RHM
Encyclopedia
RHM plc, formerly Rank Hovis McDougall, was a United Kingdom
food
business. The company owned numerous brands, particularly for flour
, where its core business started, and for consumer food products. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange
and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
but was acquired by Premier Foods
in March 2007.
in 1875 as flour
milling business when he rented a small windmill
. He initially lost money and therefore took a co-tenancy at West's Holderness Corn Mill. In 1885 he built a mechanically-driven flour mill in Hull
in order to beat competition from abroad. He used steel rollers instead of mill stones thereby producing six sacks of flour an hour instead of one and a half. In 1888 he built another steel-roller plant in Lincolnshire
, and soon after, built a more modern plant, producing 20 sacks of flour an hour.
As he strove for greater productivity he installed equipment that produced 30 sacks of flour an hour, and then 40 sacks an hour. He also set up agencies to distribute his flour in parts of England
where it previously had not been sold. In May 1899 the business was incorporated as a private company under the name Joseph Rank Limited.
In 1902 Joseph Rank made his first trip to the United States
to understand and beat his American competitors. Soon after his trip abroad, the company built mills in London
and Cardiff
. In 1912, a mill in Birkenhead
was built to supply the needs of Ireland
and northwestern England
. Rank then moved the corporate headquarters of the Company from Yorkshire
to London
.
During World War II
the company employed 3,000 workers, many of them women working while their husbands were away at war. In 1935 Joseph Rank was awarded the Freedom of the City
of Hull, in part because of a trust fund he had set up in Hull to help "poor persons of good character."
During the 1920s, Rank expanded into Scotland
and Ireland
. He also forming the British Isles Transport Company Limited to facilitate transport of his products around the country. The Company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange
in 1933. In 1943 James Rank became Chairman following his father's death.
In 1945 James Rank, the new chairman, assisted by Cecil Loombe, who had become a director, set about rebuilding mills destroyed by bombing, which included the new Baltic Flour Mill
at Gateshead
, opened in 1950.
In 1952, James Rank was succeeded by his brother J. Arthur Rank as Chairman. Arthur explored ways of improving quality control in food production founding RHM Technology and its research centre at High Wycombe
.
brand of bread and became Rank Hovis McDougall Limited. In 1968 RHM went on to buy the Cerebos
food group, which brought with it a number of popular food brands as well as interests in France
, Argentina
, New Zealand
, Australia
, Canada
, the United States
and South Africa
. In 1969 Arthur's nephew, Joseph Rank, took over the Chairmanship of the Company.
Joseph Rank encouraged research work in crustacea farming, cereal and seed production, and wheat hybrids. He also pioneered protein
production from starch
. In 1984 the Company established a Joint Venture with ICI
known as Marlow Foods. It was Marlow Foods that created the meat substitute product Quorn
.
In 1981 Sir Peter Reynolds took over as Chairman from Joseph Rank. The company made a number of important acquisitions during the 1980s in the United Kingdom
, the United States
, and the Far East
including the purchase in 1987 of Avana Group, which was renamed Avana Bakeries Limited.
In 1992 the Company was purchased by Tomkins plc who then sold it on to Doughty Hanson & Co
in 2000. The Company remained in private equity ownership and sold a number of non-core business, including bakery retail chain Three Cooks. In July 2005 it was relisted on the London Stock Exchange
.
In March 2007, RHM was acquired by Premier Foods
for £1.2bn.
. This is understandable as Rank themselves were at one point a highly diversified conglomerate, and were apt to rename acquired or joint venture
business by prefixing them with the name "Rank", e.g. Rank Xerox
. There is a link, but the "Rank" reference is to Joseph Rank, father of J. Arthur Rank, who merely inherited the business upon his father's death. It always remained a separately run enterprise.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
business. The company owned numerous brands, particularly for flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, where its core business started, and for consumer food products. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
FTSE 100 Index
The FTSE 100 Index, also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the footsie , is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange....
but was acquired by Premier Foods
Premier Foods
Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
in March 2007.
