Chad Valley (toy brand)
Parent J Sainsbury plc | | |
Website | Chad Valley |
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Chad Valley is a long-established brand of toys in the United Kingdom owned by Sainsbury's.
History
The company has its roots in a printing business established by Anthony Bunn Johnson in Birmingham in the early 19th century. Under the management of his son Joseph and grandson Alfred the company moved to the suburb of Harborne, in the valley of a stream called the Chad Brook, giving its name to the Chad Valley district, from which the company name is derived.
Chad Valley made a decision to expand their range to
In 1938 the company received a
The company moved away from manufacturing toys in the Second World War. Instead they produced goods to help the war effort such as wooden instrument cases, cases for the barrels of anti-aircraft guns, hospital beds and electrical coils and starters.[2]
In 1945 the company resumed toy production. Tin plate toys were produced for the first time although manufacture was outsourced to Metal Box, a company with the skills and machinery needed to produce printed toys. This new tin plate range was such a success that in 1946 the company moved production in-house. They purchased the Birmingham metalworking company AS Cartwright to cut and fold metal, Winfield to produce clockwork mechanisms and Barronia Metals and True to Type Products to produce precision engineering equipment.[3]
The radio broadcaster Kenneth Horne was Chairman and Managing Director of the company from 1956 to 1958.[4]
The company was one of the UK's leading toymakers for most of the 20th century; by 1960 it was operating seven factories and employing over 1,000 people. In the 1970s, however, it closed several factories and cuts were made in staffing and production, and 1975 saw only two factories remaining. The company was taken over by Palitoy in 1978.[2]
The brand name was bought by
References
- ^ a b "Toys for Toffs - the early history of Chad Valley". Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ a b c "Chad Valley Co". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ "The History of Chad Valley". Toy Price Guide. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ISBN 1-84513-123-1
- ^ "Home Retail Signs Deal To Buys Chad Valley Toy Brand For GBP5M". The Wall Street Journal. 20 January 2009. Archived from the original on 21 January 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
- ^ "Sainsbury's wins battle to buy Argos". BBC. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
External links
- Chad Valley Toys (enthusiast web site)