Kiwi 1940-1949

Expansion & War. The mid thirties saw an accelerating economic recovery throughout the world and sales began to rise again. In 1934, to avoid tariff barriers in the export business a factory was opened in Auckland and a manufacturing agreement was established in France. To meetthe expanding market in Eastern Europe the company opened, in 1937, a factory in Warsaw, Poland. In thePacific area large shipments of polish were being sent from Melbourne to the Malay States and China. American Marines stationed in Shanghai became acquainted with the product and introduced it to the United States on their return. The Kiwi business was thriving!

Unfortunately, World War II began. The Blitzkrieg was unleashed on Poland, within days of the outbreak of war the Warsaw branch had been destroyed by fire and even more tragically, the manager and all his family perished during the German occupation. The French factory was commandeered by the occupying army although the manager and his wife escaped to England.

In England, the Ealing factory was bombed but did not suffer major damages. On the positive side of the ledger, despite material shortages common to all manufacturers, KIWI was again called on to meet the demands of the armed forces. As the American correspondent, Walter Graeberwrote for TIME from the Tobruktrenches in 1942, “Old tins of British-made KIWI polish lay side –by –side with empty bottles of Chianti. A story indicative of the rise in global significance of shoe polish is told by Jean Williams a New Zealander who lived in Japan during the Allied Occupation after World War II. She relates how the American soldiers were finding the dullness of their shoes to be a handicap when trying to win the affections of Japanese girls, “When the Commonwealth Forces arrived in Japan with their boots polished to a degree not known to U.S. forces, GI´swere more conscious than ever of their feet. The secret was notspit and polish, but in superior Australian boot polish. In fact, it became so sought after that Kiwi was the most highly rated bartering commodity, commanding many cartons of Yankee Cigarettes for one can of Kiwi.’ Soldiers returning from the war continued to use the product creating such a demand that a few years after the cessations of hostilities, Kiwi finally cracked the Americanmarket opening a manufacturing plant in Philadelphia.

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