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Yardley London Limited(usually referred to simply asYardleyorYardleys) is a BritishPersonal care productsbrand and one of the oldest firms in the world to specialise incosmetics,fragrancesand relatedPersonal care productsproducts. Established in 1770,[1][2][3][4]the company became a major producer ofsoapandperfumeryby the beginning of the 20th century.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Personal care |
| Founded | 1770 |
| Founder | Samuel Cleaver (1770) William Yardley (1823)[citation needed] |
| Headquarters | London,UK |
| Products | Perfumery and Toiletries Fine fragrances Soapbars Body wash Talcum powder Oral care |
| Parent | Wipro Enterprises |
| Website | yardleylondon |
By 1910, the company had moved toLondon's upmarketBond Street,and Yardley received its firstRoyal Warrantin 1921. Today, the company holds two Royal Warrants.[5]
Since 2009, Yardley has been owned byWipro Enterprises,an Indian multinationalconglomerate.[6]
History
editThe company was established by the Cleaver family in 1770,[7]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 theGreat Fire of Londonof 1666.[1][2][3][4]
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 becameYardley & Stathamin 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 pomadesand other toiletries.[8]
In 1851, the company, which was still known asYardley & Statham,exhibited at theGreat ExhibitioninThe Crystal Palace.The same year, they changed their name toYardley & Co.[9]Yardley & Stathamexhibited soap and perfume, including a soap called Old Brown Windsor, which was em Boss ed with a picture ofWindsor Castleand was one of their first production soaps.[10]
In 1913, Yardley adoptedFrancis Wheatley'sFlowersellerspainting, from hisCries of Londonseries, as their new corporate logo. ThePrimula vulgarisbeing sold in baskets in the painting, were replaced, in the logo, with sheaths oflavender.[11][12]
Yardley's signature scent is English Lavender, which was launched in 1873.[13]English Lavender was popular during theVictorian erain England, and was exported to the USA in the 1880s, where it became popular in American households.[14]
The variety of lavender that Yardley uses in their products isLavandula angustifolia,which is specially grown for Yardley in the South of England.[15]Lavandula angustifolia was selected by the company in the 1930s, after a several year search for the finest variety.[14]
Due to the growing popularity of Yardley soaps and cosmetics at the turn of the 20th century, the company opened a shop in 1910 onBond Streetin London. The original Yardley shop on Bond Street was at 8 New Bond Street, but it later moved to 33 Old Bond Street.[16][17]
Yardley was acquired in 1967 byBritish American Tobacco(BAT). That same year, British modelTwiggybecame the face of Yardley. The company sold "Twiggy Eyelashes," "Twiggy Paint," and other cosmetics with her as the spokesmodel.[18]Yardley became a symbol ofSwinging Sixtiesand was associated with the 1960s British youth culture ofminiskirts,Carnaby Streetandmodfashions.[19]
In 1970, Yardley was the title sponsor ofBritish Racing Motorsfor two years, with the team racing as Yardley Team BRM. Yardley then moved to the then-Bruce McLaren Motor Racingin 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.[20][21]
In 1970, BAT organized its cosmetic businesses, which included Yardley, into British American Cosmetics. The cosmetics division was sold toBeecham Groupin 1984. The following year, Yardley was sold toWasserstein Perella & Co.[citation needed]
In 1991, Yardley introducedEnglish Blazer,a range of men's grooming products.[22]
As part to update the company's old-fashioned image, in September 1996 Yardley signed up Canadian supermodelLinda Evangelistafor a fee of $7.75 million.[23]However the project backfired when in August 1998, Yardley was placed intoreceivership.[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,WiproConsumer 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,BollywoodactressKatrina Kaifwas made thebrand ambassadorfor Yardleys in India.[30]
Royal Warrants
editYardley has had a long association with theBritish Royal Familyand has been awarded theRoyal Warrant of Appointment (UK)six times. The company has supplied several British monarchs with toiletries.[17]
- 1921 –Edward, Prince of Wales;Perfumers and fine soap makers
- 1932 –Queen Mary;Perfumer
- 1949 –George VI;Purveyors of soap
- 1955 –Elizabeth II;Manufacturers of soap
- 1960 –Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother;Perfumers and manufacturers
- 1995 –Charles III;Manufacturers of toilet preparations
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abHaig, Matt (2005).Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time.Kogan Page Series.Kogan Page Publishers.p. 251.ISBN9780749444334.
