Riley had humble beginnings as a sports shop in Manchester way back in the 1890’s. The company quickly diversified and became the largest manufacturer of cricket bats in the world. As a sideline, Riley started to manufacture billiard tables and cues, and by 1910 the Company was producing around 800 full size tables per year. Parallel to the full size tables, the Company also manufactured a large quantity of convertible tables (tables with dining tops) and also another line known as portable tables. Portable tables became by far Riley’s biggest selling line. By 1912 the Company was producing 4000 units a year exporting to all parts of the globe and Riley’s biggest customer was the British Army.
By the mid 1920’s the Riley brand was not only famous for snooker tables, cues and accessories, the Company had expanded into club ownership. In little more than a decade the company had become the giant of the industry:
• Manufacturing tables
• Manufacturing cues and accessories
• Manufacturing lighting
• Owners of 40 snooker style clubs
• Exporting to all corners of the globe
Snooker truly was the quintessential sport of English gentlemen.
By the 1930’s the popularity of the sport had spread to the working classes. Riley snooker tables had made their first of many appearances at the World Snooker Championships.
In 1976 a small Company called BCE was founded. This Company started life as a distributor to the coin operator sector, supplying cues, balls and table spares. By 1980 BCE had diversified into the manufacture of snooker tables. Within a short period the BCE Westbury snooker table was the table being used at all World professional snooker tournaments. From 1982-1992 the Westbury was the benchmark table in snooker and BCE had become the biggest name in snooker. Many of the sport’s leading professionals were happy to endorse BCE cues.
Cliff Thorburn
Kirk Stevens
Denis Taylor
Alex Hurricane Higgins
Tony Knowles
Tony Meo
Willie Thorne
Doug Mountjoy
Perry Mans
Jimmy White
Just to mention a few, supported the meteoric rise of BCE.
At the same time, Riley had gone down the route of flotation and had huge ambitions to take the sport and the Riley brand of clubs globally.
By the 1990’s snooker had lost the magic of the 80’s. Both Riley and BCE by 1992 had floated on the stock exchange and been taken back into private hands. This marked the beginning of a more difficult period for the cue sports industry in general.
All the personalities in the game had come to the end or were nearing the end of their glittering careers. There was a new breed of players emerging, leaner, meaner, and mentally tougher but with less popular appeal.
The 1990’s were difficult and challenging times for both Riley and BCE. Riley went through a period of different ownership and so too did BCE. Both Companies struggled to re-establish their hold on the snooker market. BCE retreated to its humble beginnings servicing the coin operated sector in the UK. Riley covered all sectors of the market from retail to mail order, to coin operators. Unfortunately because of the degree of diversity and lack of core focus the Riley brand began to drift in direction and became jaded.
Stuart Lacey emerged into the market in 1994 having founded RLE, a small competitor to Riley and BCE. By 1996 RLE was growing rapidly and by November 1997 RLE had merged with BCE. By July 1999 Stuart Lacey had gained control of BCE.
In late 2002 Riley had fallen into administration. BCE acquired the Riley brand and have since tried to re-establish its prominence and position. Stuart Lacey soon re-established a supply agreement with World Snooker to supply snooker tables for all televised and world ranking events. By 2006 both BCE and Riley are at the pinnacle of the sport. BCE – the more contemporary brand with Jimmy White and Ronnie O’Sullivan spearheading the products. Riley – the classical brand oozing tradition, quality and heritage lead by John Higgins, Steve Davis and the late Paul Hunter.
The BCE group export to more than 60 countries world-wide. Snooker is near the top of the tree again in terms of popularity among spectators and players alike. BCE group are committed to spreading the word further by developing key markets in China, Russia and the USA.
Snooker is trendy. With Riley and BCE you have got not one but the two biggest brands in snooker world-wide.
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