Difference between revisions of "Wolseley Hughes"
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1961 Wolseley Engineering: manufacturers of sheep shearing and horse and cattle clipping machines, electric fencer units, small cultivators and combines, petrol and paraffin engines, toilet clippers and aero engine components. | 1961 Wolseley Engineering: manufacturers of sheep shearing and horse and cattle clipping machines, electric fencer units, small cultivators and combines, petrol and paraffin engines, toilet clippers and aero engine components. | ||
1963 New company formed by [[Wolseley Hughes]] as a subsidiary of [[Nu-Way Heating Plants]]. This was called [[Nu-Way Benson]]. It was formed by amalgamation of the agricultural machinery airheater (Econoil) division of [[Nu-Way Heating Plants]] with [[Adams and Benson|Adams and Benson (Agricultural)]]<ref>The Times Nov. 1, 1963</ref> | |||
1960s Acquired a number of heating and oil burning companies in rapid succession in the UK. A move into merchanting followed. | 1960s Acquired a number of heating and oil burning companies in rapid succession in the UK. A move into merchanting followed. | ||
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1985 Acquired Carolina Builders Corporation of USA | 1985 Acquired Carolina Builders Corporation of USA | ||
1986 Acquired Grovewood Securities, the industrial conglomerate owned by [[BAT]], except for a few parts of that business<ref>The Times Mar. 5, 1986</ref> | 1986 Acquired [[Grovewood Securities]], the industrial conglomerate owned by [[British American Tobacco|BAT]], except for a few parts of that business<ref>The Times Mar. 5, 1986</ref> | ||
1986 The Group, which was listed on the London Stock Exchange, changed its name to '''Wolseley plc'''. | 1986 The Group, which was listed on the London Stock Exchange, changed its name to '''Wolseley plc'''. | ||
Latest revision as of 17:24, 18 December 2022
of Witton, Birmingham
1958 The company was started through the merging of Wolseley Engineering and George H. Hughes
1959 Acquired Electromagnets
1960 Nu-Way Heating became a member of the Wolseley Hughes group of companies.
1961 Wolseley Engineering: manufacturers of sheep shearing and horse and cattle clipping machines, electric fencer units, small cultivators and combines, petrol and paraffin engines, toilet clippers and aero engine components.
1963 New company formed by Wolseley Hughes as a subsidiary of Nu-Way Heating Plants. This was called Nu-Way Benson. It was formed by amalgamation of the agricultural machinery airheater (Econoil) division of Nu-Way Heating Plants with Adams and Benson (Agricultural)[1]
1960s Acquired a number of heating and oil burning companies in rapid succession in the UK. A move into merchanting followed.
1965 The subsidiaries included[2]:
- Wolseley Engineering Ltd
- H. C. Webb and Co Ltd
- Nu-Way Benson Ltd
- George H. Hughes Ltd
- Rapid Magnetic Ltd
- Accles and Shelvoke Ltd
- Nu-Way Heating Plants Ltd
- O. B. C. Ltd
- Yorkshire Heating Supplies Ltd
- Grayhill Engineering Co Ltd
- Granville Controls Ltd
1968 Additional subsidiaries[3]:
- Witton Electronics, research potentiostatic equipment
- McConnel, power arm diggers, hedgers and slew loaders
- Bruff hop, blackberry, sprout pickers
- Electromagnets
1973 Became Wolseley-Hughes Merchants, distributing spare parts for oil boilers, domestic radiators and boilers.
1973 Wolseley Engineering and Webb Lawnmowers were merged[4]
1979 As well as being the UK's largest distributor of central heating equipment, also manufactured Webb and Wizard lawnmowers, Merry Tiller cultivators, Kidd grassland equipment, McConnel Power Arms, Parmiter harrows, Nu-Way burners, Hughes wheels, and Boxmag industrial magnets; had recently acquired K. S. Pipeline Supplies and John James Group[5]
From 1980, the Group expanded its businesses through organic growth and acquisitions in the USA, Canada and Europe, as well as selling loss-making units and management buy-outs.
1982 Management buy-out of Benson Heating; other management buy-outs and sales planned; acquisition of Ferguson Enterprises of USA, distributor of plumbing, heating, piping and industrial products in the USA[6]
1983 Nu-Way Heating Plants renamed Nu-Way
1984 the Group sold its engineering divisions to focus solely on distribution.[7]
1985 Acquired Plumb-Centre from Marley[8]
1985 Wolseley Centers was established to distribute building products
1985 Acquired Carolina Builders Corporation of USA
1986 Acquired Grovewood Securities, the industrial conglomerate owned by BAT, except for a few parts of that business[9]
1986 The Group, which was listed on the London Stock Exchange, changed its name to Wolseley plc.
1993 Acquisition of the Enertech Group of companies; combined with Nu-way to form the largest burner group in the world.
From the 1990s to the mid-2000s, the Group continued to expand across Europe, including into the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium and the Nordic region, the USA and Canada.
2000 Sold the manufacturing businesses to Cinven, except for the energy businesses concerned with burners and boilers[10]
2005 Wolseley acquired Encon, Yorkshire-based supplier of insulation[11]
2009 as a result of the financial crisis, the Group implemented a comprehensive restructuring programme across its businesses to reduce fixed costs and close underperforming branches. During this period, the Group focused its resources, in particular, on the core plumbing and heating markets. This strategy resulted in the disposal of a number of the Group’s businesses.
2017 the Group changed its name to Ferguson plc to better align the name of the Group with its largest subsidiary in the USA.
2018 the Group exited its Nordic Operations, a building materials distributor.
2019 the Group disposed of Wasco (its Netherlands B2B business), the remaining Central European business unit.