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The Company throughout the 30’s and 40’s went from strength to strength employing more than 2000 workers. Riley manufactured and supplied snooker equipment to:
- Working men’s clubs
- Tiny social clubs up and down the land
- Snooker clubs, not just Riley owned clubs
- Private residences
- Stately homes
- Hotels
- A small band of professionals
By the 50’s and 60’s snooker lost some of the early appeal. Television had arrived, package holidays to Spain had started to take off and snooker was in decline. During that period Riley went through a number of mergers and various acquisitions to try and recreate the glory days of the past.
It was only during the 1970’s when snooker began its meteoric rise in public popularity thanks in the main to the colour television and one man, Barry Hearn. Steve Davis, possibly the greatest player to pick up a cue had a huge part to play in the success Riley enjoyed throughout the 70’s and 80’s.
As in all industries when something big starts to happen, particularly sport, competitors to the established names emerge.