W.D. & H.O. Wills
Former English tobacco company / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
W.D. & H.O. Wills was a British tobacco manufacturing company formed in Bristol, England. It was the first British company to mass-produce cigarettes. It was one of the 13 founding companies of the Imperial Tobacco Company (of Great Britain and Ireland); these firms became branches, or divisions, of the new combine and included John Player & Sons.
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Tobacco |
Founded | 1786; 238 years ago (1786)[1] |
Founder | Henry O. Wills |
Defunct | 1901; 123 years ago (1901) |
Fate | Merged as a branch, or division, of the Imperial Tobacco Company. |
Headquarters | Bristol |
Key people | List |
Products | Cigarettes |
Brands |
The company was founded by Henry O. Wills in 1786,[1] and went by various names before 1830 when it became "W.D. & H.O. Wills". Tobacco was processed and sold under several brand names, some of which were still used by Imperial Tobacco until the second half of the 20th century. The company pioneered the use of cigarette cards within their packaging. Many of the buildings in Bristol and other cities around the United Kingdom still exist with several being converted to residential use.
The brand "Wills" was withdrawn by Imperial Tobacco in 1988 for the majority of its products.