Ferguson plc (formerly Wolseley plc) history, profile and corporate video
Ferguson plc (formerly Wolseley plc) is a British multinational distributor of plumbing and heating products headquartered in Wokingham, England, the United Kingdom.
The company principally serves the Repair, Maintenance and Improvement (RMI) markets and operates in two geographic regions – the United States and Canada.
- United States (trading as Ferguson Enterprises) including Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Caribbean
- Canada (trading as Wolseley Canada) and central Europe. In Canada, it is organized into the following businesses: Plumbing, Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC/R), Waterworks and Industrial (Pipe, Valves and Fittings).
The company can trace its roots back to 1887 when Frederick York Wolseley, an Irish immigrant living in Australia, founded the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company in Sydney. The Company’s purpose was to manufacture his invention, the first mechanical sheep shearing machine.
In 1889, Frederick moved the Company to Birmingham, England, where he formed Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Co. Ltd. It also hired Herbert Austin to be Chief Inspector of the new Company in Birmingham.
Following the success in 1895 of Austin’s experimental automobile, he was given permission to design and build what would be Wolseley’s first car. This company eventually becomes the Rover Group, owned at one time by BMW.
During the First World War, a part of the Company was concentrated on the production of munitions, Webley & Scott flare pistols, bomb containers, and steel bomb noses.
In 1935, Wolseley disposed of its Australian assets (completing in 1936) and introduced new products such as milk coolers, strainers, wind-driven lighting, hand tools, oils, and force feed oil cans.
During the Second World War, Wolseley once again concentrated on supply work, continuing making munitions and having a good reputation for skilled engineering. It also carried out sub-contracting for Rolls Royce aircraft engines.
The post-war period saw the introduction of several new products ranged from engines to agricultural elevators to milk coolers.
In 1955, the company changed its name from Wolseley Sheep Searing Machine Co. Ltd. to Wolseley Engineering Ltd.
In 1967, Wolseley acquired HC Webb & Co., and added lawnmowers and hedge trimmers to the product portfolio.
In 1958, the company completed the merger with Geo. H. Hughes, a manufacturer of wheels for various uses, and then changed its name to Wolseley-Hughes Limited.
In 1960, The Wolseley-Hughes Group acquired Nu-Way Heating Limited. The spare parts division of Nu-Way Heating was rebranded OBC (Oil Burner Components).
In 1965, the Group ceased manufacturing of all sheep shearing equipment, and OBC acquired Granville Controls and Yorkshire Heating Supplies.
In 1973, OBC, Granville Controls and Yorkshire Heating Supplies formed the main constituents of Wolseley-Hughes Merchants (today known as Wolseley UK). The subsidiary originally distributed spare parts for burners but later the business also began to distribute domestic system radiators and boilers.
In 1976, the Group ceased engine manufacturing and started expanding within the UK heating and plumbing market.
In 1979, Wolseley acquired the John James Group of Companies Limited, which includes a significant distributor of industrial pipe, valves and fittings, now trading under the Mechanical side of the Wolseley brand.
In 1982, Wolseley acquired Ferguson Enterprises, a distributor of plumbing and heating supplies.
In 1985, Wolseley UK was established to distribute building products.
In 1986, the Group was renamed Wolseley plc.
In 1992, the company acquired France’s leading supplier of plumbing supplies, Brossette. Following the acquisition, the Group moved into Austria, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.
After strengthening its position in Europe the Group boosted its US operations with 15 acquisitions in the US between 1997-1998.
In 1999, Wolseley acquired businesses across the US, UK, Italy, Luxembourg, and Republic of Ireland.
In 2000, Cinven acquired most of the Group’s manufacturing businesses.
In 2001, Wolseley Canada through the acquisition of Westburne plumbing operations.
In 2002, Wolseley acquired Clayton, the fourth largest wholesale distributor of waterworks, wastewater, and storm drainage material in the US. That year, also acquired The Wasco Group, expanding into Holland.
In 2005, the company moved into Belgium through the acquisition of Centratec.
In 2007, Wolseley acquired DT Group, a distributor of building materials in the Nordic region, with operations in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
In 2009, due to the 2008 financial crisis, the Group implemented a comprehensive restructuring program that resulted in the disposal of many of the Group’s businesses. Large scale disposals during this period included Stock Building Supply, the United States building materials business in 2009, Build Center, the UK building materials business, and Brossette, the French plumbing and heating business in 2012.
In 2017, Wolseley plc changed its name to Ferguson plc to better align itself with the largest subsidiary in the Group. The Wolseley brand however still operates throughout Canada and the United Kingdom.
In January 2021, Wolseley UK was acquired by private equity firm, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, completing Ferguson plc’s shift to north America.
With more than 34,000 employees and 1,652 branches spread across the US and Canada, Ferguson plc (formerly Wolseley plc) is considered one of the world’s leading specialist distributors of plumbing and heating products. According to Forbes, it is considered one of the Top 2000 Largest Public Companies in the world.
*Information from Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, and www.fergusonplc.com/en.
**Video published on YouTube by “Ferguson“.