H. Bronnley & Co.

British soap and toiletries producer

H. Bronnley & Co UK Ltd

Traded as	Bronnley
Founder	James Bronnley
Headquarters	Milton Keynes , England
Area served	International
Products	toiletries

H. Bronnley & Co. (or Bronnley) is a British soap and toiletries producer established in 1884 in London. The company moved to Brackley, Northamptonshire before 1961 and was located in the old Chesham and Brackley Brewery premises, with their box making department located across the road in an old manor house. Following closure of its factory, the company relocated its head office to Milton Keynes in 2013.

History

It was founded in 1884 by James Bronnley when he was just 19 years old. He had spent 1883 in Paris studying the science of soap making and had decided to return to England to become a high quality soap maker.

Starting in a shed in Holborn, London, the quality of his soaps soon led to an expansion. First to larger premises in Islington and then to a larger plant in Acton, London. The company stayed in Acton until a large fire in 1949. The company relocated to Brackley, Northamptonshire, where the present factory was built and opened in 1989.

The company remained in family control for three generations until 2007 when it was subject to a management buy-in for around £10million. Chairman Ann Rossiter retired as part of the deal, with the new management team led by former Lornamead chief executive, Leslie Barber^[1] and Scott Dougan from Revlon.^[2]

In November 2011 the company went into administration^[3] and was bought out by shareholders. The company subsequently announced that manufacturing would be outsourced in the future.^[4]

Bronnley today claims to be one of the leading British soap and toiletries brands, although their Twitter account has been dormant since October 2023, and their website is non-functional. It was a British Royal Warrant holder by appointment to the late Queen Elizabeth II,^[5] and was also used by King Charles III when he was the Prince of Wales.^[6]

References

^ Jack, Louise (2 August 2007). "Management team buys into soap brand Bronnley". Marketing Week. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
^ Dunne, Mark (9 October 2007). "Duo buys toiletries manufacturer". M&A Deals. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
^ "Notice: 1489158". The London Gazette. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
^ "Jobs at Brackley luxury soap maker could be at risk". Buckingham Advertiser. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
^ Ashton-Jones, Christopher (30 June 2008). "Royal Warrant – a peerage for trade". The Times. London. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
^ "UK: PROFILE - QUEEN OF SOAPS". Management Today. 1 March 1995. Retrieved 2 July 2012.