ABSTRACT
Wills led the way in branding but other tobacco manufacturers – notably Lambert & Butler (London), John Player & Sons (Nottingham), Hignett Bros. (Liverpool) and Cope Bros. (Liverpool) – soon followed. To meet competition Wills employed more travellers, so that all parts of the country could be covered at more frequent intervals. And new methods of selling and advertising were always being sought. In early 1886, for example, the Firm received an offer from Spiers & Pond, a company that operated a chain of refreshment rooms on railway stations, mainly on the Midland Railway. For £800 per annum for five years Spiers & Pond granted Wills exclusive display and sales in 219 refreshment rooms, dining rooms and smoking rooms; and this agreement was extended to cover any catering that Spiers & Pond did at exhibitions.
