Waddingtons

Waddington (also Waddington's or John Waddington ) was a British manufacturer of various printed products.

In the areas of packaging, stationery, advertising, plastics, stamps, playing cards and games Waddington was represented.

Starting in 1896 as a manufacturer of posters and advertising materials, and later puzzles and other games (such as Monopoly and Cluedo ) were from 1922 playing cards made ​​. At its peak, the company employed 4,000 people in Leeds. The toys range was sold in 1994 to the American toy company Hasbro; 2000 Waddington was sold and then smashed.

Nowadays Winning Moves UK uses the licensed trademark of Hasbro Waddingtons for playing cards.

First foundation

John Waddington ( a printer ) and Wilson Barratt ( actor-manager at the Leeds Grand Theatre ) founded in 1896 in Camp Road, Leeds, the printing Waddington Ltd. to produce theater posters and other theater advertising material.

Second founding

After it came to the break between the two, Waddington left the company and founded in the Great Wilson Street, Leeds, a new printing company.

According to financial difficulties the company on 31 January 1905 in a Private Limited Company ( non-tradable stock company ) was converted under the name John Waddington Ltd..

The Board initially consisted HM ​​Carter and John Waddington, a short time later, William Peacock and two years later Edgar Lupton added. After Peacock resigned in 1908, he was replaced by Ralph Bernard Stephens. Also in 1908 Arthur Copson Peake was a board member.

John Waddington introduced the printing technique of lithography, for which the lithographer Victor Hugo Watson ( b. 1878 in Brixton ) is set as a foreman. The lithography performed better than the other areas; there were financial difficulties.

Resignation of the founder

After irregularities in the books were found and it emerged that the company's founder, John Waddington embezzled money regularly, this left the company on 7 March 1913.

The rest of the Board wondered to close the company; however, they were convinced of Watson, to conduct the business. Watson was appointed manager. The business grew and it became a second factory site in Elland Road for rent. On April 2, 1915 this building burned down with the already finished work; the next day the in Leeds for sale printing firm Charles Russell was purchased in the Dewsbury Road from Watson and on the same day the work was resumed by the ordered, but are destroyed to produce goods again. The staff of Charles Russel part was performed. In 1916 Watson was appointed to the Board.

In January 1919, the London-based company Tribe & Son and in early 1920 the original company was purchased Waddington Ltd in Leeds, it was now represented at several locations in Leeds and London.

Conversion into a Public Limited Company

To be able to continue to expand, the company was converted into a Public Limited Company ( traded corporation) on 14 March 1921.

The first board consisted of Edgar Lupton, Arthur Copson Peake, Ralph Bernard Stephens and Victor Hugo Watson.

Production of playing cards, puzzles and games

1920 and 1921, attempts have been made ​​to produce playing cards. When in 1922 Thomas De La Rue & Co. Ltd. competitors Charles Goodall & Co. Ltd took over, there was only one major UK playing card manufacturer, so the market entry in playing cards by 1922 was favorable.

1923 was John Waddington Ltd. of the Royal Academy of British Printing the " Blue Ribbon ".

From 1929 round playing cards were produced, which were very successful. In the 1930s, playing cards were produced for cigarette packs.

Due to the global economic crisis in 1931 losses were made.

1933, the card game Lexicon was produced. After an intensive advertising campaign Tausendene games per day were sold.

In the same year started to produce puzzles made ​​of cardboard.

1935, the Irish card manufacturer Ormond Printing Company was acquired.

Monopoly

Victor Watson gave his son Norman Watson on a Friday in 1935, a game of Monopoly; he should find out if the game is any good. After spending the whole weekend with this game was on Monday morning a telephone conversation with Parker Brothers, USA, organized; it was the first phone call from Waddingtons in the United States and the first phone call from Europe to Parker Brothers. Waddington's got the right to produce and sell Monopoly. The rule of the game remained unchanged; there were only changed the road and station name. With this game, Waddington was able to put half a million pounds a year.

Cluedo

Conceived in 1943, the British lawyer Anthony Ernest Pratt (* August 10, 1903; † 9 April 1994) and his wife Elva, a game they Murder! mentioned. 1944, a patent for the game concept and the game plan was filed, which was then issued in 1947. 1947 Waddington acquired the rights to the game Cluedo, which appeared due to material shortages until 1949. In the same year the game to Parker Brothers for the North American market has been licensed. Since then, about 3 million games were produced annually worldwide.

There followed many other games, so that Waddington became known throughout the United Kingdom primarily through these board games and card games.

Waddington House of Games

The 1968 in Scarborough, Ontario -based Canadian company, House of Games Corporation Limited was later in Bramalea, Ontario located ( Brampton today). This then was Waddington House of Games and later Waddington Sanders, which was later located in North York, Ontario. Waddington House of Games usually brought games with bilingual guides ( English / French) out.

Task of toys

In July 1994 Bluebird Toys offered £ 20 million for Waddington games. On 30 November 1994, the games division of Waddington from the U.S. game manufacturer Hasbro was acquired for £ 50 million or $ 78.22 million. Sales at this time was 25.92 million pounds and 3.45 million pounds of profit in the year. The acquisition Hasbro licensee was, among others, Cluedo and Top Trumps. The profit of Waddington Games doubled in the first year after the takeover by Hasbro, the sales figures of Monopoly doubled.

Acquisitions by the end of 1980

• In the 1960s, La Ducale and were B.P. Grimaud adopted.
• 1970/71, the company was established in 1866 Alf Cooke (Universal Playing Card Company Limited), which was an important British playing card manufacturer since 1920, taken over.
• 1982 Dubreq was acquired manufacturer of quartet - playing ( Top Trumps ).
• 1984, 1966, founded The House of Questa Limited was acquired.
• Johnsen & Jorgensen 1987 Packaging was acquired.
• A producer of bottle labels - and - 1987, which was founded in 1846 Gilmour & Dean Ltd was acquired.

Restructuring in the 1990s

Figures in the last financial year

In recent independent financial year April 1998 to March 1999 Waddington had a turnover of 257.2 million pounds, which divided up as follows:

• Pharmaceutical Packaging: £ 59.9 million
• Food Services (USA): £ 93.3 million
• Printing: 105 million pounds

Takeover and destruction

By 2000 Waddington continued to exist as a company for printing and packaging products. In February 2000, Waddington was acquired by John Mansfield Group PLC for £ 289 million. Together with the 2000 also acquired for £ 87 million printing department of the company Rexam Communisis PLC in 2000 it created. In the same year the departments Waddington Food Services for 145 million pounds and Waddington Pharmaceutical been sold for £ 60 million again. The company Cartonmaster, Johnsen & Jorgensen, Essex Business Forms, John Mansfield Timber and studios were sold individually for a total of 4 million pounds.