J. Bibby and Sons
of King Edward Street, Liverpool.
1830 Edward Bibby bought the Conder Mill, near Quernmore, Lancaster.
1878 The mill was passed via his son James Bibby to Edward's two grandsons, Joseph Bibby and James Bibby, who ran the business as J. Bibby and Sons. Around this time, the business first started to produce compound animal meal. It is claimed they produced the first calf meal.
1885 Company established by Joseph Bibby, J.P., and James Bibby. After a fire destroyed Conder Mill, the business continued to operate at Fleet Square Mills, Lancaster.
1895 By this time, production at both the Fleet Square Mills and the company's new mill in Liverpool had reached 3,000 tons per week.
1914 J. Bibby and Sons Ltd of King Edward St, Liverpool, was incorporated as a limited company[1]
1914 Seed crushers. Speciality: feeding stuffs for cattle. Employees 2,000. [2]
1951 Issue of shares. '...to acquire and take over the business originally founded by Mr James Bibby, Snr, and established a partnership in 1878, under the name of J. Bibby and Sons, with his two sons, Mr Joseph Bibby and Mr. James Bibby. The Company was an exempt private company until its conversion into a public company March, 1951 The business of the Company consists part of seed crushing, seed extracting, oil refining and the manufacture of compound cooking fats. This part of the Company's Business is at present and has since September 1939, been carried by the Company as manufacturing agent for the Ministry of Food (with the exception of small fraction of the cooking fats business) the Company receiving payment for its services at agreed rates. The business also comprises the manufacture and sale animal feeding stuffs, soap, glycerine and lecithin. The Company enjoys a substantial share the United Kingdom trade animal feeding stuffs which it distributes through more than 190 selling agencies. The Company's other products are distributed through a separate sales organisation over most of the country. The Company has two wholly owned subsidiary companies, namely Henry Cooke and Co (1932) Limited and The Waterloo Transport Co...the former...carries on the business of manufacturers of paper at Waterhouse Mill, Milnthorpe, Westmorland.....the companies principle factories and warehouse are situate on important sites on the River Mersey....also recently acquired a factory at Bridgwater, Somerset...[much more detail]' The Directors were-[3]
- Henry Percy Bibby - Chairman
- John Pye Bibby - Financial and Research Director
- James Edward Bibby - Production Director
- John Killip Bibby - Commercial Director
- Henry Mason Bibby - Personnel and Production Director
- Norman Millington Bibby - Commercial Director
- Charles Leslie Bibby - Production and Research Director
- Maurice Scholes - Production Director
1963 The main business was in animal feeds, egg and broiler chicken production, oilseed refining and oil processing, grocery, catering and bakery products. Agreed with Soilax Ltd, proprietors of Finish, the US dishwasher powder, to take up an exclusive UK agency for packing and distribution. Other products that Bibbys were selling were Quip (instant potato), Twirl cooking oil, Cidal germicidal soap and Patour, low foam detergent for washing machines. Also considerable expansion of trade supplying bakers and caterers with oils and fats. Several subsidiaries served agricultural seeds markets; Henry Cooke continued to supply kraft papers.[4]
c1966 The Bibby family brought in an outsider to rationalise the company.
1968 Following its progression into seed crushing, soap manufacturing, vegetable oil refining and paper production, the company acquired Princes Foods
1970 Recognition that the expansion, especially Princes foods, following the rationalisation had been mishandled and profits had largely evaporated[5]
1973 Princes was sold to Buitoni.[6]
1976 Acquired Clyde Paper Co which was renamed Henry Cooke Converters[7]
1978 The company had 3 main divisions[8]
- Feeds and Seeds
- Farm Products
- Paper and Converted Products
1980 Acquired the 60 percent of the shares in Sterilin, a laboratory goods manufacturer, that it did not already own. Sold Henry Cooke Converters to a Finnish paper mills company[9]
1981 Acquired 85 percent of Furmanite International Ltd as a diversification, bringing into the group its world-wide service operation. It became part of the Industrial Services Division which also had 7 associate companies, 2 of which were in the UK - Aero Precision Ltd and Intertank Ltd[10]
1984 Barlow Rand, of South Africa, which already owned 29.1 percent of the equity, made an offer to take-over the company[11]
1988 The paper and converted products division included:[12]
- Henry Cooke
- J. and J. Makin Converters
- J. and J. Makin (Oakenholt)
- J. and J. Makin (Disley)
- Devon Valley Industries
1988 Sold the US Princeton packaging business and the US security printing business. Acquired US laser company Melles Griot which was added to the Scientific Products Division[13] and the Nitrovit feed mills[14]
1990 Acquired D D Lamson, industrial vacuum cleaning and conveying equipment, for £8.2 million.[15]
1993 Bibby Ltd was incorporated as a subsidiary
1994 The agricultural division of J. Bibby and Sons became part of ABN (Associated British Nutrition), which is part of Associated British Foods.[16]
1994 Bibby Ltd was renamed Bibby Industrial Group
1996 Sold Lamson Nederland (from the Materials Handling Division) and Heger (from the Laboratory activity of the Industrial Division). Acquired US company Dynalab.[17]
1997 J. Bibby and Sons plc was renamed Barloworld plc; Bibby Industrial Group was renamed Barlow Industrial Group[18]
1999 Barlow Industrial Group Ltd was renamed Barlow Scientific Group Ltd
2002 Barlow Scientific Group Ltd was renamed Barloworld Scientific Group Ltd
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Companies House filing
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Tuesday 13 March 1951
- ↑ The Times Apr. 8, 1963
- ↑ The Times Aug. 14, 1970
- ↑ The Times, October 27, 1975
- ↑ The Times Mar. 4, 1980
- ↑ The Times Apr. 14, 1978
- ↑ The Times Mar. 4, 1980
- ↑ 1981 Annual report
- ↑ The Times Sept. 4, 1984
- ↑ The Times June 2, 1988
- ↑ The Times Nov. 10, 1988
- ↑ 1988 Annual report
- ↑ The Times Mar. 17, 1990
- ↑ The Times Feb. 24, 1994
- ↑ 1996 Annual report
- ↑ Companies House filing
- Trademarked. A History of Well-Known Brands - from Aertex to Wright's Coal Tar by David Newton. Pub: Sutton Publishing 2008 ISBN 978-0-7509-4590-5