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Yardley London

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Yardley of London Limited
Company typePrivate
IndustryPersonal care
Founded1770; 254 years ago (1770)
FounderSamuel Cleaver (1770)
William Yardley (1823)[citation needed]
HeadquartersLondon, UK
ProductsPerfumery and Toiletries
Fine fragrances
Soapbars
Body wash
Talcum powder
Oral care
OwnerAzim Premji[1]
ParentWipro
Websiteyardleylondon.co.uk

Yardley of London (usually referred to simply as Yardley or Yardleys) is a British personal care brand and one of the oldest firms in the world to specialise in cosmetics, fragrances and related toiletry products. Established in 1770,[2][3][4][5] the company became a major producer of soap and perfumery by the beginning of the 20th century.

By 1910, the company had moved to London's upmarket Bond Street, and Yardley received its first Royal Warrant in 1921. Today, the company holds two Royal Warrants.[6]

Since 2009, Yardley has been owned by Wipro, an Indian multinational conglomerate.[7]

History

The company was established by the Cleaver family in 1770,[8] which is the official date displayed on its product labels. According to the company's website, an earlier incarnation existed prior to this, but most records of the earlier company were lost in the Great Fire of London of 1666.[2][3][4][5]

The company is named after William Yardley, who purchased the firm in 1823 from the sons of founder, Samuel Cleaver, who had gone into bankruptcy. The company became Yardley & Statham in 1841 when Charles Yardley, son of William, took on William Statham as a partner in the business. At the time, the business sold perfumes, soaps, powders, hair pomades and other toiletries.[9]

In 1851, the company, which was still known as Yardley & Statham, exhibited at the Great Exhibition in The Crystal Palace. The same year, they changed their name to Yardley & Co.[10] Yardley & Statham exhibited soap and perfume, including a soap called Old Brown Windsor, which was embossed with a picture of Windsor Castle and was one of their first production soaps.[11]

In 1913, Yardley adopted Francis Wheatley's Flowersellers painting, from his Cries of London series, as their new corporate logo. The yellow primroses being sold in baskets in the painting, were replaced, in the logo, with sheaths of lavender.[12][13]

Yardley English Lavender Talcum Powder

Yardley's signature scent is English Lavender, which was launched in 1873.[14] English Lavender was popular during the Victorian Era in England, and was exported to the USA in the 1880s, where it became popular in American households.[15]

The variety of lavender that Yardley uses in their products is Lavandula angustifolia, which is specially grown for Yardley in the South of England.[16] Lavandula angustifolia was selected by the company in the 1930s, after a several year search for the finest variety.[15]

Due to the growing popularity of Yardley soaps and cosmetics at the turn of the 20th century, the company opened a shop in 1910 on Bond Street in London. The original Yardley shop on Bond Street was at 8 New Bond Street, but it later moved to 33 Old Bond Street.[17][18]

Yardley was acquired in 1967 by British American Tobacco (BAT). That same year, British model Twiggy became the face of Yardley. The company sold "Twiggy Eyelashes," "Twiggy Paint," and other cosmetics with her as the spokesmodel.[19] Yardley became a symbol of Swinging London and was associated with the 1960s British youth culture of miniskirts, Carnaby Street and mod fashions.[20]

In 1970, Yardley was the title sponsor of British Racing Motors for two years, with the team racing as Yardley Team BRM. Yardley then moved to the then-Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1972, becoming the team's first title sponsor. The team raced as Yardley Team McLaren for three years. Part of the sponsorship deal with the two Formula One teams is a black, gold and ochre stripes in a stylised "Y" painted on the car's bodywork.[21][22]

In 1970, BAT organized its cosmetic businesses, which included Yardley, into British American Cosmetics. The cosmetics division was sold to Beecham Group in 1984. The following year, Yardley was sold to Wasserstein Perella & Co.[citation needed]

In 1991, Yardley introduced English Blazer, a range of men's grooming products.[23]

