Comment
According to 'Now Dig This' magazine, Tony Martin ran the mail order department at Superdisc, 330 Norwood Road, West Norwood, from 1975. He had previously worked at Tony Scott's Broad Green Record Centre, Croydon, in the early 1970's. He later ran his own company (Tonal Records) in West Norwood in the 1980's. Sadly, he died in 2020, aged 75.
Name
Dave Harwood
(2022)
Len Ford
Superdisc records,retail/wholesaleSuperdisc records,retail/wholesaleMar 1970 - Mar 1979 · 9 yrs 1 Mar 1970 - Mar 1979 ·
Opened and managed 5 retail records shops. started a mail order worldwide company and import and export supply. started own record label Red Hot records.http://www.thehi-fis.co.uk/len_ford.html
RETAIL FOOTNOTE (two). Perhaps Beecher's case is a little severe, so how about Superdisc, a little over a year ago a basic, run-of-the-mill record shop in West Norwood. About then, Len Ford, the proprietor, decided to get involved in rock'n'roll and rockabilly retailingTn a reasonably big way, improving the basic pop, rock and soul stock as well, Walls were knocked down, the shop redecorated, new racks installed, new stock acquired. The mail ordering of rock'n'roll was investigated and acted upon, likewise wholesaling and export/import. Was it worthwhile? "To date, I'd say the effort has been extremely worthwhile. I'm very pleased with the retail side, which we can improve anyway, by improving stock and display. We don't discount the rock'n'roll, there's no need and we do have a regular rock'n'roll custom. We're advertising in the specialist press, detailsofthe stock and our address and I think we'll have a good summer with foreign visitors. It's not unusual for usto get phone calls from France, Germany or Belgium, asking if we stock certain titles and directions for how to get to the shop. The only problem really is keep- ing one jump ahead! Combining our mail order, wholesale and export, I can safely order 100 copies of a good rock'n'roll or rockabilly set, minimum; by the same gesture, we ordered 25 copies of Wings' last album, because it was going to be an instant hit record with a £ 1 or more off in virtually every record shop. Our best example is Imper- ial Rockabillies which with retail, wholesale and export sales amounts to just over 700 copies to date. I think we might award ourselves a silverdisc when we sell our 1,000th copy." That from Len Ford, who runs what is really a basic record shop, Top 50 singles and albums, pop, soul, reggae, rock, with that little extra added dash ofrock'n'roll and rockabilly. So long as it keeps com- ing, Ford will keep on selling it. RECORD BUSINESS May 29 1978 Tony Martin
