Thursday 25th August 1938

Only one local day this week – Monday. I’ve been trying to develop the distant areas. (Upminster and Grays today.) Therefore there’s been a lot of driving, heavy petrol expenditure, smaller turnover. Some new accounts and new contacts, however.

Have decided to change my district grouping. Hitherto my territory has been divided into three areas – “A,” “B,” and “Q”. Area “A” was the original district which I took over when I came on the road. Not a very satisfactory plan really and Area “Q” is remarkably straggling – Chelmsford, Halstead, Saffron Waldon and Romford! Spent an hour tonight regrouping my clients into Zones – a zone being a group of places which could be travelled in one day.

The groups are as follows:-

Zone 1 (Southend district) Hadleigh, Leigh, Southend, Westcliff.
Zone 2 (Near-Southend district) Eastwoodbury, Rayleigh, Rochford, Shoeburyness.
Zone 3 (Short country journey) Billericay, Canvey Island, Laindon. Pitsea, South Benfleet, Wickford.
Zone 4 (Crouch-Blackwater) Burnham on Crouch etc.
Zone 5 (Mid-Essex) Chelmsford, Great Baddow.
Zone 6 (Wright’s Ltd district) Colchester, Tiptree etc.
Zone 7 (North-eastern corner) Dovercourt, Frinton on Sea.
Zone 8 (North-western corner) Halstead, Saffron Waldon.
Zone 9 (London district) Grays, Hornchurch, Romford, Upminster.