Rentokil Initial
 |
|
| Public (: ) | |
| Industry | Business Services |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Camberley, Surrey, UK |
|
Key people
|
John McAdam Chairman Andy Ransom CEO |
| Revenue | £2,168.1 million (2016) |
| £232.4 million (2016) | |
| £167.8 million (2016) | |
|
Number of employees
|
circa 31,000 (2017) |
| Website | www.rentokil-initial.com |
Rentokil Initial (: ) is a British business services group. It is listed on the and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
The Company was founded in 1925 by Harold Maxwell-Lefroy, Professor of entomology at Imperial College, London, who had been investigating ways to kill Death watch beetles that had infested Westminster Hall, next door to the Houses of Parliament. Lefroy and his assistant produced an anti-woodworm fluid called Ento-Kill Fluids ("ento" coming from the Latin name for insect). In 1925 he tried to register the name Entokill, but due to existing trademarks, had to choose Rentokil instead, which became the name of his company, Rentokil Ltd. On 14 October 1925, Lefroy was killed in a laboratory when an experiment produced poisonous fumes. His assistant, Elizabeth Eades, took over the running of the company.
British Ratin was established in 1927 as a pest control company by its Danish owner Sophus Berendsen A/S, the company used a bacillus developed by a Danish Scientist George Neumann to control rats and mice. Demand for pest control services began extending beyond rodent control to insect control. British Ratin made its first acquisition, Chelsea Insecticides Ltd in 1940. In 1957 British Ratin acquired Rentokil, the combined businesses continued to use the Rentokil name, becoming Rentokil Laboratories Ltd. in 1960.
Rentokil Group plc was listed on the in 1969. Sophus Berendsen A/S retained a 50% holding in the group until the late 1990s. For many years Rentokil Initial achieved growth of circa 20% each year under the leadership of then CEO, Sir Clive Thompson: during this period Rentokil Initial was voted "Britain's most admired" company.
In 1996, the company became Rentokil Initial following the hostile takeover of its much larger competitor BET plc, the acquisition included the "Initial" laundry and washroom services (founded in 1903). The "Initial" name originated as every towel was marked with the customer's initials, which ensured that customers only received their own towels.
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