Tyrrells (crisps)
 | |
| Product type | Snack foods |
|---|---|
| Owner | Investcorp, Bahrain |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Previous owners |
William Chase (founder) 2002–2008 Langholm Capital 2008–2013 |
| Website | |
Tyrrells is a manufacturer of potato crisps owned by Bahrain-based Investcorp.
History
Tyrrells was founded in Leominster, Herefordshire, in 2002 by farmer and entrepreneur William Chase.[1] Within several years of its creation Tyrrells expanded its market into Europe and later into the U.S. Tyrrells has received numerous awards for the taste and quality of its crisps, both in England, as well as internationally.[2]
In April 2008, Chase sold a majority stake for £30M to Langholm Capital. Chase had a long running dispute with Tesco over stocking his potatoes, and so refused to sell them any supplies of Tyrrells.[3] He said that his previous farming business had collapsed when "the large supermarkets, led by Tesco, began sourcing produce from overseas to push down costs."[3] After Langholm took over, they dropped the existing distribution chain, and focused on large supermarkets including Tesco; they then dropped Chase as a supplier of potatoes when they "found they could get them cheaper elsewhere".[4] Chase used the money from the sale of his stake in Tyrrells to start production of Chase potato vodka, again using his own farmed potatoes.[5]
In 2010 Perry Haydn Taylor's agency, big fish, began work on branding and marketing Tyrells, focusing on the "quintessentially English" identity of the product.[6]
In July 2013 the firm was sold for £100M to Investcorp, a Bahrain-based luxury brands investor.[4]
In early 2016 the firm moved some of its manufacturing offshore
Products
Tyrrells produces a number of different types of crisps, popcorn and tortilla. As of April 2016 they produce 25 flavours of potato and vegetable crisps.[7][2][8]
References
- ↑ McLaughlin, Lisa (31 January 2008). "The Yankee Chipper". Time (New York). Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- 1 2 "Tyrrells". Tomoe Corporation. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- 1 2 Milmo, Dan (18 September 2006). "Crunch time for Tesco in row with crisp maker". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- 1 2 Neate, Rupert (1 August 2013). "Tyrrells crisp firm makes a packet in £100m sale". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ↑ Neate, Rupert (21 July 2011). "William Chase: Potato farmer who struck gold". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ↑ "Tyrrells". big fish. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ↑ "Our English crisps". Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ↑ "Tyrrells". PotatoPro. Retrieved 5 February 2013.