Whitbread & Co. Ltd ceramic ashtray dating from the 1930s.<\/p>\n
Samuel Whitbread<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The business was founded in 1742 when Samuel Whitbread formed a partnership with Godfrey and Thomas Shewell. They acquired the Goat Brewhouse, a small concern at the junction of Old Street and Upper Whitecross Street, and another brewhouse for their pale and amber ales, in Brick Lane, Spitalfields. Whitbread & Co.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n When Samuel Whitbread died in 1796 his son. also called Samuel, took over the running of the business and traded as Whitbread & Co. Whitbread & Co. Ltd – Aggressive Aquisitions Strategy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Before the First World War Whitbread’s began its aggressive takeover journey to become the king of mergers and acquisitions in the brewing industry. Whitbread & Co. Ltd – Acquisitions Continue as a Public Company<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In 1948, William Whitbread was responsible for the Company becoming public and it was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Brewing Ends at Chiswell Street<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The Company started to re-think its operational strategy and built on the first of three green-field sites at Oakley Park in Luton, its second in Samlesbury, Lancashire in 1972, and Whitbread Magor in South Wales in 1979. Whitbread’s Cease Brewing<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In 2000 Whitbread’s decided to sell all its breweries and brewing interests to Interbrew, now know as AB InBev. Whitbread & Co. Ltd ceramic ashtray dating from the 1930s.
\nGodfrey Shewell withdrew from the business when Thomas and Samuel purchased the derelict Kings Head Brewery in Chiswell Street, in 1750.
\nThe new brewery was for the specific production of porter, and was named the Hind Brewery after the Whitbread family’s coat of arms.
\nBy 1758, the firm was the largest porter brewer in Britain.
\nIn 1761 Samuel Whitbread became the sole owner of the business.
\nBy the 1780s Whitbread had become the largest brewery in the world.
\nSamuel Whitbread was a pioneer of new brewing techniques and in 1784 he installed the first ever brewery steam engine at the Chiswell Street brewery, designed by the famous engineer James Watt.<\/p>\n
\nIn the early decades of the nineteenth century the firm had a difficult time trading, but in 1868 the introduction of bottled beers by Samuel Whitbread accelerated the Company’s turnaround.
\nIn the 1870s Whitbread’s famous Hind’s Head trade mark was introduced.
\nIn 1889 it was registered as Whitbread & Co. Ltd.<\/p>\n
\nIt acquired five breweries in the London area including H. & V.Nicholl Ltd in 1891, which it converted into a bottling plant and distribution centre. This was operated by Whitbread’s until 1980.
\nThe First World War dented production but the business survived.
\nDuring the 1920s Whitbread’s acquired four breweries including the Mackeson Brewery from Jude, Hanbury & Co. Ltd.
\nMackeson’s Stout continued to be brewed in Hythe until 1968 and the brand name still exists today.
\nIn 1940 Whitbread’s ceased brewing porter due to its decline in popularity and a need to rationalise its product range following damage caused to a number of its breweries during the Second World War.<\/p>\n
\nDuring the 1950s Whitbread’s purchased a further six breweries throughout Britain but this paled in comparison to its takeovers in the 1960s.
\nWhitbread & Co. Ltd reshaped the look of the brewing industry when it acquired a staggering 21 breweries across Britain.
\nThe most significant brewery acquisitions included Flowers Breweries Ltd of Stratford-upon-Avon and Luton in 1961, Tennant Brothers Exchange Brewery with 700 tied houses in Sheffield in 1961, Norman & Pring Ltd of Exeter with 102 public houses in 1962, Starkey, Knight & Ford Ltd of Bridgwater with 400 tied houses in 1962, and West Country Breweries Ltd of Cheltenham with 1,300 tied houses in 1963.
\nNo brewery in England, Scotland or Wales was safe from Whitbread’s aspirations, and acquisitions continued apace.
\nIn 1963 J.Nimmo & Sons Ltd of Castle Eden was acquired with 202 tied houses, in 1964 Dutton’s Blackburn Brewery Ltd was taken over with 784 public houses, and in 1965 E.Lacon & Co. Ltd of Great Yarmouth was purchased with 354 public houses.
\nThrelfall Chesters Ltd of Salford and Liverpool was acquired in 1967 with 800 public houses, Bentley’s Yorkshire Breweries Ltd of Woodlesford was taken over with 380 public houses in 1968, and Strong & Co. of Romsey Ltd was purchased with 940 tied houses in 1969.
\nThese were the largest brewery acquisitions, and many more were closed by Whitbread’s during the 1960s.
\nIt was in the 1960s that Whitbread’s turned its focus to lager brewing. People’s tastes were changing and in 1968 the Company agreed to brew Heineken under licence. Within three years it was selling 20% of the UK’s lager market.
\nWhitbread & Co. Ltd was now the third largest brewer in Britain.
\nThe Company purchased Brickwoods Ltd Portsmouth Brewery in 1971 with 675 public houses, its only acquisition in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
\nAll were massive state-of the art breweries.
\nIn 1976 Whitbread & Co.Ltd ceased brewing at its Chiswell Street site, and the premises were converted into other uses, including a luxury hotel.
\nThe Porter Tun Room became a conference centre.
\nOakley Park in Luton became the Head Office.
\nIn 1984 the brewing operations at Oakley Park in Luton were closed and the site was redeveloped.
\nThe Company was already starting to diversify its activities before its last brewery acquisition, Boddington’s Breweries Ltd of Manchester in 1989.
\nThroughout its history Whitbread & Co. Ltd purchased and closed over 40 British breweries.
\nAfter an earlier reorganisation, Dutton’s Blackburn brewery operated as Whitbread West Pennines until 1978, Brickwood’s brewery operated as Whitbread Wessex until 1983, and the brewery in Cheltenham operated as Whitbread Flowers Ltd until 1998.<\/p>\n
\nIn 2002 Whitbread’s sold its pub estate, trading as the Laurel Pub Company, to Enterprise Inns.
\nThe Company moved its Head Office from Luton to larger offices at Whitbread Court in Dunstable in 2006.
\nWhitbread PLC still owns and runs major brands such as Premier Inns, Table Table, Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, and Whitbread Inns restaurants.
\nIt no longer has any connections with brewing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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