Early years
The Company was founded by Joseph RankJoseph Rank
Joseph Rank was the founder of Rank Hovis McDougall, one of the United Kingdom's largest flour-milling businesses.-Career:...
in 1875 as flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
milling business when he rented a small windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
. He initially lost money and therefore took a co-tenancy at West's Holderness Corn Mill. In 1885 he built a mechanically-driven flour mill in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
in order to beat competition from abroad. He used steel rollers instead of mill stones thereby producing six sacks of flour an hour instead of one and a half. In 1888 he built another steel-roller plant in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, and soon after, built a more modern plant, producing 20 sacks of flour an hour.
As he strove for greater productivity he installed equipment that produced 30 sacks of flour an hour, and then 40 sacks an hour. He also set up agencies to distribute his flour in parts of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where it previously had not been sold. In May 1899 the business was incorporated as a private company under the name Joseph Rank Limited.
In 1902 Joseph Rank made his first trip to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to understand and beat his American competitors. Soon after his trip abroad, the company built mills in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. In 1912, a mill in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
was built to supply the needs of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and northwestern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Rank then moved the corporate headquarters of the Company from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the company employed 3,000 workers, many of them women working while their husbands were away at war. In 1935 Joseph Rank was awarded the Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of Hull, in part because of a trust fund he had set up in Hull to help "poor persons of good character."
During the 1920s, Rank expanded into Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He also forming the British Isles Transport Company Limited to facilitate transport of his products around the country. The Company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
in 1933. In 1943 James Rank became Chairman following his father's death.
In 1945 James Rank, the new chairman, assisted by Cecil Loombe, who had become a director, set about rebuilding mills destroyed by bombing, which included the new Baltic Flour Mill
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is an international centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne alongside the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, North East England, United Kingdom...
at Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, opened in 1950.
In 1952, James Rank was succeeded by his brother J. Arthur Rank as Chairman. Arthur explored ways of improving quality control in food production founding RHM Technology and its research centre at High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
.
Formation of RHM
In 1962 the Company acquired the Hovis-McDougall Company with its famous HovisHovis
Hovis is a UK brand of flour and bread, owned by Premier Foods. The brand, which began in 1886, ended up as part of Rank Hovis McDougall in 1962 after a succession of mergers. RHM, whose bread making division has been known as British Bakeries since 1955, also owns the Mother's Pride and Nimble...
brand of bread and became Rank Hovis McDougall Limited. In 1968 RHM went on to buy the Cerebos
Cerebos
Cerebos is an English brand of salt and, more recently, other flavourings and nutritional supplements. Its promise was "See How It Runs", describing how fine the salt was...
food group, which brought with it a number of popular food brands as well as interests in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. In 1969 Arthur's nephew, Joseph Rank, took over the Chairmanship of the Company.
Joseph Rank encouraged research work in crustacea farming, cereal and seed production, and wheat hybrids. He also pioneered protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
production from starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
. In 1984 the Company established a Joint Venture with ICI
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
known as Marlow Foods. It was Marlow Foods that created the meat substitute product Quorn
Quorn
Quorn is the leading brand of mycoprotein food product in the UK and Ireland. The mycoprotein used to produce Quorn is extracted from a fungus, Fusarium venenatum, which is grown in large vats....
.
In 1981 Sir Peter Reynolds took over as Chairman from Joseph Rank. The company made a number of important acquisitions during the 1980s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
including the purchase in 1987 of Avana Group, which was renamed Avana Bakeries Limited.
In 1992 the Company was purchased by Tomkins plc who then sold it on to Doughty Hanson & Co
Doughty Hanson & Co
Doughty Hanson & Co is a British private equity fund manager focused on leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions primarily of upper middle-market companies in Europe...
in 2000. The Company remained in private equity ownership and sold a number of non-core business, including bakery retail chain Three Cooks. In July 2005 it was relisted on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
.
In March 2007, RHM was acquired by Premier Foods
Premier Foods
Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
for £1.2bn.
