Fiddlebase
FRISTER & ROSSMANN
VS sewing machines after 1925
Part 3
under GRITZNER
From 1920 to 1928, Oliver Quitmann, Agent for England and Colonies, had his offices at 18 City Road, Finsbury Square, London EC1.
From 1925 serial numbers were re-numbered (switching from 1.700.000 circa to 3.650.000 circa).
From 1928 to 1939, Oliver Quitmann, Agent for England and Colonies, had his offices at 23 & 24 Little Britain, Newgate St, London EC1.
In 1929 Frister & Rossmann was in dissolution and serial numbers were re-numbered again (the numbering is reset).
VSE-1 (1926)
VSE-2 from s/n 3.717.412 (1926) to 2.842 (1929)
VSE-3
VSE-4 from s/n 3.872.496 (1929) to 43.221 (1934)
VSE-5 from s/n (circa 1929)
VSE-6 from s/n 744 (1929) to 223.658 (1939)
VSE-7 from s/n 17.952 (1931) to 123.665 (1937)
AFTER...
WWII
(1 Sept 1939)
Imports stopped between 1939 and 1945 then after the war the U.K. importer, Quitmann, with offices located at 350-356 Old Street, London, EC 1, bought all the rights to the Frister & Rossmann trade marks and became a British registered trading name.
Durlach was a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe. After the war the city was destroyed by 40%.
In 1945 an American military base was established in Karlsrhe. Factories were reconstructed in record time and export business activities begun again.
In 1955 a major fire destroyed Gritzner-Kaiser factory in Durlach, West Germany. Weakened Gritzner-Kaiser is easy prey for a competitor based in Kaiserslautern, GM Pfaff AG.
In 1957 the factory was rebuilt by the GM Pfaff AG that takes over the majority of shares.
In 1959 Frister & Rossmann Sewing Machines Limited was incorporated.
The Frister+Rossmann brand is now solely owned by SMD Retail Limited, the parent company of Sewing Machines Direct and the range is now designed and manufactured by Jaguar International Corp, Osaka, Japan who have a long established relationship with many other UK brands including Singer and Bernina.