Lever Brothers Ltd
Other Business Names:
- Lever, William
- Lever, James
- Lever & Co
- Sunlight Soap
- Vim
- Lux Soap
- Pears, A & F, Ltd
- Crosfield, Joseph, Son Ltd
- Niger Co Ltd
- Margarine Union
- Unilever Ltd
- Gossage, William, & Son Ltd
- Lifebuoy Soap
- Wall, T, & Sons Ltd
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside, North West, England
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
- Netherlands
- Port Sunlight, Wirral, Merseyside, North West, England
- Warrington, Warrington, Cheshire, North West, England
Sectors:
-
Chemical production
Cleaning preparations production
-
Food & tobacco processing
Edible oils & fats production inc margarine
-
Agriculture & fishing
Plantation management, palm oil
-
Chemical production
Soap & detergent production
Notes:
Traced origins to the Lever family's wholesale grocery business. In 1885 William Lever, later Lord Leverhulme, 1851-1925, with his brother James, established Lever Brothers to manufacture soap at Warrington employing a new process that used vegetable oils / palm oil in place of tallow. The business grew rapidly and was highly successful on the back of developing brands and using advertising for soaps, detergents and other cleaning products, especially Sunlight Soap but also Vim, Lifebuoy Soap, Lux Soap, etc. 1888 built new plant at Port Sunlight (Bromborough Pool). Expanded internationally, notably in the United States but also in many other countries, and by 1920 had acquired over 20 other British soap manufacturers, eg A & F Pears Ltd in 1917, Joseph Crosfield & Sons Ltd in 1919, William Gossage & Son Ltd in 1919. From 1902 secured raw material supply through acquisition of oil palm plantations in Pacific and Africa, eg via acquisition of Niger Co Ltd. From 1914-18 diversified into margarine production, opening a major plant at Bromborough in 1918. In 1920s diversified further into food production through acquisition, inter alia, of T Wall & Sons Ltd, makers of sausages and ice cream. 1929 merged with Margarine Union of Rotterdam, effective from 1930, to form Unilever Ltd, later Unilever Plc. Continues. See also Unilever Plc [2024]
Publications:
- A mark of distinction. Branding and trade mark law in the UK from the 1860s by Mercer, John
- Art and business in Edwardian England. The making of the Lady Lever Art Gallery by Morris, Edward (ed)
- As Pioneers Still, 1911-1961. An appreciation of Lever Brothers' contribution in South Africa by Rosenthal, Eric
- British industrial villages in the nineteenth century by Ashworth, William
- Comparative Analysis of Company Magazines and Company Cultures in Four Firms, 1930-1990 by Griffiths, John R
- Competition and Monopoly in the British Soap Industry by Edwards, Harold R
- Corporate social accountability through action. Contemporary insights from British industrial pioneers by Parker, Lee D
- Discovering the consumer. Market research, product innovation and the creation of brand loyalty in Britain and the United States in the interwar years by Schwarzkopf, Stefan
- Dragons. Ten entrepreneurs who built Britain by Byrne, Liam
- Enlightened paternalist in action. William Hesketh Lever at Port Sunlight before 1914 by Jeremy, David J
- European Direct Investment in the USA before World War 1 by Buckley, Peter J, & Brian R Roberts
- Formula for Murder. The ICI mystery by Bevan, R Mark
- 'Give my regards to Uncle Billy ...' The rites and rituals of company life at Lever Brothers, c1900-c1990 by Griffiths, John R
- Guide to Port Sunlight Village by Hubbard, Edward, & Michael Shippobottom
- Imagining Corporate Culture. The industrial paternalism of William Hesketh Lever at Port Sunlight, 1888-1925 by Rowan, Jeremy D
- Industrial Railways of Port Sunlight and Brombrough Port by Lister, M D
- Informal social control of business in Britain, 1880-1939 by Boswell, Jonathan S
- King of Sunlight. How William Lever cleaned up the world by Macqueen, Adam
- Labour and Housing at Port Sunlight by George, W L
- Lever Brothers in South Africa by Unknown
- Lever Brothers Ltd and some of their Subsidiary Companies by Unknown
