
The full service retail format was modified in the early part of the '50s. In 1953, when the next-door chemist, Mr Hanton, moved out, Nelson renovated and enlarged the premises, joining them with an archway. The smaller section became the grocery area and in the larger, wine and spirits were housed. Within the grocery section Nelson
introduced self service, a format that was rapidly gaining popularity and that had been brought to the area first by Bill Pratt of Pratts Stores (later to become Safeway) in 1950.
