business matters
plymouth jewellers present their version of the generation game
A family jewellers in Plymouth have created their very own version of the generation game.
Wray & Co in New George Street is one of the oldest retailers in the city, having been founded 125 years ago in 1887. Remarkably it is still in the hands of the same family, with the business currently being run by Andrew Statton, the great-great-grandson of the founder of the company William G Capps.
And now Andrew’s son, 18-year-old Andrew Statton junior is set to join the business later in the year after finishing his A levels. He will represent the sixth generation of the family to have been involved in the running of the business.
Andrew senior took over the reins 10 years ago after his father Richard retired and has maintained the strong family tradition and values.
He oversaw the expansion of the business in 2006 with the opening of a second shop in Kingsbridge.
The Wray & Co shop in Union Street, Plymouth which was destroyed in the Blitz
Andrew’s wife Karen is company secretary and helps in the shops when necessary. Her niece Louise Molseed is manager of the Kingsbridge branch, while Louise’s husband Lee is the company’s workshop manager.
Karen’s 80-year-old mother Yvonne Bettison, Andrew and Karen Statton of Wray & Co
who from the age of 14 worked in many of the city’s top jewellers, even helps out in the Plymouth branch from time to time.
Founder William Capps was a qualified watchmaker and as his father was himself a jeweller trading under the name of Capps, William had to find a different name for his own business. He settled on his mother’s maiden name of Wray and that’s how the dynasty began.
William retired in 1921, selling the business - then at 192a Union Street – for £1,500 to his son Reginald, Andrew Statton’s great grandfather.
Over the past 125 years the business has traded from no less than 17 different locations across the city. Before the Second World War there were Wray shops in Union Street and Russell Street, but both were bombed during the Blitz.
The company had addresses in Saltash Street, Tavistock Road and Old Town Street down the years, but finally located at the current premises in New George Street in 1963.
The current team at New George Street is headed by Andrew - who also spends at least one day a week at Kingsbridge – and also includes Paul Springett, Faith Broad and Victoria Hedges.
Karen Statton said: “Our continued success is based on offering old-fashioned, traditional customer service. We pride ourselves on giving the customer that personal, professional attention which is synonymous with family businesses.
“We understand that ‘word of mouth’ is possibly the best form of advertising and we have customers who have been coming to us for many generations, including many from far afield who still call in to see us when they are in Plymouth.”
Wray & Co specialise in antique, second hand and new jewellery, silverware, watches and objets d’art. They are happy to provide valuations for both insurance and probate purposes.
Faith Broad and Paul Springett who work in the Plymouth branch
Karen said that the current economic climate had led to a big increase in people wanting to sell gold. “That has been the most significant development over the last couple of years,” she said. “But it is nothing new really - we recently found an old photograph of one of our shops in the 1920s which had a large sign over the door proclaiming ‘Gold Bought.’
Wray & Co, 102 New George Street, Plymouth 01752 661651 51 Fore Street, Kingsbridge 01548 857577
6 the plymouth magazine
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