341:
36:
240:, Melbourne. The headquarters for the grocery side of the business was at the Malvern store, under the direction of Jack Crittenden, and included a warehouse behind the store. The liquor side of operations was supervised at the Toorak store by Doug Crittenden who had joined the business in 1946. The two other directors of the firm were Max Parsons (1920-2006) and accountant George Davies. The company came to do a considerable amount of bottling, buying
352:
193:. The business then traded as O.R. Crittenden, grocer. The staff consisted of one man and a girl, and newspaper advertising state the store was "noted for good butter and eggs." By August 1930, the business employed 20 people, five of whom took telephone orders for groceries to be delivered in the firm's four vans. The store catered to the affluent suburbs of
244:
of wine direct from wineries in
Victoria and South Australia, and retailing it under its own label. The company also published annual booklets for customers about the wine they sold. The firm also had a separate liquor wholesale operation by 1981. Wine and cheese tastings were hosted at particular
208:
In 1936 the business opened its second store, taking over an existing business at 569 Malvern Road, Toorak. In 1948, the business was registered as a company, O. R. Crittenden Ltd., grocers, with a capital of ÂŁ25,000. The firm also began to retail fine wines and spirits in bottle-shops within the
464:
366:
248:
Crittendens became well known in the affluent suburbs of
Melbourne. The wealthy and well connected ordered groceries and liquor on the telephone for home delivery and relied on the firm to cater parties and other special events. Customers included former Prime Minister
408:
380:
422:
394:
436:
209:
grocery stores during the 1930s. Crittendens employed 60 staff at the
Malvern and Toorak stores, delivering to 4,000 homes a week by May 1954 when Oscar Crittenden died, aged 66, leaving a widow and four children.
205:
and carried imported gourmet foods not widely available elsewhere. Some commodities - such as coffee, dried fruit, butter and bacon - was bought in bulk and repackaged under the
Crittenden brand.
212:
The business was left to his two sons, John
Maxwell (1921-2002) and Douglas Oscar (1923-2014), plus other long term employees of the company. The firm went on to have stores at Bay Street,
644:
629:
136:, as the firm changed hands a number of times. At one stage members of the Crittenden family briefly (1989-1990) regained control of the business. One store, located in
290:, in 1982, as part of the latter's plan to increase its core business. It closed down the bottling side of operations. Myer later sold Crittendens to supermarket chain
478:
639:
634:
619:
540:
298:
purchased the
Crittenden & Co brand name in 1987. By 2018, only the Toorak store still operated under the Crittenden name, and purely as a liquor outlet.
624:
125:
in 1917 and the firm went on to have a total of seven retail outlets, mostly in the affluent south-eastern suburbs. The business was bought out by
582:
518:
325:, south of Melbourne, owned and operated by Gary Crittenden, has no connection with Oscar Crittenden, his family or their business.
450:
555:
493:
272:
163:. In December 1891, Oscar's father, James, aged 33, died after being kicked by a horse, leaving a widow and four children.
302:
35:
614:
20:
507:
566:
266:
295:
314:
Brett
Crittenden, international wine educator and judge at wine shows, is a grandson of Oscar Crittenden.
229:
185:
In 1917, he borrowed ÂŁ620 from his mother and used it to take over and stock a small grocery store at 138
586:
322:
175:
156:
530:
Interview with Doug
Crittenden, 26 November 2001, (sound recording) State Library of South Australia
306:
291:
233:
213:
202:
541:
Natasha Mirosh, "Garry
Crittenden's wine stoush with Woolworths spills over to social media,"
514:
318:
225:
221:
194:
190:
122:
529:
198:
174:
Co-operative
Society in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He remained in the store in
137:
237:
186:
152:
140:, still operated under the Crittenden name in 2023, but with no connection to the family.
280:
276:
250:
160:
608:
217:
114:
262:
258:
261:. Visitors to Melbourne also employed the services of Crittendens. American actor
254:
178:
till March 1912, when he left to work in a grocery store owned by David Kidd in
171:
167:
118:
71:
241:
132:
Some stores were then closed and others were opened, including three in
179:
495:
Crittenden's digest of the world's finest wines, spirits and liqueurs
133:
245:
stores, and events were held to mark the launch of new wine brands.
301:"Shopping at Crittendens" is the title, and subject, of a poem by
287:
126:
279:
specified in advance her preferred brand of tea and champagne (
305:
that appeared in the Australian literary and cultural journal
121:, Australia, in the 20th century. The first store opened in
170:
in 1906. In that year Oscar became an employee of the
100:
92:
82:
66:
58:
50:
42:
497:, O.R. Crittenden Ltd, Malvern (Melbourne), 1952.
294:, which subsequently closed most of the stores.
271:(1959) and would place his order by phone. When
16:Australian grocery store and liquor outlet chain
286:Crittendens was sold to department store chain
8:
28:
34:
27:
645:Australian companies established in 1917
630:Australian companies established in 1948
265:lived in Toorak while filming the movie
567:Evan Jones, "Shopping at Crittendens,"
334:
159:soon after and settled on a farm near
7:
640:Retail companies established in 1917
635:Retail companies established in 1948
620:Australian wine and spirit merchants
512:, Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, p.519.
14:
625:Defunct supermarkets of Australia
317:The Crittenden Estate Winery, at
117:and liquor outlets operating in
510:The many lives of Kenneth Myer
149:Oscar Rupert George Crittenden
1:
155:in 1887. The family came to
661:
571:, 26 (1-2) Feb 1982, p.31.
