September.1998 / The London tea auction
Introduction: 　The British media had been covering the story of the London tea auction since the news of its demise broke earlier this year, but few people in the tea industry had any idea how much attention the final auction on Monday, June 29th would attract. 　When a press release was issued during the previous week, the phone lines at The Tea Council, at The London Chamber of Commerce, and in the offices of the two broking / auctioneer companies, Wilson Smithett and Thompson Lloyd & Ewart, were jammed with calls from national newspapers, freelance journalists, and national and local television and radio companies, eager as always for news of Britain's national beverage, and keen to secure a place at this historic event. 　The day started with early morning appearances by Illtyd Lewis, executive director of The Tea Council, on national business radio and television programs, and then, two hours before the normal Monday morning auction was due to start, a continuous round of interviews was conducted at The Chamber of Commerce with Mr.Lewis, with Robin Harrison of Thompson Lloyd & Ewart, Mike Bunston of Wilson Smithett, and Tim Clifton, also of Wilson Smithett and chairman of The Tea Brokers' Association. Clifton told journalists, "It's a sad day because it is the end of an era. But, like many of the old trade practices, changes in communications and technology have made it outdated." Robin Harrison agreed that " Of course this is a sad time for us. London's tea auctions have endured for several hundred years and have proved an excellent way for the whole industry to establish a fair price, which is not an easy task for a product such as tea whose quality varies so widely."
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