W. Garfield Weston - Post War Expansion

Post War Expansion

In 1945, with the defeat of Nazi Germany, Weston left British politics to return home to Canada, where he settled on the West Coast for a time. Although he contemplated semi-retirement, a series of acquisition opportunities presented themselves. During the war, he had acquired Western Grocers, a food wholesaler in Western Canada, and also bought paper manufacturer E.B. Eddy Company Limited of Hull, Quebec, from friend and former Canadian Prime Minister R.B. Bennett. In 1947, Weston was offered a large block of shares in Loblaw Grocerterias Co. Limited, one of the country's leading grocery chains, and over the following years acquired controlling interest. Weston next bought control of William Neilson Limited, a leading Toronto chocolate and confectionery maker. He also continued to buy bakeries in Canada and the United States, including the Southern Biscuit Company of Richmond, Virginia, and the Texas Cookie Co. of Fort Worth. By 1948, Canadian press reports described Garfield Weston as "the biggest manufacturer of bread in the world, the largest biscuit maker in the British Empire and Canada's largest wholesale grocer.".

The post war years saw Garfield Weston continue to expand his overseas holdings, including brands such as Ryvita, acquired in 1949. That same year, his British holding company, with 47 subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, established its first bakery units in Australia and South Africa. Ventures in New Zealand, India, and Rhodesia would follow. On the retail front, Weston bought Fortnum & Mason of London, the high-end grocer and specialty retailer, in 1951. And in 1955, his Allied Bakeries purchased ABC, the Aerated Bread Company, England's second largest chain of eateries, with 164 budget tea shops and restaurants. Meanwhile, ten percent of all bread in Great Britain was baked in Weston plants while 20 million Weston-made biscuits were eaten daily by the British public.

During the mid-1950s, Garfield Weston began developing a chain of British grocery stores under the Fine Fare banner, but early on the venture struggled with losses. In 1961, the chain undertook a major expansion with 130 new stores opened in 15 months. At one point, Weston introduced Canadian management in an attempt to turn the chain around. Ownership was transferred to George Weston Limited but then switched to Associated British Foods. Fine Fare evolved into the largest supermarket chain in Great Britain with some 1,000 stores and by the 1960s turned profitable.

Weston's Associated British Foods, successor to Allied Bakeries, also acquired Twinings, the well-known British brand of tea. On the continent, Weston secured entry into the West German market with a stake in Deutscher Supermarkt, in spite of a petition signed by thousands of Germans. Weston also won a foothold in the French retail market after indicating to President Charles de Gaulle that he could reduce food prices in the Republic.

In North America, Garfield Weston rapidly expanded his holdings, particularly in the retail sector. In 1957, subsidiary Loblaw Companies Limited acquired a large stake in Chicago-based grocer National Tea, with over 700 food stores in the United States. Controlling interest in National followed over the next decade. Weston also continued to acquire retail operations in Canada, including discount and drug stores. Meanwhile, on the resource based side, George Weston Limited bought fish processors British Columbia Packers in 1962 and Connors Brothers of New Brunswick in 1967.