Needler's
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| Industry | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1886 (approximately; purchase of predecessor company) 1902 (incorporated as Fred Needler Ltd.) 1906 (name changed to Needler Ltd.) |
| Founder | Fred Needler |
| Headquarters | Kingston upon Hull, England |
| Website | ashbury.co.uk |
Needler's was a sweet manufacturer based in Kingston upon Hull, England. The company was founded in the 19th century and sold to Hillsdown Holdings in 1986.
Needler's owes its existence to Frederick Needler, who was born at Arnold, Skirlaugh, near Kingston upon Hull, England, on 12 December 1864. The family name appears to have been mis-spelt, as Frederick was the son of George Needley, a paint-factory employee, who died from typhoid in September 1872, age 37. Frederick attended St John's School, Newland, in Hull. His first job in about 1878, at age fourteen, was in a tea and coffee warehouse in High Street. In the 1881 Census, he is described as a grocer's apprentice. At age eighteen, he became a bookkeeper to Edward Buckton, who had a small manufacturing confectionery business near Paragon Station in Hull. In about 1886, using money from his mother, he bought this business for £100. He moved the premises to Anne Street, where he is known to have had two staff — a sugar boiler and a boy named Watson. They had a horse and cart for making deliveries.
There were many firms of this type in Hull at the time, usually operating within a geographical range determined by the stamina of their horses. Frederick Needler soon moved into wholesaling, occupying various premises to the north of Paragon Station until he bought 9 and 11 Spring Street in 1898, which is when company records started to be produced.
In 1899–1900 there was a turnover of about £15,000 and profit of £781 (about 5%). Production had reached about ten tons per week. There were ten female and twenty-three male employees producing over two hundred different products, chiefly boiled sweets and toffees. The company also acted as wholesalers for other brands, such as Cadburys, Frys and Rowntrees. In marketing terms, growth was greatly helped by the switch from green to clear glass jars, thereby improving the appearance.
The company was incorporated on 27 October 1902 as Fred Needler Ltd., when the directors were Fred Needler (at £250 per annum), Alfred Thorpe (£160), and Joseph Cooper Wilson (£140). There were 6,000 shares, of which 5,416 were owned by Frederick Needler, and 1 by his wife. The first minute books also date from this time.
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