Ringtons Tea facts for kids
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| Industry | Tea and Coffee |
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| Founder | Samuel Smith, William Titterington |
| Headquarters |
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United Kingdom
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| Products | Tea and coffee |
Ringtons is a company that makes and sells tea and coffee. It is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, in North East England.
Ringtons is famous for delivering tea directly to people's homes. They use a special door-to-door service across the United Kingdom. While tea is their most well-known product, Ringtons also sells other items like coffee, tasty biscuits, and sweets.
Contents
The Start of Ringtons: How it Began
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Ringtons was started in 1907 by a man named Samuel Smith. He was born in Leeds in 1872. When he was just 10 years old, Samuel started working in the tea business. He learned a lot about tea over the next 25 years.
Samuel Smith teamed up with William Titterington to create Ringtons. The company's name, "Ringtons," comes from the last seven letters of Titterington's last name.
Samuel used his own money, about £250, to get the business going. With this money, they bought tea, a horse, a delivery van, and other tools. They started delivering tea right to customers' doors, a bit like how some businesses in Sheffield were doing things.
As the business grew, Samuel Smith moved to bigger places. He also bought William Titterington's share of the company, so Samuel became the sole owner.
Growing Through Challenges: Wars and Changes
In 1914, World War I began. Many Ringtons workers had to go and fight in the war. There was also food rationing, which meant people could only buy small amounts of certain foods. These problems made it very hard for the company.
To keep the business going, Samuel Smith started selling different kinds of goods. He sold things like dried eggs, baking powder, canned meats, fish, and pickles. After the war ended, the business grew strong again. Samuel made sure to hire former soldiers whenever he could. He opened 48 new delivery depots as Ringtons expanded.
In 1926, after the war, business was booming. Samuel Smith opened a brand-new factory and a six-story main office in Newcastle upon Tyne. The company kept growing. In 1935, Ringtons made its tea-packing area even bigger. They also built another packing factory in Leeds, on the very spot where Samuel Smith was born.
The company cared about its employees. They even arranged yearly trips to Scarborough for their staff and their families.
World War II brought more difficulties for Ringtons. Over 400 Ringtons employees joined the armed forces, including Samuel Smith's own grandsons. Samuel even gave his personal car to help the ambulance service. In 1943, the company had to take 200 of its delivery vans off the road because of the war.
Samuel Smith passed away on August 12, 1949, when he was 77 years old. His sons, Douglas and Malcolm, took over the business. Douglas, who was 50, became the head of Ringtons. His sons, Norman, Douglas Junior, and Jonnie, later joined him in the company.
In 1972, Douglas's son Johnnie took charge of Ringtons. His oldest son, Nigel, also joined the family business. In the 1980s, Johnnie's other sons, Simon and Colin, also started working for Ringtons.
More recently, Ringtons has made some modern changes. They started using special vacuum-packing methods for their products. They also built a new, modern factory in North Tyneside.
Ringtons Doorstep Delivery Service
Ringtons is well-known for its special door-to-door delivery service. This service brings tea and other products right to people's homes. Ringtons delivers to more than 280,000 customers all across the United Kingdom.
Ringtons Beverages: Supplying Businesses
Ringtons also has a part of its business called Ringtons Beverages. This part of the company has been around for over 30 years. Ringtons Beverages sells tea, coffee, and other supplies and machines to hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in the hospitality industry.
