The Access card was introduced in the United Kingdom by a consortium consisting of National Westminster Bank, Midland Bank (now HSBC UK) and Lloyds Bank, later joined by Williams & Glyn's Bank (now RBS) as a rival to the established Barclaycard. It was established as a joint venture incorporated as The Joint Credit Card Company Limited with Lloyds, Midland and National Westminster banks each owning 30% and Williams & Glyn's owning 10%.[4] The Access name was registered as a trademark on 26 November 1971[5] and the product was launched on 23 October 1972.[6] The former television and radio works of Ekco in Priory Crescent, Southend-on-Sea was purchased and set up as the home of Access.[7][1]
The business was run from several offices in Southend-on-Sea in Essex. In 1989, the company purchased the former Ilford Photographic site in Christopher Martin Road, Basildon and moved the headquarters of the business from Priory Park.[10][11] The main site, at Priory Crescent, was subsequently sold on to the Royal Bank of Scotland, before being demolished to make way for a housing development.[12]
In 1989, the card membership opened up its merchant processing to other providers other than the Joint Credit Card Company, in a reaction to the Competition and Monopolies Commission investigation into the credit card business. At this time the owners of the business started to set up their own processing centres.[2] The company name was rebranded from the Joint Credit Card Company to Signet Ltd in 1989,[13] before the business was sold to First Data in 1991.[3] With the banks processing their own customers, the Access brand disappeared and their cards issued under their own branding.
Offices
Priory Crescent opened 1972
Essex House, Southchurch Road opened 1978. Transferred to Lloyds Bank in 1989.[14]
Charwell House, Victoria Circus, transferred to Midland/HSBC.[15]
From 1978, the main slogan of Access was "Your Flexible Friend", which featured in many television advertisements, accompanied by an animated Access and his friend Money (a pound sign). Later advertisements featured the bumbling "Fat Wallet". A take on the slogan ("My flexible friend") was featured in the third episode of Mr. Bean, when the title character refers to his own credit card.[18][19]
Another slogan which featured in a television advertisement was "Does you does, or does you don't take Access?" (sung to the tune of "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby"). Yet another slogan was "It takes the waiting out of wanting". Access was shirt sponsor of Southend United Football Club in the beginning of 1980s.[20]