- 'Levers' in W B Beable, Romance of Great Businesses by Beable, William H
- Life at Levers. Memories of making soap at Port Sunlight by Roberts, David [1]
- Lintas Story. Impressions and recollections by Sharpe, Len
- Lord Leverhulme. A biography by Jolly, William P
- Lord Leverhulme. Founder of the Lady Lever Art Gallery and Port Sunlight on Merseyside. A great Edwardian collector and builder by Unknown
- 'Lord Leverhulme' in A Menzies, Modern Men of Mark by Menzies, Amy
- Lord Leverhulme's Ghosts. Colonial exploitation in the Congo by Marchal, Jules
- 'Merchants or manufacturers? British methods in foreign trade, 1870-1939' in S Yonekawa & H Yoshihara (eds), Proceedings of the Fuji Conference, 13, 1987. Business history of general trading companies by Reader, William J
- Model Factories and Villages. Ideal conditions of labour and housing by Meakin, Budgett
- Model village of Port Sunlight by Reynolds, J
- 'Mr W H Lever. Sunlight soap and a model village' in Fortunes Made in Business. Life struggles of successful people by Unknown
- Nature and the Victorian Entrepreneur. Soap, sunlight and subjectivity by Bergin, John P
- Oil Palm. A global history by Robins, Jonathan E
- One Hundred Years. The Lintas story by Unknown
- 'Personality, strategy and structure. Some consequences of strong minds' in L Hannah (ed), Management Strategy and Business Development by Reader, William J
- Politics of Lever's West African's concessions, 1907-1913 by Nworah, K Dike
- Port Sunlight. A record of its artistic and pictorial aspect by Davison, T Raffles
- Port Sunlight. A souvenir issued by Lever Brothers Ltd by Unknown
- Port Sunlight and Prosperity Sharing by Unknown
- Port Sunlight Story by Unknown
- Port Sunlight. The first hundred years, 1888-1988. The short history of a famous factory by Williams, Edmund
- Port Sunlight. The model village of England. A collection of photographs by Beeson, E W
- Port Sunlight Village by Unknown
- Port Sunlight War Memorial. Golden book, 1914-1919 by Unknown
- Product development of branded, packaged household goods in Britain, 1870-1914. Colman's, Reckitt's and Lever Brothers by Church, Roy, & Christine Clark
- Purposive strategy or serendipity? Development and diversification in three consumer product companies, 1918-1939. J & J Colman, Reckitt & Sons and Lever Brothers/Unilever by Church, Roy, & Christine Clark
- Salesmen and the transformation of selling in Britain and the US in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by Church, Roy
- Search for Environment. The garden city, before and after by Creese, Walter L
- 'Soap industry' in P L Cook (ed), Effects of Mergers. Six studies by Cohen, Ruth
- Soap through the Ages by Wilson, R Lubbock
- 'Soapy Joe's. The history of Joseph Watson & Sons Ltd, 1893-1993' in J A Chartres & K Honeyman (eds), Leeds City Business, 1893-1993. Essays marking the centenary of incorporation by Honeyman, Katrina
- Story of Port Sunlight by Unknown
- Story of Port Sunlight. A souvenir for visitors during coronation year by Unknown
- Story of Sunlight, 1884-1984 by Williams, Edmund
- Successful British MNE in the backyard of American big business. Explaining the performance of the American and Canadian subsidiaries of Lever Brothers, 1888-1914 by Smith, Andrew D A
- Sunlighters. The story of a village, 1888-1988 by Sellers, Sue
- 'Systematic management and welfare in the chemicals industry' in R Fitzgerald, British Labour Management and Industrial Welfare, 1846-1939 by Fitzgerald, Robert
- 'The multinational in historical perspective' in K Nakagawa (ed), Proceedings of the Fuji Conference, 1, 1974. Strategy and structure of big business by Wilson, Charles H
- The Soap Man. Lewis, Harris and Lord Leverhulme by Hutchinson, Roger
- This is the Story of Port Sunlight, a Part of Unilever ... by Unknown
- Villages of Vision by Darley, Gillian
- Viscount Leverhulme by his Son by Leverhulme, Lord
- 'William Hesketh Lever, 1851-1925' in Ian C Bradley, Enlightened Entrepreneurs. Business ethics in Victorian Britain by Bradley, Ian C
- William Lever. Original thinker, accomplished imitator or skilful entrepreneur? by Strickland, Jeanette
