Crown Paints is a major

paint Paint is a material or mixture that, when applied to a solid material and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer. As art, this is used to create an image or images known as a painting. Paint can be made in many colors and types. Most paints are ...

manufacturer based in Darwen,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. It is owned by Hempel Group.

History

The origins of the business lie in the history of paint making in Hollins Road Darwen, which can be traced back to the late 1850s. It initially traded as ''WalPaMur'' after the initials of ''The Wall Paper Manufacturers' Company''. The company traded independently as ''Walpamur'' until it acquired by Reed International in 1965. Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

visited Crown House, the Walpamur headquarters in Darwen, in 1968. It was taken over by Williams Holdings in 1987 and then by Akzo Nobel in 1990. It was sold in a

management buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...

backed by the

private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

firm Endless in August 2008, in a deal to satisfy the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

's concerns of a possible

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...

after Akzo Nobel's takeover of ICI. In June 2011, the company was acquired by Danish paints manufacturer, Hempel Group.

Sponsorship

The company were once sponsors of

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founded in ...

and Blackburn Rovers F.C.

Royal warrant

The company has held a Royal Warrant since 1949. It remains one of only three companies to hold the Royal Warrant for the manufacture of paints.

References

External links

Official WebsiteOfficial Irish Website
Paint and coatings companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Lancashire British royal warrant holders {{UK-manufacturing-company-stub