J. W. French and Co
Flour millers of Bow and Ware
of Frenlite House, Lots Road, London SW10 (1964)
Producers of Frenlite self raising flour and Sunlight flour.
1855 Business founded by J W French
1880 introduced roller milling of flour
1888 Incorporated as a limited company; the business of A. J. Stratton of Ware Park Mills, Ware was associated with it. [1]
1934 Incorporated as a public company[2] Developed a trade in cereals and poultry and cattle feed
1960 acquired Chelsea Flour Mills[3] and the rice milling business of T. R. Denny[4]
1962 Acquired H. Cohen and Co, flour importers and factors[5]
1963 French's supplied half of J. Lyons and Co's flour needs; Lyons took a 50 percent interest in a new joint venture, Celebrity Holdings Ltd, which would own a majority of French's, which would remain a public company. This development would enable maximum benefits from vertical integration[6]
1964 Acquired W. Clark of Bexleyheath[7]
1969 Lyons acquired the other half of Celebrity Holdings and sold its bread baking interests to Frenchs[8]
1970 Lyons acquired all of the shares it did not already own. Frenchs became a joint venture when Co-operative Wholesale Society bought into the company, merging the milling and baking activities of the 2 companies[9]
1971 formation of new joint venture with Spillers, called Spillers French Holdings to bring together their flour milling, baking and animal feed activities in order to reduce over-capacity.