Groups:
Other Business Names:
- Lever, William
- Lever, James
- Lever & Co
- Sunlight Soap
- Vim
- Lux Soap
- Pears, A & F, Ltd
- Crosfield, Joseph, Son Ltd
- Niger Co Ltd
- Margarine Union
- Unilever Ltd
- Gossage, William, & Son Ltd
- Lifebuoy Soap
- Wall, T, & Sons Ltd
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside, North West, England
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
- Netherlands
- Port Sunlight, Wirral, Merseyside, North West, England
- Warrington, Warrington, Cheshire, North West, England
Sectors:
- Chemical production Cleaning preparations production
- Food & tobacco processing Edible oils & fats production inc margarine
- Agriculture & fishing Plantation management, palm oil
- Chemical production Soap & detergent production
Notes:
Traced origins to the Lever family's wholesale grocery business. In 1885 William Lever, later Lord Leverhulme, 1851-1925, with his brother James, established Lever Brothers to manufacture soap at Warrington employing a new process that used vegetable oils / palm oil in place of tallow. The business grew rapidly and was highly successful on the back of developing brands and using advertising for soaps, detergents and other cleaning products, especially Sunlight Soap but also Vim, Lifebuoy Soap, Lux Soap, etc. 1888 built new plant at Port Sunlight (Bromborough Pool). Expanded internationally, notably in the United States but also in many other countries, and by 1920 had acquired over 20 other British soap manufacturers, eg A & F Pears Ltd in 1917, Joseph Crosfield & Sons Ltd in 1919, William Gossage & Son Ltd in 1919. From 1902 secured raw material supply through acquisition of oil palm plantations in Pacific and Africa, eg via acquisition of Niger Co Ltd. From 1914-18 diversified into margarine production, opening a major plant at Bromborough in 1918. In 1920s diversified further into food production through acquisition, inter alia, of T Wall & Sons Ltd, makers of sausages and ice cream. 1929 merged with Margarine Union of Rotterdam, effective from 1930, to form Unilever Ltd, later Unilever Plc. Continues. See also Unilever Plc [2024]Publications:
- A mark of distinction. Branding and trade mark law in the UK from the 1860s by Mercer, John
- Art and business in Edwardian England. The making of the Lady Lever Art Gallery by Morris, Edward (ed)
- As Pioneers Still, 1911-1961. An appreciation of Lever Brothers' contribution in South Africa by Rosenthal, Eric
- British industrial villages in the nineteenth century by Ashworth, William
- Comparative Analysis of Company Magazines and Company Cultures in Four Firms, 1930-1990 by Griffiths, John R
- Competition and Monopoly in the British Soap Industry by Edwards, Harold R
- Corporate social accountability through action. Contemporary insights from British industrial pioneers by Parker, Lee D
- Discovering the consumer. Market research, product innovation and the creation of brand loyalty in Britain and the United States in the interwar years by Schwarzkopf, Stefan
- Dragons. Ten entrepreneurs who built Britain by Byrne, Liam
- Enlightened paternalist in action. William Hesketh Lever at Port Sunlight before 1914 by Jeremy, David J
- European Direct Investment in the USA before World War 1 by Buckley, Peter J, & Brian R Roberts
- Formula for Murder. The ICI mystery by Bevan, R Mark
- 'Give my regards to Uncle Billy ...' The rites and rituals of company life at Lever Brothers, c1900-c1990 by Griffiths, John R
- Guide to Port Sunlight Village by Hubbard, Edward, & Michael Shippobottom
- Imagining Corporate Culture. The industrial paternalism of William Hesketh Lever at Port Sunlight, 1888-1925 by Rowan, Jeremy D
- Industrial Railways of Port Sunlight and Brombrough Port by Lister, M D
- Informal social control of business in Britain, 1880-1939 by Boswell, Jonathan S
- King of Sunlight. How William Lever cleaned up the world by Macqueen, Adam
- Labour and Housing at Port Sunlight by George, W L
- Lever Brothers in South Africa by Unknown
- Lever Brothers Ltd and some of their Subsidiary Companies by Unknown
