Fortnum and Mason
William Fortnum was a footman in the household of Queen Anne. The royal family’s insistence on having new candles every night resulted in large amounts of half-used wax, which Fortnum promptly resold for a tidy profit. The enterprising Fortnum also had a sideline business as a grocer. He convinced his landlord, Hugh Mason, to be his associate, and they founded the first Fortnum & Mason store in Mason's small shop in St James's Market in 1707.
1898 Company incorporated
c.1905 Became a public company[1]
1939 Shares listed on Stock Exchange
1951 Garfield Weston bought a majority of the shares in the company[2]
1992 More of the shares were acquired by the Weston family
2001 Company taken private because the small proportion of the shares available to the public was not acceptable to the Stock Exchange[3]