J. John Masters and Co
of London, match makers
Pre-WWI A group of Swedish manufacturers acquired considerable sales and manufacturing interests in the British match market which they concentrated in a British company J. John Masters Limited, the successor of an old-established dealer in matches.
1917 Swedish Match was formed as an amalgamation of the various Swedish manufacturers .
1919 Masters acquired control of the UK agent of Swedish Match
1920 Masters purchased the Swedish factory in the UK
Between 1920 and 1926 Masters or Swedish Match acquired the shares of twelve importing and distributing concerns.
By the early 1920s most match manufacturers in the United Kingdom had been absorbed either into the Bryant and May group, or into the J. John Masters group.
1925 Manufacturers of 'Army & Navy' Matches.[1]
1927 British Match Corporation was formed to acquire Bryant and May Limited and the United Kingdom interests of Swedish Match.
1932 British Match Corporation holds all the issued ordinary shares of Bryant and May and of J. John Masters.[2]
1953 After a report by the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission, certain restraints on competition between BMC and Swedish Match in the United Kingdom market were removed.
1969 Punch and Pioneer Matches.[3]