Russell Hobbs
Encyclopedia
Russell Hobbs is a manufacturer of household appliances
based in Failsworth
, Greater Manchester
, England
.
in World War II
and leaving in 1947 as a Major
, Bill Russell (22 July 1920 – 16 February 2006), from High Wycombe
, joined Morphy Richards
and helped to design the pop-up toaster
, the electric iron
and the hairdryer, when working as Chief Development Engineer. Peter Hobbs
(3 May 1916 – 11 April 2008), from Tunbridge Wells, was a Major during the war in the Royal Engineers
, and also worked for the home appliance manufacturer, Morphy Richards, as manager of the South Africa
n division of the company. He had returned to the UK in 1952, after a disagreement with Charles Richards over sales policy, and worked for another company, where he was trying to design a coffee percolator
, with reference to a German patent. Later in 1952 Bill Russell had a disagreement with Donal Morphy and joined Hobbs to form Russell Hobbs Ltd.
In 1952, they designed the world's first automatic coffee percolator, the CP1, with Russell's ingenuity and started the Russell Hobbs company at 1 Bensham Lane in Broad Green
, Croydon
(then in Surrey), near the A213
/A235
junction south of Mayday Hospital (now the Croydon University Hospital).
ultimate safety test for any new product was to pour half a pint of boiling gravy on it. The company was always in profit from day one. In the late 1960s it was chiefly manufacturing automatic electric coffee pot
s, vapour-controlled electric kettles, and tea makers.
's range of products - GEC at the time owned both Hotpoint and Morphy Richards
). Production was moved to Wombourne
in Staffordshire
, where it was shared with Creda and to Blythe Bridge
in Stoke-on-Trent
, in a former aircraft factory later owned by Indesit
which closed in December 2007. The Blythe Bridge site on Grindley Lane was shared with Simplex Electric Co Ltd (owner of Creda), and Simplex-GE, a joint venture of TI with GE of America that made electrical switching equipment. Simplex also made tungsten-iodine floodlighting (halogen lamp
). Russell became technical director of Creda, then managed Turnright. As part of the Electrical Division of TI, it was headquartered at Simplex House on Ealing Road in Alperton
, Middlesex
. The Domestic Appliance division of TI was later based at Radiation House on the North Circular Road
in Neasden
. In the mid-1970s Dimplex
diversified into coffee percolator
s and electric kettles due to former Russell Hobbs engineers joining the company. In the mid-1970s the company tried to persuade the French to buy its electric kettles, but they still preferred to boil water with saucepans (and did so for the next twenty years). The use of electric kettles across Europe was sporadic. In the late 1970s the Managing Director was David Durham. The heyday of the TI Group was in 1978, but by the early 1980s, the TI Group was facing difficulties, with its workforce halving. TI Group formally referred to Russell Hobbs as TI Russell Hobbs.
International, managed by the Turk Asil Nadir
of Leicestershire
's Baggrave Hall on 11 December 1986 for £12 million, along with Tower Housewares (a utensil - pots and pans - manufacturer based at Womborne near Wolverhampton
). The subsidiary was known as Russell Hobbs Tower, with joint managing directors David Reeves and John Whitworth. Creda would be sold to GEC in June 1987. In the late 1980s Russell Hobbs sponsored sports events. In August 1990 it was planned to take Polly Peck off the stock market, in a £2 billion buyout to take the company private, but this fell through and the share price collapsed. In October 1990 the company went into administration. Russell Hobbs, now based at Womborne, was thought to be worth £25 million. For the last three years up to 1991, Russell Hobbs Tower was losing around a million pounds a month.
is next to Oldham Road (A62
) and the Rochdale Canal
, not far from the former Failsworth railway station
(now Metrolink).
s became known as Salton Europe. The parent company, Salton Inc., is based in Lake Forest, Illinois
and has a Canadian division in Ontario
. In March 2002, Salton Europe closed down their factory on Bridgnorth
Road in Wombourne near Wolverhampton
, moving their last bit of production to China
. The kettle switches are made by Strix, based in the Isle of Man, which makes switches for most other kettle manufacturers.
Russell died on 16 February 2006 aged 85. Hobbs died on 11 April 2008 aged 91.
Small appliance
Small appliance refers to a class of home appliances that are portable or semi-portable or which are used on tabletops, countertops, or other platforms in the United States of America...
based in Failsworth
Failsworth
At Failsworth lies north-northwest of London. It shares common boundaries with Manchester and Oldham, on its west and northeast respectively. Failsworth is traversed by the A62 road, from Manchester to Oldham, the heavy rail line of the Oldham Loop and the Rochdale Canal, which crosses the...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, 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...
