The story
Enodis was founded by Samuel and William Berisford in 1851 as a small grocery and pharmacy in Manchester under the name S&W Berisford. William Berisford, a grandson of the founder, started trading in sugar at the end of the 19th century. The business incorporated in 1910. In 1968 it acquired commodity trading company J&H Rayner (Mincing Lane) Limited and through the 1970s it expanded its commodity business. In 1982 the company acquired British Sugar, owner of the Silver Spoon brand, and diversified into property and financial services.
Financial difficulties in the late-1980s and early-1990s led to a program of disposals including of British Sugar, but a new acquisition drive occurred in the 1990s, with the purchase of Magnet, a kitchen and joinery business, in 1994, the Welbilt Corporation, a United States food equipment business, in 1995 and the Scotsman Group, another US food equipment business, in 1999. In 2000 the company changed its name to Enodis. Between 2000 and 2002 Enodis sold its building and consumer products division, including Magnet, and also several other subsidiaries to become a focused food equipment production company.
The company became an acquisition target in 2006, turning away offers from Aga Foodservice and The Middleby Corporation and terminating more advanced discussions with The Manitowoc Company. Manitowoc returned with a fresh offer in April 2008, valuing Enodis at around £1 billion. The bid was accepted by the board and shareholders, with the deal closing that October with the delisting of Enodis shares from the London Stock Exchange.
Following an ongoing dispute with Felsted residents Sir Alan Haselhurst raised questions in the House of Commons in 2011 pertaining to Enodis's non delivery of advertised facilities.
From Wikipedia’s article on Enodis, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4