Operations
Prior to takeover, the group was grouped into three divisions; Bread Bakeries, Culinary Brands and Cakes & Customer Partnerships. Premier Foods is in the process of integrating Culinary Brands, Cakes and Customer Partnerships in to its core business unit, although Bread Bakeries (including Rank Hovis milling) are to remain as a stand alone business unit for the time being, because of the different supply chain demands such as high volume and the short shelf life of bread.List of brands
- AtoraAtoraAtora is a British brand of shredded suet, which is clarified beef fat, primarily used in the production of pastry and dumplings.-History:Suet had one of its first mentions in a recipe of 1617 as a key ingredient for 'Cambridge pudding' served to students at that university...
shredded suet - BistoBistoBisto is a well-known brand of traditional British foods in the United Kingdom, most famous for its gravy products.-History:The very first Bisto product, in 1908, was a meat-flavoured gravy powder, which rapidly became a bestseller in the UK. It was added to gravies to give a richer taste and aroma...
gravy - Be-RoBe-Ro-History:The Company was founded by Thomas Bell as a grocery and tea company in Longhorsley north of Newcastle in 1875. Thomas had experimented with rising agents on flour in baking and from that produced the world's first self-raising flour. He founded the Bells Royal works which sold the Bell's...
flour - Cadbury's cakes (manufactured under licence from Cadbury plc)
- CerebosCerebosCerebos is an English brand of salt and, more recently, other flavourings and nutritional supplements. Its promise was "See How It Runs", describing how fine the salt was...
salt - Frank Cooper'sFrank Cooper (company)Frank Cooper's is a UK brand of marmalades and jams owned by Premier Foods. Frank Cooper's is known primarily for its "Oxford" Marmalade and holds a Royal Warrant.-Oxford High Street:...
jams - HovisHovisHovis is a UK brand of flour and bread, owned by Premier Foods. The brand, which began in 1886, ended up as part of Rank Hovis McDougall in 1962 after a succession of mergers. RHM, whose bread making division has been known as British Bakeries since 1955, also owns the Mother's Pride and Nimble...
bread and flour
- McDougalls flour and cake mixes
- Mother's PrideMother's PrideMother's Pride is a brand name for a variety of breads produced by British Bakeries, a division of Premier Foods. The company also bakes Nimble and Hovis branded loaves as well as supermarket 'own brand' ranges....
bread - Mr KiplingMr KiplingMr Kipling is a brand of cakes, pies and baked goods widely marketed in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was introducedin 1967, at a time when cakes were more often bought from local bakers to sell cakes of a local baker's standard to supermarkets....
cakes - PaxoPaxoPaxo is a well-known brand of stuffing in the United Kingdom, currently owned by Premier Foods.Paxo was devised in 1901 by John Crampton, a butcher from Eccles near Manchester, who wanted to have something extra to sell to his customers shopping for their Sunday lunch menus.In the beginning sales...
stuffing - Robertson'sRobertson'sRobertson's is a UK brand of marmalades and jams that was owned by RHM until that company's takeover by Premier Foods in March 2007. It produces the "Golden Shred" marmalade among other products....
jams - RomboutsRomboutsRombouts is a surname of Flemish-Dutch origin.The original name is Romualdus, which has been traced back to as early as 950 AC, in Romagna, Italia. The name Rombouts means "Romualdus' bold son", or "the bold son of Romualdus". The name has a number of alternative spellings: Rumoalde, Rumwald,...
coffee - SaxaSaxa (food product)Saxa is a brand of salt and pepper in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is currently owned by Premier Foods....
salt - Sharwood's Indian, Chinese and SE Asian sauces
The Rank name
A common misconception is that the "Rank" in the name signifies an acquired business of the Rank OrganisationRank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
. This is understandable as Rank themselves were at one point a highly diversified conglomerate, and were apt to rename acquired or joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
business by prefixing them with the name "Rank", e.g. Rank Xerox
Rank Xerox
Rank Xerox was formed in 1956 as a joint venture between the Xerox Corporation of U.S. and the Rank Organisation of UK, to manufacture and market Xerox equipment initially in Europe and later in Africa and Asia...
. There is a link, but the "Rank" reference is to Joseph Rank, father of J. Arthur Rank, who merely inherited the business upon his father's death. It always remained a separately run enterprise.
See also
- Rank Hovis McDougall assisted with the renovation of the historic Preston MillPreston MillPreston Mill is a watermill on the River Tyne at the eastern edge of East Linton on the B1407 Preston Road, in East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated close to Prestonkirk Parish Church, the Smeaton Hepburn Estate, Smeaton Lake, and Phantassie Doocot....
at East LothianEast LothianEast Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
External links
- Burnett, R.G. (2004) Through the Mill, The life of Joseph Rank 150th Anniversary Edition. Epworth Press.