Southerns
of Bold Saw Mills, Widnes, timber merchants
with offices in Manchester, Bristol, Dudley, Glasgow, Kettering, Hanley, Greenwich.
1860 James Wilson Southern is said to have founded his timber and packing case business on Store Street, Manchester
1891 A plan dated 1891 shows the 'Packing Case Manufactuary' and adjacent 'Timber Yard' occupying a significant part of the south-east side of the street.
1908 Soon before the death of James, the partnership of James Southern and his son Frank was incorporated as a private company, James W. Southern & Son Ltd.
1933 the name of the firm was changed to Southerns Ltd. A majority interest in the packing-case side of the firm was sold to a new company which took on the old name.
1963 Southerns became a public company
By 1964 the group was trading from 18 branches, mostly in the North and Midlands of England. 32-34 Store Street, Manchester was still in use but the firm's headquarters was in Widnes.
c.1970 Acquired William Evans[1] forming Southerns-Evans Ltd
1974 Acquired Andersons (Denton Holme) Ltd of Carlisle
1975 Magnet Joinery Ltd and Southerns-Evans Ltd, which had had close associations for some time, merged to form Magnet and Southerns[2]
1988 Magnet and Southerns planned to sell its timber importing business, Southerns-Evans[3], which was acquired by Harrisons and Crosfield[4]
2008 Appointment of liquidators to Southerns-Evans Ltd (together with a number of other dormant companies)[5]
See Also
Sources of Information
- Biography of James Wilson Southern here.