M Challah Export

M Challah Export was established In 1945 by Mr Mounir Challah (also known as Mo or Monty). Mo was sent from Beirut to Manchester by his father in order to establish contacts with Manchester cotton and Yorkshire wool traders. Once this was achieved, Mo's intention was to return to Beirut and complete a law degree. However, he never left Manchester, instead setting up an office on Princess Street trading under the name M Challah Export. He began exporting cotton and poplin cloth with businesses established by his cousins in British West Africa, as well as with contacts in Lebanon, Syria and Argentina. This trade slowed following the independence of Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana in the 1960s. M Challah Export merged with Albert Jones to form Albert Jones (Textiles) Ltd in 1963.

Related Documents

Business archive relating to Albert Jones (Textiles) Ltd and M Challah Export, consisting of order confirmations; purchase contracts; letters in Arabic with fabric samples attached; bills of lading; shipping particulars; consignment notes; delivery notes; cash books; purchase invoices; sales invoice books; annual reports; copy letter books; example cheque stubs from the Bank of West Africa, 1953-2010 and general correspondence. The archive contains evidence of a textile trader moving to Manchester from Lebanon and establishing a business to export textiles to the Middle East, Africa and South America. The records that cover the period 1970-2010 also show how the company adapted to survive a changing market landscape.

Business archive of Albert Jones (Textiles) Ltd and M Challah Export
Large bundle of correspondence, the majority handwritten in Arabic with textile samples attached, sent to M Challah Export by A.R. Jamaleddine in Lagos; Challah Freres in Beirut; Akkad & Tabbah in Damascus; Rafat Haffar in Damascus and Naamani Brothers Inc. in New York. The bundle also includes correspondence between M Challah Export and various textile merchants/manufacturers and haulage companies in the UK concerning textile samples and distribution. Also included is correspondence relating to the potential export of cement to Bahrain and a sample paper bolt end design featuring a deer motif. The bundle has been split across 12 folders due to the amount of correspondence and bulk of the textile samples.

Bundle of correspondence, invoices and textile samples.
Series of invoices, statements, consignment and delivery notes received by M Challah Export and Albert Jones (Textiles) Ltd. The material covers domestic and international trade and illustrates the range of textile companies in the North West of England, along with the links between Manchester and global textile markets. Some items in the series also highlight attempts made by the company to diversify with the import of squash and tennis rackets from Japan. It also includes invoices relating to the day-to-day running of the business and premises. Some items within the series contain textile samples.

Invoices, Account Statements and Receipts
Series of financial records for Albert Jones (Textiles) Ltd and M Challah Export. Includes annual reports and accounts, cash books, invoices and statements. The invoices relate to domestic and international textile trading.

Financial Records
Bundle of bills of lading for named ships, some manuscript other typescript, which document freight sent and charges due. Destinations covered include Beirut; Lagos; Monrovia and Quito.

Bills of lading
Invoices and correspondence relating to Mr Mounir Challah's personal matters such as the rental of a flat; electricity supply; purchase of baby equipment; a car and coal.

Correspondence and invoices relating to personal matters.
Correspondence between Mr Mounir Challah and the Home Office relating to the ongoing renewal of his passport. The correspondence includes detailed information about the value of goods and destinations exported to by M Challah Export.

Correspondence relating to the renewal of Mr Mounir Challah's passport
Bundle of correspondence and textile samples sent between M Challah Export and various companies including Philippe G Ghosn of Beirut; A R Jamaleddine of Homs in Syria and Akkad & Tabbah of Damascus. The bundle also includes correspondence with pension scheme providers, haulage companies, the Bank of West Africa and Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

Bundle of correspondence and textile samples.
International Driving Permit No. 24901 for Mr Mounir Challah issued by the Ministry of Transport. Permit is dated 22 September 1949 and is valid for one year. The permit features a black and white photograph of Mr Challah.

International Driving Permit for Mr Mounir Challah.
Bundle of invoices relating to exports issued to M Challah Export from various Manchester textile merchants and manufacturers. These include Albert Jones; S Challah; Goldtex Fabrics; I Hussamy & Sons; G Markarian and A Labaton Ltd. There are also statements of account with suppliers for other goods; bills of lading issued by Gracie, Beazley & Co; consignment notes and account statements issued by hauliers LEP Transport Ltd and Austin Wilkinson Ltd. The invoices have previously been hand-numbered 1229 to 1452 and are split across two folders due to size.

Bundle of invoices, account statements, bills of lading, consignment notes and receipts.
Bundle of order confirmations and contracts for purchase of fabrics from M Challah Export from companies including J A Shammah & Sons; Chekerdjian Freres of Beirut and Akkad & Tabbah of Damascus. The bundle also includes correspondence with the Bank of West Africa in Lagos; letters from shipping agents concerning increases to fees due to the rise in petrol costs; letters of enquiry to potential suppliers across the UK for wool jersey and disputes for goods damaged in transit. Some letters also include fabric samples for umbrella cloth; voile; poplin; brocade; wool jersey and typewriter cloth. The bundle has been split across three files due to size.

Bundle of correspondence, order confirmations and textile samples.

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