Salter Housewares facts for kids
Salter is a very old British company that makes things for your home. It started way back in 1760! For over 260 years, Salter has been making accurate products like scales. They also make electrical items, cookware, and things for your kitchen counter. Salter is famous for its kitchen and bathroom scales. It's one of the oldest brands in the UK that people still buy. In 2021, a company called Ultimate Products bought Salter. They had already been selling Salter cookware and kitchen electricals since 2011.
Contents
The Beginning of Salter
The Salter company began around the 1760s in a village called Bilston in England. A man named Richard Salter, who made springs, started making the first spring scales in Britain. He called these scales "pocket steelyards."
Growing the Business
By 1825, Richard's nephew, George Salter, took over the company. It became known as George Salter & Co. George later built a factory in West Bromwich, which is about 7 kilometers from Bilston. Did you know that the West Bromwich Albion football club was started by workers from this factory?
From this factory, the company made many different types of scales. They even made the first bathroom scales in the UK! Salter also started making other items like irons, meat grinders, potato chippers, coin-operated machines, and the first typewriters made in the UK.
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The business did very well throughout the 1900s. By 1950, over 2000 people worked for Salter. The company was still in the same area and still owned by the same family.
Salter in Recent Times
In 1972, a company called Staveley Industries Plc bought Salter. They split Salter into different parts, like one for home products and one for industrial products.
Changes in Ownership
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Staveley bought more businesses around the world. They formed a new "weighing group." In 1998, the people who managed Salter Housewares bought the company. This allowed them to focus on products for everyday people. In February 2002, the management team at Salter Housewares Ltd. bought the company again from the larger group. This deal was supported by Barclays Private Equity with £18 million.
The company grew quickly for the next two years. In March 2004, Salter was sold to HoMedics, a company from the US that makes "personal wellness" products. In 2006, Salter Housewares USA and Taylor Precision Products Inc. (which HoMedics also owned) joined their sales and marketing teams.
New Partnerships and Location
Salter's old factory in West Bromwich, England, has since closed. The company now makes its products in China. The old factory site has been sold for new buildings.
In 2010, Salter started working with the famous chef Heston Blumenthal. Salter's design team works with Heston's team to create very accurate weighing tools.
In 2011, a company called Ultimate Products Global Sourcing, based in Greater Manchester, got the right to sell Salter brand electrical cookware, bakeware, and small kitchen appliances. Ultimate Products then announced in July 2021 that they had bought the entire Salter brand for £34 million.
See also
- Avery Weigh-Tronix
- Phil Drabble - a former director