- 'Levers' in W B Beable, Romance of Great Businesses by Beable, William H
- Life at Levers. Memories of making soap at Port Sunlight by Roberts, David [1]
- Lintas Story. Impressions and recollections by Sharpe, Len
- Lord Leverhulme. A biography by Jolly, William P
- Lord Leverhulme. Founder of the Lady Lever Art Gallery and Port Sunlight on Merseyside. A great Edwardian collector and builder by Unknown
- 'Lord Leverhulme' in A Menzies, Modern Men of Mark by Menzies, Amy
- Lord Leverhulme's Ghosts. Colonial exploitation in the Congo by Marchal, Jules
- 'Merchants or manufacturers? British methods in foreign trade, 1870-1939' in S Yonekawa & H Yoshihara (eds), Proceedings of the Fuji Conference, 13, 1987. Business history of general trading companies by Reader, William J
- Model Factories and Villages. Ideal conditions of labour and housing by Meakin, Budgett
- Model village of Port Sunlight by Reynolds, J
- 'Mr W H Lever. Sunlight soap and a model village' in Fortunes Made in Business. Life struggles of successful people by Unknown
- Nature and the Victorian Entrepreneur. Soap, sunlight and subjectivity by Bergin, John P
- Oil Palm. A global history by Robins, Jonathan E
- One Hundred Years. The Lintas story by Unknown
- 'Personality, strategy and structure. Some consequences of strong minds' in L Hannah (ed), Management Strategy and Business Development by Reader, William J
- Politics of Lever's West African's concessions, 1907-1913 by Nworah, K Dike
- Port Sunlight. A record of its artistic and pictorial aspect by Davison, T Raffles
- Port Sunlight. A souvenir issued by Lever Brothers Ltd by Unknown
- Port Sunlight and Prosperity Sharing by Unknown
- Port Sunlight Story by Unknown
- Port Sunlight. The first hundred years, 1888-1988. The short history of a famous factory by Williams, Edmund
- Port Sunlight. The model village of England. A collection of photographs by Beeson, E W
- Port Sunlight Village by Unknown
- Port Sunlight War Memorial. Golden book, 1914-1919 by Unknown
- Product development of branded, packaged household goods in Britain, 1870-1914. Colman's, Reckitt's and Lever Brothers by Church, Roy, & Christine Clark
- Purposive strategy or serendipity? Development and diversification in three consumer product companies, 1918-1939. J & J Colman, Reckitt & Sons and Lever Brothers/Unilever by Church, Roy, & Christine Clark
- Salesmen and the transformation of selling in Britain and the US in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by Church, Roy
- Search for Environment. The garden city, before and after by Creese, Walter L
- 'Soap industry' in P L Cook (ed), Effects of Mergers. Six studies by Cohen, Ruth
- Soap through the Ages by Wilson, R Lubbock
- 'Soapy Joe's. The history of Joseph Watson & Sons Ltd, 1893-1993' in J A Chartres & K Honeyman (eds), Leeds City Business, 1893-1993. Essays marking the centenary of incorporation by Honeyman, Katrina
- Story of Port Sunlight by Unknown
- Story of Port Sunlight. A souvenir for visitors during coronation year by Unknown
- Story of Sunlight, 1884-1984 by Williams, Edmund
- Successful British MNE in the backyard of American big business. Explaining the performance of the American and Canadian subsidiaries of Lever Brothers, 1888-1914 by Smith, Andrew D A
- Sunlighters. The story of a village, 1888-1988 by Sellers, Sue
- 'Systematic management and welfare in the chemicals industry' in R Fitzgerald, British Labour Management and Industrial Welfare, 1846-1939 by Fitzgerald, Robert
- 'The multinational in historical perspective' in K Nakagawa (ed), Proceedings of the Fuji Conference, 1, 1974. Strategy and structure of big business by Wilson, Charles H
- The Soap Man. Lewis, Harris and Lord Leverhulme by Hutchinson, Roger
- This is the Story of Port Sunlight, a Part of Unilever ... by Unknown
- Villages of Vision by Darley, Gillian
- Viscount Leverhulme by his Son by Leverhulme, Lord
- 'William Hesketh Lever, 1851-1925' in Ian C Bradley, Enlightened Entrepreneurs. Business ethics in Victorian Britain by Bradley, Ian C
- William Lever. Original thinker, accomplished imitator or skilful entrepreneur? by Strickland, Jeanette