Harry Vincent
of Hunnington, Worcestershire.
Maker of Blue Bird Toffees.
1895 Business founded[1] by Harry Vincent.
1927 Blue Bird Toffees was launched[2]
1952 Sir Harry Vincent died aged 77[3]
1953 Became a public company[4]
1959 Acquired Parkes Classic Confectionery[5]
By 1964 Parkes was a subsidiary[6]
1969 Became a private company, presumably as a subsidiary of Blue Bird Confectionery Holdings which was a public company.
1970s Several attempts were made to take over the company.
1981 The company was renamed Bluebird Confectionery; it was controlled by a director, Edward Nasser; the company was developing property interests using the profits made from sweets[7]
1986 The company had received a bid which might lead to take-over[8]. Hillsdown Holdings made an agreed offer for the company, as basis for developing its confectionery interests[9]
Hillsdown merged Needlers into the business, closing Needlers factory and virtually abandoned the Blue Bird name.[10]
1989 Management buy-out of one of the Midlands' most famous companies. Roger Inman and Mike Brayshaw bought the Blue Bird toffee factory in Hunnington near Halesowen from Hillsdown Holdings[11]
1991 The Halesowen toffee maker Blue Bird was forced to call in the receivers[12]
By 1993 the company had been rescued by investment from a Singapore company.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Sandwell Evening Mail 06 September 1985
- ↑ Birmingham Daily Post 08 November 1977
- ↑ Aberdeen Evening Express 03 February 1953
- ↑ The Times Apr. 12, 1993
- ↑ The Times Nov. 19, 1959
- ↑ Birmingham Daily Post 05 September 1964
- ↑ The Times Feb. 28, 1981
- ↑ The Times Mar. 11, 1986
- ↑ The Times Sept. 13, 1986
- ↑ The Times Apr. 12, 1993
- ↑ Birmingham News 23 August 1989
- ↑ Sandwell Evening Mail 20 September 1991