LEVER BROTHERS LIMITED. This British joint stock soap manufacturing company was founded by the late William Hesketh Lever, first Viscount Leverhulme (q.v.).
In 1887 Lever bought 52ac. of land near Birkenhead and founded Port Sunlight. In 1889 manufacture was begun in the first soapery, a comparatively small factory; in 1928 the Port Sunlight works covered an area of 287ac. and employed about 7,000 people.
In 1928 Lever Brothers and their associated companies did much more than manufacture soap. Their interests were divided into three main parts : (r) the production of soap of many kinds and allied products; (2) the production of raw materials, includ ing the produce of tropical plantations and whaling stations and oil and cake mills at home and abroad; (3) edible produce, in cluding fish, canned goods and margarine.
It had been an early ambition of 'the founder of the business to make it independent of outside sources of raw materials, and a first step towards this position was taken in 1905 with the ac quisition of 300,00o acres of land in the British Solomons for the cultivation of the coco-palm. In 1911, a concession was granted by the Belgian Government for the development of sev eral million acres of the Belgian Congo ; and the consolidation of the company's interests in West Africa was completed in 1920 by the purchase of the historic Niger Company, Limited. The re-or ganization of the soap trade in Great Britain began with the pur chase in 1906 of Hodgson & Simpson, Limited, of Wakefield, and of the Vinolia Company, Limited, of London, and, in 1908, of R. S. Hudson, Ltd. of Liverpool and West Bromwich. Between
that year and the World War the following British soap-making firms were added to the list of Lever Brothers' associated corn panies : Edward Cook & Co. Ltd., of London; Barrington & Sons Ltd., of Dublin; Ogston & Tennant L'1. of Aberdeen and Ren frew; Christopher Thomas & Brothers Ltd., of Bristol ; Wilkie & Soames Ltd., of London ; and A. & F. Pears Ltd.
During 1917-1924 a number of other companies were acquired, including such important firms as Joseph Crosfield & Sons Ltd.; the Erasmic Co. Ltd. ; William Gossage & Sons Ltd. ; Joseph Wat son & Sons Ltd. ; John Knight Ltd. ; and the International Icilma Trading Co. Ltd. Outside the soap industry, war-time and post war developments have included the establishment of the marga rine business of Planters Foods Ltd. at Bromborough, Cheshire, the fishing and fish distributing business of MacFisheries Limited, and the acquisition of the chocolate manufacturing business of Delecta Ltd., of Watford, Hertfordshire.
The paid-up capital of the company (1928) was £56,627,546, and in addition there was £7,461,577 of debenture stock. Taking into account investments in certain associated companies, the total capital employed in the business is more than £70,000,000. The turnover is between £70,000,000 and £80.000,000 a year.
(L. C. M.) LEVERET: see HARE.