Isaiah Bock

Isaiah Bock was born on this day in 1900, the third son of jewish shopkeeping parents in north London. While his brothers continued the family trade, Isaiah had entrepreneurial bent. At 16, he had established a courier firm in Golders Green, principally taking letters and messages between businesses in the area, and occasionally ferrying items into central London. By 1920, this had grown to a parcel delivery and removals company.

Finding the latter service more lucrative, Bock soon turned over the entire business to domestic and commercial removals. Key to Bock’s success was the innovative use of materials that saved time and money for his removers. Hitherto, removals had been a time-consuming business, in which removers would pack, transport, and unpack the belongings of a household in an end-to-end service that could take days. Bock happened upon an invention of scotsman Robert Gair, the pre-cut paperboard container, made of a material that we now call corrugated cardboard. These containers were produced in vast quantities, and were so cheap that Bock soon found it paid simply to leave the containers with the moving households.

He began to offer an economy service, in which his business supplied the containers in advance. His workers would then arrive on an arranged date, transport the belongings to the new address, and leave without unpacking. This transformed the fortunes of the company and allowed him to expand well beyond the jewish community of north London.

Capitalising on movements of population following the First World War and increasing urbanisation of the British population, Bock’s removal company was soon expanded as a franchise, supplying vehicles, packing media and recruitment to removals firms all over the South East of England. His brand, Bock’s, was instantly recognisable, emblazoned on the side of his vehicles, and later, the corrugated cardboard containers that now bear his name.