Geest
1932 Stassen Ltd was incorporated, growers, importers, dealers and growers in fruit, flowers, bulbs, etc
Owned by Geest Horticultural Ltd
1935 Geest Horticultural Products was set up to import bulbs from the Netherlands and treat them in the UK, thereby gaining a time advantage over other Dutch producers[1]
Started to make trolleys and trucks rather than import them, which soon also found markets outside the horticultural business.
Post-WWII set up factory to make boxes in West Africa and developed a shipping business
1954 Geest Industries contracted to buy bananas from the Windward Islands, importing them in its own ships.
By 1976 Geest was Britain's largest importer of bananas as well as being the world's largest grower and distributor of bulbs.
1986 Geest plc was incorporated to acquire part of the shares of Geest Holdings Ltd and the whole of 2 companies incorporated in the Netherlands.
1987 Acquired Clipper Seafoods
1987 Principal operating subsidiaries incorporated in England:[2]
- Geest Holdings Ltd
- Geest Industries Ltd
- G. J. Cooper (Shipping and Transport) Ltd
- Geest Overseas Mechanisation Ltd
- Geest Seafoods Ltd
- Mac Fisheries Ltd
- Mac Fisheries (B/gate) Ltd
Subsidiaries incorporated in Scotland:
- Clipper Seafoods Ltd
As well as subsidiaries in the Netherlands, St. Lucia and the Channel Islands
1988 Stassen Ltd changed its name to Geest Industries Ltd
1990 Geest merged its fish processing activities with those of Associated Fisheries as Macfish[3]
See Also
Sources of Information
- Companies house filings