Company History

Acquired AHED to merge with F & P Wholesale.

Acquired BuckHickman to merge with Price Tools for a third Specialist Division.

Kelvin Liscombe appointed Managing Director of Buck & Hickman.

Sales broke through £1 billion for the first time.

Gavin Slark appointed Chief Executive.

Acquired Price Tools Sales Ltd, professional power tools distributors.

Acquired Spendlove C. Jebb for Domestic Division presence in Ireland.

The Group became a member of the FTSE 250.

£1.4m investment in new Birmingham RDC for PTS.

Gavin Slark appointed Group Chief Operating Officer.Frank Elkins appointed as Managing Director of BSS Industrial.Kelvin Stevens appointed as Managing Director of F & P Wholesale.Alan Ball appointed as Managing Director of PTS.

Acquired A Warren & Sons Ltd to enhance the range and depth of products supplied by the Group's Industrial Division.

Acquired Tricom Group which included F & P Wholesale.Tricom absorbed into PTS while F & P became the merchanting part of the Domestic Division.

Acquired Pegler & Louden (based in Nottingham and Dublin), strengthening BSS' product offering in the process sector.

Gavin Slark joined the Group as Managing Director of PTS in March and was appointed to the BSS Group Board.

Following difficult trading conditions for the Group, Peter Wood appointed as Chief Executive.

Acquired PTS Group.

Gradually merged Zenith and PTS, taking the name of PTS Plumbing Trade Supplies.

Acquired Havelock Controls and Austin Stroud.

Peter Cooper retired as CEO, succeeded by Patrick Donovan.

Central Warehouse relocated to Magna Park, Lutterworth.

Acquired Rokker & Stanton.

Zenith Plumbpoint formed by unification of Heatek, Labone and Cadel to make second largest distributor in domestic heating and plumbing market.

Acquired Coppas Controls.

Acquired 37 branches of Cadel from Meyer International.

Acquired Heatek Services.

Acquired J & B Labone.

Acquired Actionbridge to give AM Supplies southern presence.

AMS Supplies and IVCO Process Valves acquired.

Helen Waudby retired as Chairman, succeeded by Ian Phillipps.

Robin Sellick, Group Managing Director, retired, succeeded by Peter Cooper as Group Chief Executive.

Manufacturing companies sold over approx two year period.

Manor Building & Plumbing Supplies acquired.

Peter Cooper appointed to Group PLC Board.

Foundations laid for new computer centre at Fleet House which opened in 1983.

Products sold to 97 countries worldwide.

Macaulay-McCoy sold due to continued losses.

Peterborough branch opened.

Korting International acquired.

Mucon GmbH became subsidiary Group company.

Employee share option scheme introduced.

42% of Macaulay-McCoy acquired.

Agreement with Crane Pumps for sole agency in Scotland.

Peter Cooper, Managing Director of Northvale, became Managing Director of BSS Mainland.

Acquired 58% interest in Macaulay-McCoy.

Belfast branch bombed.

Central warehouse in Lutterworth opened.

Aberdeen branch opened.

Lister Tools acquired and absorbed into A H Allen.

Capital increased by £80,000 rights issue.

Acquired Pulvertaft in Cork.

Acquired A H Allen & Co in Northampton.

Irish Division formed.

Accounts and stock control computerised.

Northvale and Leicester Valve and Engineering merged.

Branches opened in Dundee, Swansea and Sheffield.

Agreement to purchase the whole share capital of KEK, Macclesfield.

Divisional Directors appointed.

Russell's Brass Foundry sold. Company raises £500,000 debenture.

Grimsby branch opened.

Separate divisions for manufacturing and distribution formed.

John Waudby died; succeeded as Chairman by his wife, Helen.Southwark branch opened.

Walworths merged into Southwark branch.

Clerkenwell closed after 58 years of trading.

Northvale Engineering Co formed.

Stockton branch opened.

Mucon acquired new factory.

Lane Brothers Ltd purchased.

Alford & Alder were acquired and subsequently sold in 1967.

Decision made to become plc.

Acquired Walworths.

Thomas Tilling offered to buy control of Company equity.

Acquired B Rhodes & Son.

Acquired 60% holding in Russells Brass Foundry.

Acquired controlling interest in Mucon Ltd.

First consideration of The British Steam Specialties becoming a plc.

Speculation that Thomas Tilling gained 51% control of the Company by purchasing Trust held shares.

Helen Waudby (the Chairman's wife) made a Director of BSS.

Acquired A Wragg and H Frankish.

Branches at Birmingham and Belfast opened.

New company, Velan Engineering, formed at Cwmbran.

Agreement to sell rights of Newman Hender "Vee-Reg" valves.

Thomas Tilling purchased shares in Company.

Agreement to supply Kingston Jamaica, Athens and Johannesburg.

Acquired K Johnson who manufactured equilibrium ball valves.

John W Waudby appointed Chairman.

Agreements to supply Belgium, Luxembourg, Bombay, Rhodesia, Egypt, Istanbul and Columbia.

London and Liverpool branches blitzed, again no casualties.

John W Waudby becomes Managing Director.

Agreement with Ashwell and Nesbitt for the selling rights to "Runwell Rotary Dredger Pump".

London premises bombed - no casualties

Branch opened in Newcastle.

Mr H W Waudby died. Succeeded as Managing Director by Mr J P Noble.

Agreement with Kopper Pipe Fittings for 12 months signed.

Endowment assurance scheme instituted payable on attainment at 65 with life cover.

Manchester branch opened.

Further property adjoining 5 Fleet Street purchased.

John Waudby moved to Glasgow branch.

Agreement to standardise quality and prices for malleable fittings was sought and obtained.

Bristol branch opened under management of John Waudby, Harry Waudby's son.

Trading agreement made with Jefferson Union Co. USA.

Dividend of 6% on preferred shares was agreed.

Six cottages adjacent to 5 Fleet Street purchased for £1,000.

Capital increased to £35,000 by creation of 5,000 shares.Fleet Street premises purchased for £4,000.

Nominal capital increased to £25,000.

Trading agreement with Lowe and Brooks.

Branch opened in Glasgow.

Mr H W Waudby (Harry) appointed Director of the Company.

Branch at Liverpool opened.

Branch at Clerkenwell opened.

Profit Share Scheme instituted - £35 distributed among staff.

Became a Private Company.

Agreement signed with Brandt Ebbinghams of Germany for the supply of malleable fittings.

Board recommended that a dividend of 10% per annum be paid on the capital paid up.

Agreements made with J. Mills and Co and B. Parker.

Capital increased from £5,000 to £15,000 by issue of 10,000 shares at £1 each.

Agreement with Power Regulators of Chicago cancelled.

Shares of new capital first offered to present stakeholders, proportionate to their present holding.

Appointment of first travelling salesman.

Additional premises, basement and ground floor, adjoining 5 Fleet Street, leased.

London branch opened at 80 Turnmill Street

Tenancy commenced at 5 Fleet Street, Leicester, which became the registered office.

Mr H W Waudby appointed Manager of the Company and later as Secretary.

Trading agreements were signed with Power Regulators of Chicago, Kennedy Valve Company of New York, Hart & Grouse of New York, Highton and Son of New Hampshire, Kieley & Meuller and Ashwell and Nesbitt.

Company registered in Nottingham as British Steam Specialities Limited on 7 March.

First meeting of Directors held on 8 May.

Company name amended to British Steam Specialties in July.