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Suleyot Ltd
Frankie Foods Ltd
Poppin Foods Ltd
Wimpy Overseas Ltd
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The
origins of Zippy Franchises Ltd can be
traced to 14 October 1964 when Suleyot
Ltd, the former name of Zippy Franchises
Ltd, was incorporated listing in its
Memorandum of Association the following
objectives:
To
carry on business as caterers, proprietors
of hotels, restaurants, and tea rooms,
licensed victuallers, brewers malters,
wine and spirit merchants, distillers,
mineral and aerated water manufacturers
and importers, bakers, confectioners,
pastry-cooks, sweet manufacturers,
tobacconists, ice cream manufacturers,
meat salesmen, pork butchers, fishmongers,
fruiters, greengrocers, dairymen,
gardeners, farmers, game and poultry
dealers., corn dealers, food and provision
dealers, cold storage depository
proprietors, garage, cab, coach and
omnibus proprietors, carriers, metal and
alloy makers, refiners and workers,
engineers, electricians, joiners,
furniture makers and woodworkers,
upholsterers, French polishers, builders,
painters and decorators, builders
merchants, ironmongers and hardware
dealers, tailors, clothiers, general
outfitters and general store keepers etc.
etc.
Four
directors were appointed at incorporation
two of whom were Brian Lawson Salmon and
Julian Salmon. Julian at this time was
joint Managing Director of J. Lyons &
Co. and Brian a main board Director. There
are no records to show that Suleyot Ltd
ever traded nor was it a subsidiary of
Lyons. It was probably a 'shelf' company
acquired for some planned business
development with registered offices at 6
Surrey Street, Strand, London. This
appears to have been the case because on 8
February 1965 Suleyot Ltd increased its
share capital to £99,900 and on the
26 February changed its name to Frankie
Foods Ltd. The majority of the capital was
held by a subsidiary of J. Lyons,
Microtherm Ltd with the balance held by
two venture capitalists, Bentworth
Securities Ltd (London) and Foseco
Holdings AG (Zurich). The new objectives
of Frankie Foods Ltd was to develop and
hold licences, patents, patent rights,
trade marks and other concessions and
privileges and to advise and give
technical assistance to the production of
foodstuffs and operation of hotels. The
company was in effect a consultancy. On 16
November 1965 nearly 12,000 shares were
allotted to Wimpy International Inc
(Chicago) another Lyons subsidiary and on
23 November the company changed its name
again, this time to Poppin Foods Ltd. On 7
February 1972, Poppin Foods Ltd became
Zippy Franchises Ltd but in August 1977
the company changed its name again to
Wimpy Overseas Ltd. During this period,
through wholly owned Lyons subsidiaries,
it was owned by J. Lyons & Co. The
Wimpy business was sold in December 1976
to United Biscuits following which (1 July
1977) Wimpy Overseas Ltd (formally Zippy)
acquired from Pleasure Foods International
Ltd (part of the Wimpy operation) that
part of Pleasure Foods and its
subsidiaries which was concerned with the
franchising and supply of foods and
services to catering businesses worldwide.
It was a very small operation employing no
more than about 7 persons. Finally Wimpy
Overseas Ltd became Montrap Ltd on 16
August 1990.
Why
Zippy? It is not known why the name Zippy
Franchises Ltd was chosen. However, it is
known that Zippy was a form of brick ice
cream which had been sliced and prepared
for wafer portions. It had been developed
at Cadby Hall and patented, by its
inventor, Harold Boon. It was an entirely
new process for treating and wrapping ice
cream as it emerged from the freezer and
in its time was a break-through in the
production of ice cream. Zippy reached the
retailer in cartons containing individual
rectangular portions, each enclosed in a
cardboard collar so that it could be
placed between two wafers and the wrapping
removed without anyone having to touch the
ice cream. This patented process would
have been managed by the company which
Lyons had originally established as
Frankie Foods Ltd and it is quite possible
that its interest at that time might have
caused the company to chose Zippy
Franchises Ltd in fear that a competitor
might exploit the name of Zippy
themselves
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