.
Formation
After working with REMERoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and leaving in 1947 as a Major
Major (UK)
In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
, Bill Russell (22 July 1920 – 16 February 2006), from High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
, joined Morphy Richards
Morphy Richards
Morphy Richards is a business located in the Swinton Meadows Industrial Estate, Swinton, near Mexborough, South Yorkshire.-Product range:It specialises in the manufacture of toasters, hairdryers, bread makers, kettles and sandwich toasters and other appliances. In its early stage it also made...
and helped to design the pop-up toaster
Toaster
The toaster is typically a small electric kitchen appliance designed to toast multiple types of bread products. A typical modern two-slice toaster draws anywhere between 600 and 1200 W and makes toast in 1 to 3 minutes...
, the electric iron
Iron (appliance)
A clothes iron, also referred to as simply an iron, is a small appliance used in ironing to remove wrinkles from fabric.Ironing works by loosening the ties between the long chains of molecules that exist in polymer fiber materials. With the heat and the weight of the ironing plate, the fibers are...
and the hairdryer, when working as Chief Development Engineer. Peter Hobbs
Peter Hobbs (engineer)
Peter Wallace Hobbs was an English engineer, and businessman, who with Bill Russell formed the well-known electrical appliance company Russell Hobbs.-Early life:...
(3 May 1916 – 11 April 2008), from Tunbridge Wells, was a Major during the war in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, and also worked for the home appliance manufacturer, Morphy Richards, as manager of the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n division of the company. He had returned to the UK in 1952, after a disagreement with Charles Richards over sales policy, and worked for another company, where he was trying to design a coffee percolator
Coffee percolator
A coffee percolator is a type of pot used to brew coffee. The name stems from the word "percolate" which means to cause to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent....
, with reference to a German patent. Later in 1952 Bill Russell had a disagreement with Donal Morphy and joined Hobbs to form Russell Hobbs Ltd.
In 1952, they designed the world's first automatic coffee percolator, the CP1, with Russell's ingenuity and started the Russell Hobbs company at 1 Bensham Lane in Broad Green
Broad Green, London
Broad Green is a small residential and retail area of the London Borough of Croydon in London. The area was centred on a triangular green space bounded by shops and houses, which was subsequently developed upon at the end of the 19th century...
, Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
(then in Surrey), near the A213
A213 road
The A213 is an A road in South London. It runs from Sydenham to Broad Green. It crosses through 3 London Boroughs which includes the start in the London Borough of Lewisham, a small section in the London Borough of Bromley and the ending part inside the Croydon...
/A235
A235 road
The A235 is a non-primary A road between Purley and Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon. Before the construction of the Purley Way in the 1920s, it was part of the A23 London to Brighton road....
junction south of Mayday Hospital (now the Croydon University Hospital).
Product development
Russell was in charge of product development, and Hobbs was the sales director. Russell's de factoDe facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
ultimate safety test for any new product was to pour half a pint of boiling gravy on it. The company was always in profit from day one. In the late 1960s it was chiefly manufacturing automatic electric coffee pot
Coffeemaker
Coffeemakers or coffee machines are cooking appliances used to brew coffee without having to boil water in a separate container. While there are many different types of coffeemakers using a number of different brewing principles, in the most common devices, coffee grounds are placed in a paper or...
s, vapour-controlled electric kettles, and tea makers.
Innovations
- The automatic electric kettleKettleA kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water. Kettles can be heated either by placing on a stove, or by their own electric heating element.- Stovetop kettles :...
K1 (a world first), designed in October 1955, used a bi-metallic stripBi-metallic stripA bimetallic strip is used to convert a temperature change into mechanical displacement. The strip consists of two strips of different metals which expand at different rates as they are heated, usually steel and copper, or in some cases brass instead of copper. The strips are joined together...
at the rear of the kettle: steam was forced through an aperture in the lid of the strip and this knocked the switch, turning the kettle off. - In 1960, the K2 kettle was introduced, which was manufactured for the next thirty years, and was possibly its best known product.
- They designed the world's first fully programmable kettle, the M2.
