Origins In 1818
Isaac Reckitt and his brother Thomas established a milling business in
Boston, Lincolnshire with capital of £1,300 (), building
Maud Foster Mill (1819), and later expanding their business into cement manufacture (1823) and bone milling (1828). Isaac quit the partnership in 1833 establishing himself as a
corn factor in
Nottingham; this business failed and in 1840 he moved to
Kingston upon Hull, and rented the starch works (b.1835) of Charles Middleton, in Dansom Lane. The business made soluble starch from both
farina and
sago; by 1847 the business was profitable generating an excess of £1,000 (). In the late 1840s the business began promoting itself through extensive use of advertising, though initial positive effects were limited. In the 1850s the business began manufacturing
laundry blue using
ultramarine, and then
black lead; the two products together with starch, plus their derivatives became the mainstay of the business. In 1857 the company began manufacturing biscuits. The developments of the 1850s led to extension of the works at Dansom Lane, and a new biscuit factory was built 1861, and a
rice starch plant in 1864. Isaac Reckitt died on 7 March 1862, and three of his sons George, Francis and James, became partners in the firm. The biscuit factory burnt down in 1866, and the activity was not restarted; the goodwill of the company was sold to
Peak, Frean and Co. T.R. Ferens joined the company in 1868 as a shorthand clerk. and the
Chiswick Polish Company was founded in 1913 as a joint venture. The company expanded by acquiring related manufacturing and raw material concerns, cutting costs: Wilson's Canister Works in Stoneferry was acquired, and
carbon black manufacturers were acquired. The acquisitions increased Reckitt's employees from 3,025 in 1909 to 5,339 in 1913. During the
First World War, as the proprietors were
Quakers, the company produced non-combative equipment, including petrol tins. Additionally, a number of German owned concerns were bought from the
Custodian of Enemy Property; the company also expanded its Ultramarine production, as much of the demand for the product had previously been settled by German firms. Reckitt's social club hall was used as a
Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital. In the 1920s the
Zebo liquid grate polish, Windo (later
Windolene) window cleaner, Karpol car body wash and Reckitt's Bath Cubes brands were launched. The black lead works of competitor Hargreaves in
Gipsyville, Hull was acquired in 1922 and closed after that company became insolvent. In 1926 the major acquisition of the Belgian ultramarine manufacturer S.A. des Usines Destrée was made, which included factories in
Haren,
Melle and
Comines. Together with
Colman's, the company acquired
French's, the American mustard manufacturer, in 1926 for £750,000. Overseas acquisitions in the 1920s and 1930s were partly in response to the
protectionist environment of that period. In 1929, a former scientist at
Jeyes joined the firm, and developed the
Dettol disinfectant. The product was launched . In 1932 the
Harpic lavatory cleaner business was also acquired. Discussions relating to an amalgamation with
J. & J. Colman had begun in 1909, and continued with over the next decades, with asset swaps or a complete merger discussed in 1919; worldwide pooling arrangements had been made in 1930; in 1937 agreement was reached on an amalgamation.
Reckitt and Colman was formed in 1938 with
Sir Philip Reckitt as chairman, and
Sir Jeremiah Colman as vice-chairman. The merged companies retained separate listings on the
London Stock Exchange until 1954, when a full merger took place, forming Reckitt & Colman Holdings Ltd.; the 'Chiswick' shoe polish joint venture business was absorbed in the same year. ==See also==