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[April 2001]
Watts Blake Bearne Creates New Company
On 3 April 2001, Watts Blake Bearne & Company (WBB) announced its intention to form a new company called WBB Minerals Ltd and its proposed relocation of its head office from Newton Abbot, Devon to Cheshire by 1 October 2001.
WBB acquired industrial mineral and chemical company Hepworth Minerals & Chemicals (Holdings) Ltd - based in Sandbach, Cheshire - in July 2000. This move was a significant acquisition for WBB (with sales of 120 million) and with HMC (with sales of 80 million) has created a strong international supplier of minerals and chemicals.
HMC was renamed Sibelco Minerals & Chemicals (SMC) and a joint internal management team began their investigations into how best to integrate WBB and SMC, in order to maximise the potential for long-term growth.
Having reviewed all the options available, concerning the provision of a central head office, the conclusion is that the move to Cheshire has clear business benefits, says the company in its statement. These include the opportunity to base all its head office services under one roof; a relatively central location with regard to all of its mineral operations in the UK; and excellent connections with the transport infrastructure including international airports, as well as the benefits of rationalisation of economies of scale.
The integration of the two head offices will not affect the minerals operations in the UK or abroad. The new holding company for SMC and WBB will be renamed WBB Minerals Ltd, with the well known brand of WBB and the camel logo of SMC continuing to be used the world over.
ENDS