- In 1977 they made the first all-plastic kettles, the Futura. However it was still the 'normal' shape of a kettle, and distrusted (would it melt?), and only when Redring introduced the Autoboil in 1979 did kettles become the taller jug shape adopted today. TefalTefalTefal is a French cookware and small appliance manufacturer owned by Groupe SEB. Its name is a portmanteau of the words TEFlon and ALuminium.Tefal is known for creating the non-stick cookware category....
introduced the cordless kettle in 1986. Plastic kettles used the PolyoxymethylenePolyoxymethylenePolyoxymethylene , also known as acetal, polyacetal, and polyformaldehyde, is an engineering thermoplastic used in precision parts that require high stiffness, low friction and excellent dimensional stability....
acetalAcetalAn acetal is a molecule with two single-bonded oxygen atoms attached to the same carbon atom.Traditional usages distinguish ketals from acetals...
copolymer (POMC), also known as kemetal, celcon, hostaform or ultraform. - In 1997 it introduced the Millennium kettle that used a special flat OPTEC element to boil water in half the time, with a limescaleLimescaleLimescale is the hard, off-white, chalky deposit found in kettles, hot-water boilers and the inside of inadequately maintained hot-water central heating systems...
filter.
Product range
The company also makes:- Food processorFood processorA food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate various repetitive tasks in the process of preparation of food. Today, the term almost always refers to an electric-motor-driven appliance, although there are some manual devices also referred to as "food processors".Food processors are...
s - Electric kettleKettleA kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water. Kettles can be heated either by placing on a stove, or by their own electric heating element.- Stovetop kettles :...
s - Toasters
- Vacuum cleanerVacuum cleanerA vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
s - Irons
- Sandwich toasterSandwich toasterA sandwich toaster is used to make toasted sandwiches. It can be either a cooking utensil designed to be used over hot coals, or an electrical appliance....
s - Microwave ovenMicrowave ovenA microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
s - JuicerJuicerA juicer is a tool for extracting juice from fruits, vegetables, or wheatgrass. This is known as juicing.-Citrus juicer:A citrus juicer is used for squeezing juice from soft-centered, citrus fruits . It has a conical ridged center...
s - smoothie makerSmoothieA smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients...
s - electric hobStoveA stove is an enclosed heated space. The term is commonly taken to mean an enclosed space in which fuel is burned to provide heating, either to heat the space in which the stove is situated or to heat the stove itself, and items placed on it...
s - Electric shavers (after merging with Remington)
- electric jar openers
Tube Investments
In 1962, they needed to expand the company to increase production and needed more capital. They were forced to sell the company to Tube Investments (TI), a conglomerate of electrical appliance brands who also owned Creda (a competitor of HotpointHotpoint
The Hotpoint Electric Heating Company is a British brand of domestic appliances. The brand is currently fully owned by Italy's Indesit....
's range of products - GEC at the time owned both Hotpoint and Morphy Richards
Morphy Richards
Morphy Richards is a business located in the Swinton Meadows Industrial Estate, Swinton, near Mexborough, South Yorkshire.-Product range:It specialises in the manufacture of toasters, hairdryers, bread makers, kettles and sandwich toasters and other appliances. In its early stage it also made...
). Production was moved to Wombourne
Wombourne
Wombourne is a very large village and civil parish located in the district of South Staffordshire, in the county of Staffordshire, 4 miles south-west of Wolverhampton. Local affairs are run by a parish council. At the 2001 census it had a population of 13,691...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, where it was shared with Creda and to Blythe Bridge
Blythe Bridge
Blythe Bridge is a village situated in the Staffordshire Moorlands District, although it is effectively a south-eastern suburb of the city of Stoke-on-Trent.-Etymology:...
in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, in a former aircraft factory later owned by Indesit
Indesit
Indesit Company, an Italian multinational company based in Fabriano, Ancona province, Italy, a leading appliance manufacturer in Europe.- History :...
which closed in December 2007. The Blythe Bridge site on Grindley Lane was shared with Simplex Electric Co Ltd (owner of Creda), and Simplex-GE, a joint venture of TI with GE of America that made electrical switching equipment. Simplex also made tungsten-iodine floodlighting (halogen lamp
Halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen lamp, is an incandescent lamp with a tungsten filament contained within an inert gas and a small amount of a halogen such as iodine or bromine. The chemical halogen cycle redeposits evaporated tungsten back on to the filament, extending the life of...
). Russell became technical director of Creda, then managed Turnright. As part of the Electrical Division of TI, it was headquartered at Simplex House on Ealing Road in Alperton
Alperton
Alperton is a district in the London Borough of Brent in northwest London.There is a high incidence of Indians living in Alperton . There is also a small Sri Lankan community in Alperton , and 10% stated as others....
