Needler's
Encyclopedia
Needler's owes its existence to Frederick Needler, who was born at Arnold, Skirlaugh, near Kingston upon Hull
, England
, on 12 December 1864. The family name appears to have been mis-spelt, as Frederick was the son of George Needley, a paint-factory employee, who died from typhoid in September 1872, age 37. Frederick attended St John's School, Newland, in Hull
. His first job in about 1878, at age fourteen, was in a tea and coffee warehouse in High Street. In the 1881 Census
, he is described as a grocer's apprentice. At age eighteen, he became a bookkeeper to Edward Buckton, who had a small manufacturing confectionery
business near Paragon Station in Hull. In about 1886, using money from his mother, he bought this business for £100. He moved the premises to Anne Street, where he is known to have had two staff — a sugar boiler and a boy named Watson. They had a horse and cart for making deliveries.
There were many firms of this type in Hull at the time, usually operating within a geographical range determined by the stamina of their horses. Frederick Needler soon moved into wholesaling, occupying various premises to the north of Paragon Station until he bought 9 and 11 Spring Street in 1898, which is when company records started to be produced.
In 1899–1900 there was a turnover of about £15,000 and profit of £781 (about 5%). Production had reached about ten tons per week. There were ten female and twenty-three male employees producing over two hundred different products, chiefly boiled sweets and toffees. The company also acted as wholesalers for other brands, such as Cadburys, Frys and Rowntrees. In marketing terms, growth was greatly helped by the switch from green to clear glass jars, thereby improving the appearance.
The company was incorporated on 27 October 1902 as Fred Needler Ltd., when the directors were Fred Needler (at £250 per annum), Alfred Thorpe (£160), and Joseph Cooper Wilson (£140). There were 6,000 shares, of which 5,416 were owned by Frederick Needler, and 1 by his wife. The first minute books also date from this time.
In 1906 new larger premises were built on Bournemouth Street off Sculcoates Lane in Hull. The move was accompanied by a change in name to Needlers Ltd. An increasing demand for sweets led to a decline in the wholesale operation, which ceased by 1912. By this time the product range included 576 lines, including 74 in chocolate. A new chocolate plant began operations on the same site in August 1916. Turnover, which was £95,000 in 1913/14, peaked at £664,000 in 1920.
By the early 1920s average turnover was £570,000, representing 650 tons of chocolate and 1,500 tons of sweets, with a range now including Christmas boxes and Easter eggs. There were 1,700 employees, mainly female, with many more employed on a seasonal (especially pre-Christmas and pre-Easter) basis. However, although the company was large, it was not a truly national firm, and never had more than about one per cent of the market. In 1927, the factory packing areas were air-conditioned, enabling sweet packing to continue in all weathers. Sweet wrappers were introduced in the early 1920s, but this process was undertaken by hand until the first wrapping machines were introduced in 1928.
Until 1918 goods were delivered locally by horse and cart or van, and nationally by rail. Increased volume necessitated a fleet of delivery vans working from Hull, and from rail depots in London
, Manchester
, Nottingham
and Grimsby
. There were forty vehicles by 1927, each with a chocolate-brown livery for advertising purposes. In 1950, rail distribution was abandoned in favour of road following the decision by British Railways
to move into lump shunting (which resulted in large-scale breakages of chocolates). In 1965 there were still fifty vans and drivers.
Needlers was badly hit by the depression, the worst year being 1931 when turnover was £328,000 and profits just £5,000. This coincided with Frederick Needler's deterioration in health with Parkinson's disease
, from which he died on 30 September 1932, age 67. He had become well known as a strong supporter of the Liberal cause, and as a local benefactor — including the gift of a house in Cottingham
to be used as a student hall of residence (Needler Hall) for the newly established Hull University College
. He was succeeded as Managing Director by his son Percival.
In 1938, the company's chemists found a way of producing clear or Glace fruit drops — an area in which the company was to have little or no competition until the mid-1960s. Consequently, the emphasis of production shifted away from chocolate (where Cadburys, Rowntrees and Mars
dominated) towards sweets. Sweets (and their raw materials) were rationed between 1941 and February 1953. Thereafter, demand — particularly for Glace fruit drops — shot up.
In 1958 Needlers became a publicly quoted company, although the Needler family retained a controlling interest. Percival Needler retired in 1970, age 70, and was succeeded by his son Raymond as Managing Director. He immediately bought the London-based toffee manufacturers Batgers, known for their "Jersey" brand, and for producing Sainsbury's own brands. Chocolate production, which was heavily loss-making, was ended in 1976, when production was concentrated on Glace fruits and toffees. In 1980, Dickson Orde and Co., a small confectionery manufacturer based at Farnham
in Surrey
, was purchased. In the early 1980s export markets (particularly the United States
and the Middle East
) were opened up for the first time.
The company was well known for its fair treatment of employees. Profit sharing
was introduced as early as 1911, there were good social and sports facilities and a mixed-voiced choir, Needlers Music Society, was established in 1925.
, a large meat company diversifying into other products, including the purchase of Blue Bird Toffee
. Raymond Needler retired in 1987. Needlers was soon sold to NORA SA, the largest food group in Norway
. It continued operations on the Sculcoates Lane site, making boiled sweets under the Needler brand name, together with supermarket own brands.
, East Riding of Yorkshire
, England
). ISBN 978-1-872-16755-8.
