Arjo Wiggins
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Paper |
| Founded | 1761 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Website | www.arjowiggins.com |
Arjowiggins is a leading producer of paper products. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and used to be a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but is now owned by Worms & Cie.
History
The company's origins go back to 1761 when Buckland Mill in Dover in Kent commenced operations.[1]
Meanwhile, in France, in the middle of the 20th century there were four competing paper mills that manufactured sophisticated paper products with high added value, especially security papers (banknotes, passports, etc.). A joint merger plan was drawn up in 1954 and led to the formation of the first French paper-manufacturing group: ARJOMARI. The name of the group came from the first two letters of the names of the paper mills participating in the merger: Arches, Johannot, Marais, Rives.[2]
In 1890 Buckland Mill was bought by Wiggins Teape[3] a business formed by Edward Wiggins and Henry Teape when they incorporated their paper milling business some 40 years earlier.[1]
In 1970 the Company was acquired by BAT Industries[1] who went on to acquire Appleton Papers of the US in 1978.[1] The business expanded rapidly in the 1980s as it exploited the market in carbonless paper. In 1989 the UK and US paper businesses were demerged from BAT Industries and integrated to form Wiggins Teape Appleton.[1] In 1991 it merged with Arjomari-Prioux of France to form Arjowiggins Appleton.[1] Its distribution business was demerged in 2000 as Antalis.[4]
It was acquired by Worms & Cie in 2000.[5]