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
. The Domestic Appliance division of TI was later based at Radiation House on the North Circular Road
A406 road
The A406 or the North Circular Road is a road which crosses North London, UK, linking West and East London. It, together with the South Circular Road, forms a ring road through the inner part of Outer London...
in Neasden
Neasden
Neasden is an area in northwest London, UK. It forms part of the London Borough of Brent.-History:The area was recorded as Neasdun in 939 AD and the name is derived from the Old English nēos = 'nose' and dūn = 'hill'. It means 'the nose-shaped hill' referring to a well-defined landmark of this area...
. In the mid-1970s Dimplex
Glen Dimplex
Glen Dimplex is an Irish-based consumer electrical goods firm. It is the world's largest electrical heating business and holds significant market positions in the domestic appliance industry worldwide...
diversified into coffee percolator
Coffee percolator
A coffee percolator is a type of pot used to brew coffee. The name stems from the word "percolate" which means to cause to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent....
s and electric kettles due to former Russell Hobbs engineers joining the company. In the mid-1970s the company tried to persuade the French to buy its electric kettles, but they still preferred to boil water with saucepans (and did so for the next twenty years). The use of electric kettles across Europe was sporadic. In the late 1970s the Managing Director was David Durham. The heyday of the TI Group was in 1978, but by the early 1980s, the TI Group was facing difficulties, with its workforce halving. TI Group formally referred to Russell Hobbs as TI Russell Hobbs.
Polly Peck
TI sold off their consumer brands, when under leadership of Christopher Lewinton, with the company going to Polly PeckPolly Peck
Polly Peck International was a small and barely profitable United Kingdom textile company which expanded rapidly in the 1980s and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index before it collapsed in 1990 with the then colossal debts of £1.3bn...
International, managed by the Turk Asil Nadir
Asil Nadir
Asil Nadir is a Turkish Cypriot businessman, who was Chief executive of Polly Peck, which he took over as a small textile company, growing it during the 1980s to become one of the United Kingdom's top 100 FTSE-listed companies, with interests in consumer electronics, fruit distribution and packaging...
of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
's Baggrave Hall on 11 December 1986 for £12 million, along with Tower Housewares (a utensil - pots and pans - manufacturer based at Womborne near Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
). The subsidiary was known as Russell Hobbs Tower, with joint managing directors David Reeves and John Whitworth. Creda would be sold to GEC in June 1987. In the late 1980s Russell Hobbs sponsored sports events. In August 1990 it was planned to take Polly Peck off the stock market, in a £2 billion buyout to take the company private, but this fell through and the share price collapsed. In October 1990 the company went into administration. Russell Hobbs, now based at Womborne, was thought to be worth £25 million. For the last three years up to 1991, Russell Hobbs Tower was losing around a million pounds a month.
Pifco
Polly Peck collapsed and Russell Hobbs was bought by Pifco Holdings, originally known as Provincial Incandescent Fittings Co. Ltd, based in Failsworth on 5 April 1991 for £7.75 million. The site in Failsworth at Regent MillRegent Mill, Failsworth
Regent Mill, Failsworth is a cotton spinning mill in Failsworth, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built by the Regent Mill Ltd. in 1905, but purchased by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s. It was later taken over by the Courtaulds Group. On ceasing textile production it was occupied...
is next to Oldham Road (A62
A62 road
The A62 is a major road in Northern England that runs between the two major cities of Manchester and Leeds.The road is approximately 40 miles long. It runs north east from Manchester through Failsworth and Oldham then Saddleworth before crossing the Pennines at Standedge into West Yorkshire...
) and the Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....
, not far from the former Failsworth railway station
Failsworth railway station
Failsworth railway station opened on 26 April 1881 and was situated in Failsworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was notable for its wooden platforms...
(now Metrolink).
Salton
Pifco was bought by Salton on 4 June 2001 for £50 million. Pifco, the British manufacturer of appliances such as teasmadeTeasmade
A teasmade is a machine for making tea automatically. It was once common in the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies. Teasmades generally include an analogue alarm clock and are designed to be used at the bedside, to ensure tea is ready first thing in the morning...
s became known as Salton Europe. The parent company, Salton Inc., is based in Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
and has a Canadian division in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. In March 2002, Salton Europe closed down their factory on Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
Road in Wombourne near Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, moving their last bit of production to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The kettle switches are made by Strix, based in the Isle of Man, which makes switches for most other kettle manufacturers.
Russell Hobbs Inc
In December 2007, two longstanding companies in the small household appliance business, Salton, Inc. and Applica Incorporated, combined their businesses through a merger. As a result of the merger, Applica became a wholly owned subsidiary of Salton. In December 2009, the combined company (formerly known as Salton, Inc.) changed its name to Russell Hobbs, Inc.Russell died on 16 February 2006 aged 85. Hobbs died on 11 April 2008 aged 91.