Rank Hovis McDougall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rank Hovis McDougall

Former type	Public
Industry	Food
Fate	Acquired
Successor	Premier Foods
Founded	1875
Defunct	2007
Headquarters	Marlow, United Kingdom
Key people	J. Arthur Rank (Chairman)

RHM plc, also known as Rank Hovis McDougall, was a large food company in the United Kingdom. They owned many well-known brands, especially for flour, which is where the company first started. They also made lots of other popular food products. RHM was listed on the London Stock Exchange, meaning people could buy shares in the company. In March 2007, another company called Premier Foods bought RHM.

The Story of RHM

Starting Small

The company was started by Joseph Rank in 1875. He began with a small windmill to mill flour. At first, he didn't make much money. So, he joined another mill to learn more.

In 1885, Joseph built a new kind of flour mill in Hull. This mill used machines and steel rollers instead of old-fashioned mill stones. This new method was much faster! It could make six sacks of flour in an hour, instead of just one and a half.

He kept building more modern mills. Soon, his mills could produce 20, then 30, and even 40 sacks of flour an hour! He also set up ways to sell his flour in parts of England where it hadn't been sold before. In 1899, his business officially became a private company called Joseph Rank Limited.

Growing Bigger

In 1902, Joseph Rank traveled to the United States to learn how to compete with American companies. After his trip, the company built more mills in big cities like London and Cardiff. In 1912, they built a mill in Birkenhead to supply flour to Ireland and northwest England. Joseph then moved the company's main office from Yorkshire to London.

During World War II, about 3,000 people worked for the company. Many of them were women, as their husbands were away fighting in the war. Joseph Rank was honored in Hull in 1935 for setting up a fund to help "poor persons of good character."

In the 1920s, Rank's business grew into Scotland and Ireland. He also created the British Isles Transport Company to help move his products around the country. The company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1933. After Joseph Rank passed away in 1943, his son, James Rank, became the new chairman.

New Leadership and Growth

After World War II, James Rank and director Cecil Loombe worked to rebuild the mills that had been destroyed by bombs. One famous mill they rebuilt was the new Baltic Flour Mill in Gateshead, which opened in 1950.

In 1952, James Rank's brother, J. Arthur Rank, took over as chairman. Arthur focused on making food production even better. He started RHM Technology and a research center to improve food quality.

Becoming Rank Hovis McDougall

A big change happened in 1962 when the company bought the Hovis-McDougall Company. This company was famous for its Hovis brand of bread. After this, the company became Rank Hovis McDougall Limited.

In 1968, RHM bought the Cerebos food group. This added many popular food brands to RHM's collection. It also gave RHM business in other countries like France, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States, and South Africa. In 1969, Joseph Rank's nephew, Joseph Rank, became the chairman.

Joseph Rank encouraged new research, like farming crustacea (like shrimp) and growing better cereals. He also helped create Quorn, a meat substitute product, through a joint company called Marlow Foods with ICI.

In the 1980s, RHM bought several important companies in the UK, US, and Far East. This included Avana Group in 1987, which was renamed Avana Bakeries Limited.

In 1992, a company called Tomkins plc bought RHM. Then, in 2000, another company called Doughty Hanson & Co bought it. RHM sold some parts of its business that weren't central to its main goals, like the bakery chain Three Cooks. In July 2005, RHM was listed on the London Stock Exchange again.

Finally, in March 2007, Premier Foods bought RHM for about £1.2 billion.

What RHM Did

Before it was bought, RHM had three main parts: Bread Bakeries, Culinary Brands, and Cakes & Customer Partnerships. Premier Foods later combined some of these parts into its own business. However, the Bread Bakeries part (including the Rank Hovis milling) stayed as a separate unit for a while because making bread has different needs, like making large amounts and selling it quickly.

Some of RHM's Brands

The "Rank" Name

Some people mistakenly think that the "Rank" in the company's name came from the Rank Organisation, another big company. While there is a connection, the "Rank" in Rank Hovis McDougall refers to Joseph Rank, who started the flour business. His son, Lord Rank, simply took over the business after his father's death. It was always run as a separate company.

See also

• Rank Hovis McDougall helped with fixing up the old Preston Mill in East Lothian, Scotland.