Rowntree's
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Rowntree's is an historic brand currently owned by Nestlé SA that is used to market a range of fruit gums and pastilles formerly owned by Rowntree Mackintosh. The Rowntree brand is also used on a number of ice lollies (made by Richmond Foods) for Nestlé. The brand has a similar marketplace to that of the Trebor Bassett division of Cadbury's, and actually competes head to head with this company in a number of fruit gum categories.
History
Rowntree was founded in York in 1862 by Henry Isaac Rowntree who was joined in 1869 by his brother the philanthropist Joseph Rowntree. It merged with rival Mackintosh in 1969 to become Rowntree Mackintosh. Rowntree was responsible for such British chocolate favourites as Kit Kat, Smarties, Aero, Fruit Pastilles and Black Magic, whilst John Mackintosh and Co. was behind Rolo, Munchies, Caramac and Toffo.
The company went public in 1987 and was the subject of a takeover battle between Nestlé and Jacobs Suchard in 1988. Nestlé eventually won control with an offer valuing Rowntree at $4.55billion[1]. After the Nestlé takeover the Rowntree chocolate ranges began to use the branding Nestlé-Rowntree, before eventually the Rowntree name was dropped from the packaging altogether. The Mackintosh branding was dropped from all former Rowntree Mackintosh products, except for Toffos, which retained the Mackintosh branding.
The original factory was in the centre of the city of York, next to the River Ouse at Tanners Moat, but later relocated to Haxby Road in the north of the city.
Since taking over Rowntree Mackintosh's brands, there has been much criticism of the way that Nestlé have changed the brands. Nestlé accepted that their purchase of the company was primarily for the five principal brands: Kit Kat, Aero, Polo, Fruit Pastilles, and Quality Street, rather than for capital assets. Since taking over Rowntree Mackintosh, the following changes have been made:
- A brazil nut covered in chocolate now becomes a hazelnut covered in chocolate in the shape of a brazil nut. They have also manufactured large Quality Street sweets for individual sale.
- Kit Kat went from being foil and paper wrapped to being plastic wrapped. It is also being made as a chunky bar and in different flavours.
- Smarties have had blue sweets replaced by white, and are now sold in "hexa-tube" octrahedronal cardboard containers that replace the traditional cylindrical tube.
- Polos have gone different flavours and been miniaturized. Polo holes are also sold separately.
In September 2006 it was announced that the manufacture of "Smarties" was to be moved abroad causing job losses of 646 at the York factory.
Current branded products
- Rowntree's Fruit Gums
- Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles
- Rowntree's Beetles and Butterflies
- Rowntree's Fruity Frogs
- Rowntree's Xtra Sour Spiders
- Rowntree's Wiggly Worms
- Rowntree's Bursting Bugs
- Rowntree's Tooty Frooties
- Rowntree's CoCo
- Rowntree's Jelly Tots