Wright's Biscuits
In the 1930s they implemented intensive factory methods for production and became a national supplier of biscuits and cakes, and a leading employer in Tyne and Wear.
[3] During this period Wright's installed modern ovens and equipment to produce biscuits on an industrial scale.
[7] In 1958, Wright's raised more capital by issuing new preference shares and purchased the 180 grocery store chain of James Duckworth.
[12] In 1960, Wrights purchased the remaining shares in R. Middlemass & Co, while growing the retail business with the purchases of the Leeds-based grocery chain Gallon, which had 184 branches, and Thomas & Evans, the 88-store South Wales based grocery business of the Beecham Group.
Many goods are sold to the housewife at prices which do not cover handling and distribution costs, and in my opinion profit margins are at a dangerously low level[17]In 1962 J Lyons took control of the Wright's Cakes factory in Birkenhead with Wright's Biscuits considering national van sales of cakes to no longer be sufficiently profitable.
[20] Kemps, who factory was based at Great Coates, had previously been looked at by both Cavenham Foods and Lyons.
[35] Goldsmith offered 45p a share to the rest of the remaining stock owners in both companies, however this was below the market price of 82p.
[39][40] By November Wright's had announced losses of £1.23 million, far greater than previously predicted, but Cavenham did not withdraw its interest[clarification needed], and in December they formally released[clarification needed] their offer to the shareholders, offering ordinary shares in Cavenham.
[45][46] In October 1972, Wright's Biscuits was put into administration with the South Shields factory finally closing in 1973.
[47][48] Children's illustrator Mabel Lucie Attwell was employed by William Webster in the 1930s to create the Wright's logo, a curly-haired boy called Mischief.
The company continued to grow before and after the war by purchasing smaller grocery business so by the early 1950s it had grown to nearly 600 shops trading under their original names, including Frank Farrands, Binyons, John Kay (Kays Modern Food Stores) and T .
[64][65][66] In 1966, Webster stated Modernisation of warehouses and distribution centres has proceeded steadily over the past two years, while it is planned to speed up expansion into supermarkets and larger self-service stores, a considerable number will open in the later half of 1967 or early 1968.
[67]These included new supermarkets opening in Ripley and Whitley Bay and the purchase of the 21 store south east based grocery chain of Cave Austin and Company from Burton, Son and Sanders of Ipswich.
[78] Cavenham appointed their retail chief, Jim Wood to the board, who had turned around their newsagent chain.
He stayed with the company until he joined the Grand Union supermarket chain in the United States after Cavenham's purchase in 1974.
[79][80] The new company continued the programme of reorganisation started prior to the takeover, closing and selling off stores and distribution centres.