18:
543:The Sydney Morning Herald
224:, Upper Heidelberg Road,
33:
151:(1887-1954) was born in
583:"petergbouchier.com.au"
454:, 23 October 1948, p.4.
257:and opera singer Dame
356:, 12 March 1891, p.4.
88:South Eastern suburbs
479:"Rare old vintage",
440:, 14 May 1935, p.11.
426:, 7 August 1930, p.5
323:Mornington Peninsula
166:The family moved to
19:For other uses, see
589:on 8 September 2018
412:, 7 July 1917, p.20
30:
615:Australian grocers
545:, 12 February 2014
508:Sue Ebury, (2008)
468:, 10 May 1954, p.5
398:, 18 May 1917, p.3
384:, 12 May 1910, p.5
370:, 10 May 1954, p.5
108:
107:
104:Crittenden family
96:Food & liquor
46:Supermarket chain
652:
599:
598:
596:
594:
585:. Archived from
579:
573:
564:
558:
553:
547:
538:
532:
527:
521:
505:
499:
491:
485:
483:, 1 October 2010
476:
470:
462:
456:
448:
442:
434:
428:
424:Malvern Standard
420:
414:
406:
400:
392:
386:
378:
372:
364:
358:
350:
344:
339:
273:the Queen mother
62:Oscar Crittenden
38:
31:
660:
659:
655:
654:
653:
651:
650:
649:
605:
604:
603:
602:
592:
590:
581:
580:
576:
565:
561:
554:
550:
539:
535:
528:
524:
506:
502:
492:
488:
477:
473:
463:
459:
449:
445:
435:
431:
421:
417:
407:
403:
393:
389:
379:
375:
365:
361:
351:
347:
340:
336:
331:
238:Lonsdale Street
187:Glenferrie Road
153:South Australia
146:
113:was a chain of
85:
78:
74:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
658:
656:
648:
647:
642:
637:
632:
627:
622:
617:
607:
606:
601:
600:
574:
559:
548:
533:
522:
500:
486:
481:The Australian
471:
457:
443:
429:
415:
401:
387:
373:
359:
354:The Advertiser
345:
333:
332:
330:
327:
277:Clarence House
275:came in 1958,
253:, businessman
251:Robert Menzies
161:Lake Hindmarsh
145:
142:
115:grocery stores
106:
105:
102:
98:
97:
94:
90:
89:
86:
83:
80:
79:
76:
70:
68:
64:
63:
60:
56:
55:
52:
48:
47:
44:
40:
39:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
657:
646:
643:
641:
638:
636:
633:
631:
628:
626:
623:
621:
618:
616:
613:
612:
610:
588:
584:
578:
575:
572:
570:
563:
560:
557:
552:
549:
546:
544:
537:
534:
531:
526:
523:
520:
519:9780522855463
516:
513:
511:
504:
501:
498:
496:
490:
487:
484:
482:
475:
472:
469:
467:
461:
458:
455:
453:
447:
444:
441:
439:
433:
430:
427:
425:
419:
416:
413:
411:
405:
402:
399:
397:
391:
388:
385:
383:
377:
374:
371:
369:
363:
360:
357:
355:
349:
346:
343:
338:
335:
328:
326:
324:
320:
315:
312:
310:
309:
304:
299:
297:
293:
289:
284:
282:
278:
274:
270:
269:
264:
260:
256:
252:
246:
243:
239:
235:
231:
227:
223:
219:
218:Warrigal Road
215:
210:
206:
204:
200:
196:
192:
188:
183:
181:
177:
173:
169:
164:
162:
158:
154:
150:
143:
141:
139:
135:
130:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
81:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
45:
41:
37:
32:
26:
22:
593:25 September
591:. Retrieved
587:the original
577:
568:
562:
551:
542:
536:
525:
509:
503:
494:
489:
480:
474:
465:
460:
451:
446:
437:
432:
423:
418:
409:
404:
395:
390:
381:
376:
367:
362:
353:
348:
342:Genealogy SA
337:
316:
313:
307:
300:
285:
268:On the Beach
267:
263:Gregory Peck
259:Joan Hammond
247:
211:
207:
184:
165:
148:
147:
131:
111:Crittendens’
110:
109:
67:Headquarters
25:
556:White pages
255:Sidney Myer
230:Bridge Road
84:Area served
29:Crittendens
609:Categories
466:The Herald
368:The Herald
329:References
303:Evan Jones
296:Woolworths
176:Cheltenham
21:Crittenden
438:The Argus
396:The Argus
382:The Argus
311:in 1982.
242:hogsheads
172:Moorabbin
168:Melbourne
129:in 1982.
119:Melbourne
77:Australia
72:Melbourne
569:Quadrant
410:Advocate
308:Quadrant
234:Richmond
214:Brighton
203:Armadale
157:Victoria
93:Products
43:Industry
452:The Age
319:Dromana
226:Ivanhoe
222:Ashwood
195:Malvern
191:Malvern
180:Prahran
144:History
123:Malvern
59:Founder
51:Founded
517:
199:Toorak
138:Toorak
134:Sydney
321:, on
292:Coles
101:Owner
595:2018
515:ISBN
288:Myer
281:Krug
236:and
201:and
127:Myer
54:1917
283:).
611::
232:,
228:,
220:,
216:,
197:,
189:,
182:.
75:,
597:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.