Hay’s Ltd - a Christchurch icon

Hay’s Ltd, “The Friendly Store where everything is different”, was a well-known shop in Christchurch for some 50 years. Hay’s opened in Gloucester Street for the first time on Friday 13 December, 1929.

James L. Hay, known as Jim,was the founder of the store, and had a vision to establish a business that offered genuine friendly atmosphere. The store prospered, despite the Depression, helped in part by Hay’s decision to offer profits back to customer’s via a ‘League’ discount scheme.

The Hay’s Famous Senior League was started on May 21, 1930 and was a cornerstone that helped the business to thrive. By 1950, some 42000 people were members of the league, with 21,000 people in the junior league.

The shop was slightly expanded on either side in 1935 and 1936. In 1938 two milestones were achieved the central Christchurch store expanded to have a frontage on Colombo Street, the city’s main thoroughfare, and a branch store specialising in fashion goods opened in Greymouth.

In 1942 the Christchurch store added an Armagh Street entrance (opposite Victoria Square) after one half of the Rink Taxis building was purchased. Due to war time restrictions little could be done in terms of renovations. The second half of the building was purchased in 1947 and expansions continued in 1949 (furniture and furnishings) and 1950 (refrigeration).

As the Senior and Junior League programme showed, Hay was an innovator and had a keen marketing eye. Circus elephants were enlisted on one occasion to drum up business, but at the heart of the operation was an idealism far less prevalent in modern business ventures.

Hay's Roof was the home of Aunt Haysl, and housed trick mirrors, and a children's playground with slides and entertainment of all sorts.

Hay's Ltd later became HayWrights and then Farmers in 1987, and Hay's Roof as such closed, though the roof remained open as a playground for children until the demolition of the old building ten years later.

Hay was the father of city councillor and later Mayor Sir Hamish Hay.
The James Hay Theatre, part of the Christchurch Town Hall, was named after Hay, who was an active fundraiser for the building.

We recommend: Hay’s Ltd resources

Our online resources:

• Aunt Haysl Hay’s Ltd employee who ran the Hay’s Junior League, a playground and much more. Edna Neville was the most well-known Aunt Haysl.
• Christchurch Christmas parades including photographs of the Hay's parade

Our Internet Gateway recommends:

• J Hay in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Details his war service and his career before starting Hay’s, as well as his civic fundraising efforts.

Browse the resources in our libraries:

• Sir Hamish Hay’s autobiography Hay Days
• Hay's Ltd
• Star Sun Centennial number (Supplement to the Star Sun, December 16, 1950, p. 8)