- Gerard Bros.
Infobox_Company | company_name = Gerard Bros. Ltd. | company_type =
Limited company | foundation = 1897 | location =Nottingham ,England | industry =Soaps | products = Ino toilet soap, Ino flakes |Gerard Bros. Ltd. was a manufacturer of personal healthcare products. The company was founded in 1897, and Mr Thomas B. Gerard was voted its first chairman. The company established a factory in Wilkinson Street, New Basford,
Nottingham . The factory was built on a 14 acre site and pumped water from theRiver Leen . In 1921 the factory was severely damaged by fire, but the subsequent rebuild afforded the opportunity to expand the factory. [Linday, D.T.A. (1976) "Soapmaking past and present", at page 18]In 1955 the company was acquired by Cussons Sons & Co., chaired by
Leslie Cussons makers of the famous brand Cussons Imperial Leather soap. After the acquisition Cussons kept the Gerard Bros. factory in use.In 1975 Cussons Sons & Co. were themselves acquired by Paterson Zochonis [Jones, S. 17.11.2001, “Bubbly PZ washes hands of some of its imperial past” "Financial Times"] (recently renamed to
PZ Cussons ). In 2005 PZ Cussons finally closed the old Gerard Bros. factory, [Burgess, K. 09.02.2005, “Setback as Cussons five-year plan stalls with detergent loss” "Financial Times"] and manufacturing was moved to Pathumthani,Thailand .Brands
Gerard Bros.'s main brand was called 'Ino'. The brand was produced as a toilet soap with the tagline "The First Aid to Beauty". Washing flakes were also produced with the tagline 'Ino Flakes Wash Everything'. A set of playing cards were manufactured to advertise Ino Flakes.
Gerard Bros. also manufactured a range of soaps inspired by flowers. The range included Lily of the Valley, Rose and Lavender.
References
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