W.D. & H.O. Wills

W. D. & H.O. Wills was a British tobacco importer and cigarette manufacturer in Bristol, England. The company was a founding member of the network of the Imperial Tobacco Group PLC.

History

The company was founded in 1786 by Henry Overton Wills I and his partner Samuel Watkins as " Wills, Watkins & Co. ". The two opened a shop in Castle Street in Bristol. After Watkins was retired in 1789, the company was renamed " Wills & Co. ". From 1791 to 1793 she then operated under the name " Lilly, Wills & Co. " after the company was merged with the firm of Peter Lilly, who in "Land Yeo " in Barrow Gurney ( North Somerset ) had built a snuff factory. From 1793 until his retirement ( Wills ) in 1803, the company was called " Lilly and Wills " in 1826 took over the Wills sons William Day Wills and Henry Overton Wills, the company and gave it the name mentioned above.

The company W. D. & H.O. Wills came into existence especially in the area of ​​employee welfare. So was the company as one of the pioneers of the canteen system and the free medical care. Sport facilities and paid holidays were part of the self-understanding of the company. The first introduced brand was " Bristol ", 1871-1974, which was prepared at the London location. " Three Castles " and " Gold Flake" followed in 1878 and " Woodbine " ten years later. "Embassy " was introduced in 1914 and reproduced in 1962.

In addition to Bristol sites in Swindon, Dublin, Newcastle and Glasgow have been established. The company grew and soon it was one of the largest cigarette factories in Europe. By Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, one of the largest architectural firms in the world from the Chicago Hartcliffe Bristol was built in 1974; the site was closed in 1990, however, the large manufacturing plants and warehouse remained as significant achievements Bristol exist, although many buildings have been converted (example: Tobacco Factory Theatre ). . The factory in Newcastle was closed and stood vacant for a decade long before the facade of the Art Deco buildings released in 1998 luxury apartments.

1901 Imperial Tobacco was founded. It went next door to W. D. & H.O. Wills seven other societies. Christopher Wills was the last member of the family of WD & H.O. Wills; He resigned as manager of the company in 1969.

Known products

In 1959, the company launched the short-lived brand name beach. This name was indeed iconic, economical broadcast on television, however fatal, because disregarded.

In India, The Gold Flake (Classic) established, produced under the name ITC Limited, formerly Imperial Tobacco Company. The brand has a high market share.

Trivia

At the headquarters, the episode 95, The Sun Makers (1977 ), the English film series Doctor Who was filmed.

809801
de