Coronation Street Wiki
Advertisement

Mr Creswell was a buyer for Gamma Garments who visited the Rosamund Street branch one day in May 1963. Informed by Mr Papagopolous that he was on his way to see them and look the branch over, Leonard Swindley was vague about his exact position withinin the company when he passed the message on. Emily Nugent was concerned that the shop needed tidying and Swindley agreed, ordering her and sales assistant Doreen Lostock to see to the counter - both on top and under - dust the displays and to tidy and check the stock room, all within a two hour time-limit before their visitor arrived. Knowing that Swindley had been promoted to head office, they assumed that Creswell was the replacement manager and Doreen had already decided that she disliked him due to the amount of extra work he was causing her.

When the visitor arrived, Emily and Doreen were instantly taken with his good looks and charming demeanour, but Doreen was annoyed that his arrival coincided with her lunch hour with Sheila Birtles hanging around eager to take her out. Swindley was therefore surprised when she returned from her break a quarter of an hour early, ready to make contact with her handsome new boss and was aggrieved when he specifically requested that it was Emily who showed him over the stockroom. The visit seemed to go well but a sour note was sounded when Martha Longhurst burst in, complaining loudly that a pair of stockings she had bought yesterday already had a tear in them, as well as the poor service that everyone in the shop had received that day due to the tidy-up and the stock-check.

When it came time to leave, Mr Creswell told Swindley he'd enjoyed his visit to what he described as a first-class shop. The gushing women told him how much they in turn had enjoyed having him in the shop and while Swindley showed him to his car, they excitedly looked forward to working for him. Their hopes were dashed when Swindley returned and informed them of Creswell's true position in the company and that there was no question of him becoming a branch manager.

Advertisement