In 1998, Yardley was placed into receivership after a year of marketing attempts to update its old-fashioned image.[24] That same year, Yardley was acquired by Wella.[25]

In 2005, Lornamead acquired Yardley for £60 million.[26][27] In 2013, Li & Fung Group (now Fung Group) acquired Lornamead.[28]

In 2009, Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting acquired Yardley from Lornamead for certain markets (Asia, Middle East, Australasia, as well as North and West Africa) for $45.5 million. In 2012, Wipro purchased the UK-European division from Lornamead, with the exception of Germany and Austria, where Lornamead remains the owner/rights holder.[29]

In 2010, Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif was made the brand ambassador for Yardleys in India.[30]

Royal Warrants

Yardley has had a long association with the British Royal Family and has been awarded the Royal Warrant of Appointment (UK) six times. The company has supplied several British monarchs with toiletries.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Persons with significant control". Companies House. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b Haig, Matt (2005). Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time. Kogan Page Series. Kogan Page Publishers. p. 251. ISBN 9780749444334. Yardley was founded in London in 1770 by William Yardley, a purveyor of swords, spurs and buckles for the aristocracy. He took over a lavender soap business from his son-in-law William Cleaver who had gambled away his inheritance.
  3. ^ a b Official Catalogue of the Industrial Department. International Exhibition on Industry and Art (1862). London. Google Books. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Yardley perfumes and colognes". Fragrantica. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "About Us". Yardley London. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  6. ^ Guthrie, Jonathan (November 16, 2006). "Transcript: Mike Jatania". Financial Times.
  7. ^ Raghu, Deepti Chaudhary and K. (2009-11-06). "Wipro buys some Yardley businesses for $45.5 million". Livemint. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  8. ^ E. Wynne Thomas (1953). The House of Yardley, 1770-1953. Sylvan Press. p. 20.
  9. ^ James Bennett. "Yardley". Cosmetics and Skin. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  10. ^ "Yardley - quintessentially British". HPCi Media Limited. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  11. ^ "A little history about Yardley London's soaps". Yardley London Ltd. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  12. ^ "Yardley's 'Lavender Girls'". Newham Council. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  13. ^ "Wheatley's Cries of London". Spitalfields Life. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  14. ^ "English Lavender by Yardley, 1873". Basenotes. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  15. ^ a b "All About Yardley London". Yardley London Ltd. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  16. ^ "Beauty Icon:Yardley English Lavender". Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  17. ^ "Yardley Shop front". English Heritage. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  18. ^ a b "Yardley London Historical Timeline" (PDF). Lornamead Group. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  19. ^ "Twiggy - Voguepedia". Vogue. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  20. ^ Brainstorm:Surviving and Thriving in the New Consumer-Led Marketplace. Macmillan. 13 November 2012. ISBN 9781137096821. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  21. ^ "The shambles, success and demise of Britain's first big F1 team". www.motorsport.com. 2020-05-16. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  22. ^ "McLaren & Papaya". www.mclaren.com. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  23. ^ Cloud, Barbara (20 October 1991). "Blazer still blazin': Classic jacket dresses variety of occasions". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  24. ^ Victor, Peter (27 August 1998). "Yardley, no longer smelling of roses, goes into receivership". The Independent.
  25. ^ "International Business: Yardley brands are sold". The New York Times. November 26, 1998. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  26. ^ "P&G sells Yardley to Lornamead". CosmeticsDesign.com USA. October 4, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  27. ^ Lall, Rashmee Roshan (May 3, 2006). "Jatanias buy America's biggest hair-care brands". Times of India.
  28. ^ "Li & Fung buys Lornamead for $190 mln to beef up personal care business". Reuters. January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  29. ^ Deepti Chaudhary and K. Raghu (November 6, 2009). "Wipro buys some Yardley businesses for $45.5 million". Live Mint.
  30. ^ "Katrina Kaif is the Brand Ambassador for Yardley | Business Standard News". Business Standard. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
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