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on 12 December 1864. The family name appears to have been mis-spelt, as Frederick was the son of George Needley, a paint-factory employee, who died from typhoid in September 1872, age 37. Frederick attended St John's School, Newland, in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. His first job in about 1878, at age fourteen, was in a tea and coffee warehouse in High Street. In the 1881 Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, he is described as a grocer's apprentice. At age eighteen, he became a bookkeeper to Edward Buckton, who had a small manufacturing confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
business near Paragon Station in Hull. In about 1886, using money from his mother, he bought this business for £100. He moved the premises to Anne Street, where he is known to have had two staff — a sugar boiler and a boy named Watson. They had a horse and cart for making deliveries.
There were many firms of this type in Hull at the time, usually operating within a geographical range determined by the stamina of their horses. Frederick Needler soon moved into wholesaling, occupying various premises to the north of Paragon Station until he bought 9 and 11 Spring Street in 1898, which is when company records started to be produced.
In 1899–1900 there was a turnover of about £15,000 and profit of £781 (about 5%). Production had reached about ten tons per week. There were ten female and twenty-three male employees producing over two hundred different products, chiefly boiled sweets and toffees. The company also acted as wholesalers for other brands, such as Cadburys, Frys and Rowntrees. In marketing terms, growth was greatly helped by the switch from green to clear glass jars, thereby improving the appearance.
The company was incorporated on 27 October 1902 as Fred Needler Ltd., when the directors were Fred Needler (at £250 per annum), Alfred Thorpe (£160), and Joseph Cooper Wilson (£140). There were 6,000 shares, of which 5,416 were owned by Frederick Needler, and 1 by his wife. The first minute books also date from this time.
In 1906 new larger premises were built on Bournemouth Street off Sculcoates Lane in Hull. The move was accompanied by a change in name to Needlers Ltd. An increasing demand for sweets led to a decline in the wholesale operation, which ceased by 1912. By this time the product range included 576 lines, including 74 in chocolate. A new chocolate plant began operations on the same site in August 1916. Turnover, which was £95,000 in 1913/14, peaked at £664,000 in 1920.
By the early 1920s average turnover was £570,000, representing 650 tons of chocolate and 1,500 tons of sweets, with a range now including Christmas boxes and Easter eggs. There were 1,700 employees, mainly female, with many more employed on a seasonal (especially pre-Christmas and pre-Easter) basis. However, although the company was large, it was not a truly national firm, and never had more than about one per cent of the market. In 1927, the factory packing areas were air-conditioned, enabling sweet packing to continue in all weathers. Sweet wrappers were introduced in the early 1920s, but this process was undertaken by hand until the first wrapping machines were introduced in 1928.
Until 1918 goods were delivered locally by horse and cart or van, and nationally by rail. Increased volume necessitated a fleet of delivery vans working from Hull, and from rail depots in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
. There were forty vehicles by 1927, each with a chocolate-brown livery for advertising purposes. In 1950, rail distribution was abandoned in favour of road following the decision by British Railways
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
to move into lump shunting (which resulted in large-scale breakages of chocolates). In 1965 there were still fifty vans and drivers.
Needlers was badly hit by the depression, the worst year being 1931 when turnover was £328,000 and profits just £5,000. This coincided with Frederick Needler's deterioration in health with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, from which he died on 30 September 1932, age 67. He had become well known as a strong supporter of the Liberal cause, and as a local benefactor — including the gift of a house in Cottingham
Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire
Cottingham is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies just to the north-west of the city of Kingston upon Hull...
to be used as a student hall of residence (Needler Hall) for the newly established Hull University College
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
. He was succeeded as Managing Director by his son Percival.
In 1938, the company's chemists found a way of producing clear or Glace fruit drops — an area in which the company was to have little or no competition until the mid-1960s. Consequently, the emphasis of production shifted away from chocolate (where Cadburys, Rowntrees and Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
dominated) towards sweets. Sweets (and their raw materials) were rationed between 1941 and February 1953. Thereafter, demand — particularly for Glace fruit drops — shot up.
In 1958 Needlers became a publicly quoted company, although the Needler family retained a controlling interest. Percival Needler retired in 1970, age 70, and was succeeded by his son Raymond as Managing Director. He immediately bought the London-based toffee manufacturers Batgers, known for their "Jersey" brand, and for producing Sainsbury's own brands. Chocolate production, which was heavily loss-making, was ended in 1976, when production was concentrated on Glace fruits and toffees. In 1980, Dickson Orde and Co., a small confectionery manufacturer based at Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, was purchased. In the early 1980s export markets (particularly the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
) were opened up for the first time.
The company was well known for its fair treatment of employees. Profit sharing
Profit sharing
Profit sharing, when used as a special term, refers to various incentive plans introduced by businesses that provide direct or indirect payments to employees that depend on company's profitability in addition to employees' regular salary and bonuses...
was introduced as early as 1911, there were good social and sports facilities and a mixed-voiced choir, Needlers Music Society, was established in 1925.
Sale of company; post-sale activity
In 1986, the company was bought by Hillsdown HoldingsPremier Foods
Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, a large meat company diversifying into other products, including the purchase of Blue Bird Toffee
Blue Bird Toffee
Blue Bird Toffee is a brand of toffee, founded in Worcestershire, England, in 1898 by Harry Vincent.Vincent had similar ideas to Cadbury and the Frys with regards to the workplace being a pleasant environment to work....
. Raymond Needler retired in 1987. Needlers was soon sold to NORA SA, the largest food group in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It continued operations on the Sculcoates Lane site, making boiled sweets under the Needler brand name, together with supermarket own brands.
Sources
Needler, Raymond (1993). Needlers of Hull. Hutton Press (BeverleyBeverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
). ISBN 978-1-872-16755-8.