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.
- ^abOfficial Catalogue of the Industrial Department.International Exhibition on Industry and Art (1862). London.Google Books.Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ab"Yardley perfumes and colognes".Fragrantica. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ab"About Us".Yardley London.Retrieved9 April2014.
- ^Guthrie, Jonathan (November 16, 2006)."Transcript: Mike Jatania".Financial Times.
- ^Raghu, Deepti Chaudhary and K. (2009-11-06)."Wipro buys some Yardley businesses for $45.5 million".Livemint.Retrieved2020-05-02.
- ^E. Wynne Thomas (1953).The House of Yardley, 1770-1953.Sylvan Press. p. 20.
- ^James Bennett."Yardley".Cosmetics and Skin.RetrievedMay 7,2014.
- ^"Yardley - quintessentially British".HPCi Media Limited.RetrievedJune 23,2013.
- ^"A little history about Yardley London's soaps".Yardley London Ltd.RetrievedJune 23,2013.
- ^"Yardley's 'Lavender Girls'".Newham Council.RetrievedJune 17,2013.
- ^"Wheatley's Cries of London".Spitalfields Life.RetrievedJune 17,2013.
- ^"English Lavender by Yardley, 1873".Basenotes.RetrievedJune 14,2013.
- ^ab"All About Yardley London".Yardley London Ltd.RetrievedJune 14,2013.
- ^"Beauty Icon:Yardley English Lavender".Telegraph Media Group Limited.RetrievedJune 15,2013.
- ^"Yardley Shop front".English Heritage.RetrievedJune 16,2013.
- ^ab"Yardley London Historical Timeline"(PDF).Lornamead Group.RetrievedJune 14,2013.
- ^"Twiggy - Voguepedia".Vogue.RetrievedJune 19,2013.
- ^Brainstorm:Surviving and Thriving in the New Consumer-Led Marketplace.Macmillan. 13 November 2012.ISBN9781137096821.RetrievedJune 19,2013.
- ^"The shambles, success and demise of Britain's first big F1 team".motorsport.2020-05-16.Retrieved2023-06-04.
- ^"McLaren & Papaya".mclaren.Retrieved2023-06-04.
- ^Cloud, Barbara (20 October 1991)."Blazer still blazin': Classic jacket dresses variety of occasions".The Pittsburgh Press.Retrieved5 February2013.
- ^"Linda Evangelista - Voguepedia".Vogue.Archived fromthe originalon August 6, 2014.RetrievedMay 25,2015.
- ^Victor, Peter (27 August 1998)."Yardley, no longer smelling of roses, goes into receivership".The Independent.
- ^"International Business: Yardley brands are sold".The New York Times.November 26, 1998.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
- ^"P&G sells Yardley to Lornamead".CosmeticsDesign USA.October 4, 2005.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
- ^Lall, Rashmee Roshan (May 3, 2006)."Jatanias buy America's biggest hair-care brands".Times of India.
- ^"Li & Fung buys Lornamead for $190 mln to beef up personal care business".Reuters.January 15, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
- ^Deepti Chaudhary and K. Raghu (November 6, 2009)."Wipro buys some Yardley businesses for $45.5 million".Live Mint.
- ^"Katrina Kaif is the Brand Ambassador for Yardley | Business Standard News".Business Standard.2010-09-07.Retrieved2018-11-11.
External links
edit
- Official UK website– part of the Yardley markets owned byWipro
- Official US website– part of the Yardley markets owned by Lornamead
- Lornamead website
- History of Yardley