Grand Metropolitan Plc
Other Business Names:
- Joseph, Sir Maxwell
- Grand Hotels (Mayfair) Ltd
- Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd
- MRMA Ltd
- Express Dairies Ltd
- Truman Hanbury Buxton Ltd
- Watney Mann Ltd
- International Distillers & Vintners Ltd
- Mecca
- Intercontinental Hotels
- Guinness Plc
- Diageo Plc
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
Sectors:
-
Beverage production
Brewing
-
Hotel, lodgings & catering services
Catering services inc restaurants, public houses, alehouses, etc
-
Food & tobacco processing
Dairy products production
-
Recreation activities
Gambling, bookmaking, etc
-
Hotel, lodgings & catering services
Hotel, lodgings, etc, services
-
Distribution - wholesaling, broking, market trading, etc
Wine, spirit, beer, etc, distribution
Notes:
Traced origins to late 1940s when (Sir) Maxwell Joseph, 1910-82, started to acquire medium sized centrally located London hotels, in particular Grand Hotels (Mayfair) Ltd in 1957, as part of a wider property business. Consolidated hotel interests in Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd (which traced origins to 1934 as MRMA Ltd), a public company, in 1962. By 1965 one of largest such businesses in world. Later in 1960s diversified into pubs and restaurants and started hotel acquisition overseas. In late 1960s/early 1970s diversified into dairying industry through acquisition of Express Dairies, into brewing with acquisition of Truman Hanbury Buxton Ltd in 1971 followed in 1972 by Watney Mann Ltd with its important wines and spirits business, International Distillers & Vintners Ltd, and into gambling via 1970 purchase of Mecca. 1981 acquired Intercontinental Hotels from USA owners. In 1980s also diversified into fast food, especially Burger King. From late 1980s and in 1990s disposed of its hotel and pub / brewing interests to focus on alcohol beverages. 1997 merged with Guinness Plc to form Diageo Plc which continues in 2017 as a world-leading internationally spread alcoholic beverages production and distribution business
Publications:
- [History of Grand Metropolitan] by Reader, William J, & Judy Slinn
- Facts and Figures 1988. 25 dynamic and successful years by Unknown
- Global Brands. The evolution of multinationals in alcoholic beverages by Lopes, Teresa da Silva
- Grand Met. The international food, drinks and retailing group. Towards 2000 by Unknown
- Grand Metropolitan, 1962-1987 by Unknown
- Growth and Survival of Multinationals in the Global Alcoholic Beverage Industry by Lopes, Teresa da Silva
- Growth and Survival of Multinationals in the Global Alcoholic Beverage Industry by Lopes, Teresa da Silva
- Hoteliers and Hotels. Case studies in the growth and development of UK hotel companies, 1945-1989 by Stewart, Donald A
- 'The man of property. Sir Stanley Grinstead' in W Goldsmith & B Richards, The New Elite. The secrets of Britain's top chief executives' success by Goldsmith, Walter, & Berry Richards
Groups:
Other Business Names:
- Joseph, Sir Maxwell
- Grand Hotels (Mayfair) Ltd
- Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd
- MRMA Ltd
- Express Dairies Ltd
- Truman Hanbury Buxton Ltd
- Watney Mann Ltd
- International Distillers & Vintners Ltd
- Mecca
- Intercontinental Hotels
- Guinness Plc
- Diageo Plc
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
Sectors:
- Beverage production Brewing
- Hotel, lodgings & catering services Catering services inc restaurants, public houses, alehouses, etc
- Food & tobacco processing Dairy products production
- Recreation activities Gambling, bookmaking, etc
- Hotel, lodgings & catering services Hotel, lodgings, etc, services
- Distribution - wholesaling, broking, market trading, etc Wine, spirit, beer, etc, distribution
Notes:
Traced origins to late 1940s when (Sir) Maxwell Joseph, 1910-82, started to acquire medium sized centrally located London hotels, in particular Grand Hotels (Mayfair) Ltd in 1957, as part of a wider property business. Consolidated hotel interests in Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd (which traced origins to 1934 as MRMA Ltd), a public company, in 1962. By 1965 one of largest such businesses in world. Later in 1960s diversified into pubs and restaurants and started hotel acquisition overseas. In late 1960s/early 1970s diversified into dairying industry through acquisition of Express Dairies, into brewing with acquisition of Truman Hanbury Buxton Ltd in 1971 followed in 1972 by Watney Mann Ltd with its important wines and spirits business, International Distillers & Vintners Ltd, and into gambling via 1970 purchase of Mecca. 1981 acquired Intercontinental Hotels from USA owners. In 1980s also diversified into fast food, especially Burger King. From late 1980s and in 1990s disposed of its hotel and pub / brewing interests to focus on alcohol beverages. 1997 merged with Guinness Plc to form Diageo Plc which continues in 2017 as a world-leading internationally spread alcoholic beverages production and distribution businessPublications:
- [History of Grand Metropolitan] by Reader, William J, & Judy Slinn
- Facts and Figures 1988. 25 dynamic and successful years by Unknown
- Global Brands. The evolution of multinationals in alcoholic beverages by Lopes, Teresa da Silva
- Grand Met. The international food, drinks and retailing group. Towards 2000 by Unknown
- Grand Metropolitan, 1962-1987 by Unknown
- Growth and Survival of Multinationals in the Global Alcoholic Beverage Industry by Lopes, Teresa da Silva
- Growth and Survival of Multinationals in the Global Alcoholic Beverage Industry by Lopes, Teresa da Silva
- Hoteliers and Hotels. Case studies in the growth and development of UK hotel companies, 1945-1989 by Stewart, Donald A
- 'The man of property. Sir Stanley Grinstead' in W Goldsmith & B Richards, The New Elite. The secrets of Britain's top chief executives' success by Goldsmith, Walter, & Berry Richards