Company History



1850		The company was founded by Mr. William Sinclair in 1850 in New York, near Boston in Lincolnshire. It was initially a seed business, growing local contract crops for wholesale and supplying local farmers.

1885		William Sinclair Salesforce

1889		An office and warehouse was opened at Boston to supply local farmers and national wholeslers with agricultural seeds and a wide range of other products such as fertilisers, feed stuffs etc. William Sinclair & Son became an Incorporated company.

1915		War strikes but William Sinclair & Son keep on trading

1920		William Sinclair becomes a Limited Company. Purchased a 50% shareholding in Lindsey & Kesteven Fertilisers (L&K) of Saxilby, Lincolnshire.

1923		Brochure illustrating William Sinclair & Son’s continued expansion.

1937		This brochure typically reflects the era of the 30's

1943		War shortages are in evidence with the 1943 brochure, printed on low quality brown paper.

1961		J Arthur Bower approached L&K to ask them to take over production of his compost. A small horticultural division, of four people, was set up to produce this and market it alongside a range of garden fertilisers

1970		The seed division of the business aquired United Seeds, which included McGill & Smith and its subsidiaries. A number of other regional seed companies were acquired and merged into Sinclair McGill.

1975		Export Department created to cope with demand from the Middle East.

1978		William Sinclair Holdings was formed to run all the business under the directorship of Mr Tom Sinclair, the fourth generation of his family to be involved in the business. It acquired full control of L&K Fertilisers.

1980		Sinclair Horticulture & Leisure was formed to represent the horticultural products.

1982		The agricultural fertiliser division (L&K) was sold to Kemira of Finland for £2.3m.

1983		William Sinclair Holdings became one of the early entries into the Unlisted Securities Market. A nine-acre factory and office site was purchased and developed at Firth Road, Lincoln. It created Europe’s biggest and most modern compost production unit at the time and also brought the opportunity to manufacture plant foods.

1984		Manufacturing at the Firth Road plant becomes fully operational.

1986		The agricultural seeds and plant breeding operation, Sinclair McGill, was sold to ICI for £5.1m, enabling the company to concentrate on and expand its horticultural interests. Caledonian Peat Products was bought with 1,600 acres of sphagnum peat in Scotland. Bought the Fyba Pot Company Ltd., manufacturers of biodegradable pots and mats, based at Knottingley, Yorkshire.

1987		Bought Inside/Outside, importers of Terracotta pots. Bought Bark Products, processors of wood bark products. Bought Silvaperl Ltd., pioneers in the use of perlite in horticulture and market leaders in John Innes composts. Bought Garotta Products Ltd, the home composting accelerator.

1988		William Sinclair Holdings fully listed on the stock market. Expanded activity in the bark market by buying Woodland Bark and integrating it into Bark Products. Bought a five acre site in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, and installed new perlite and vermiculite furnaces. In the first move to diversify into the pet market, bought Mallon Bros., processors of woodshavings and sawdust for the equestrian and pet bedding markets, and renamed it Woodpecker.

1989		Commissioned a fully automated compost bagging plant at Lincoln to increase production capacity from four million bags to over six million per year.

1990		Bought Goldengrow, the coir-based growing media specialist, and integrated it into Sinclair Horticulture. Bought F J Altons & Partners Ltd., manufacturers of pet treats and feed supplements, and relocated it to Gainsborough. Moved Woodpecker to Wickenby, Lincolnshire.

1991		Bought Farmer Foster, manufacturers of trellis work and garden furniture. Bought King British, manufacturers of fish food and aquatic water treatments. Bought Uno Aquatic Products, heating equipment for aquatics and ponds.

1992		Bought the Secto Company Ltd., a manufacturer of pet and household products. Sinclair Horticulture was formed from an amalgamation of Sinclair Horticulture & Leisure, Bark Products and Silvaperl.

1994		Bought Zeneca’s growing media business and its production site at Boothby near Carlisle for £2.76m, which doubled William Sinclair Horticulture’s share of the UK professional growing media market and tripled the company’s peat resources. Established Sinclair Animal and Household Care Ltd. to run the Secto, Altons, King British and Uno Aquatics businesses.

1996		Set up a joint venture with Biotal Products Ltd., to promote home composting products. Bought Gammacross Ltd., manufacturers of Canac Pet Product (such as pet beds, collars, leads and scratching posts) based at Westbury, Wiltshire.

1997		Bought Midland Oak Ltd., manufacturers of a range of plastic injection moulded products for the pet and horticultural markets.

1999		Purchased a 50% interest in Ou Alutaguse Turvas, an Estonian company with 504 ha of peat reserves. Gammacross and Midland Oak were merged to become Sinclair Pet Accessories Ltd.

2000		Sinclair Pet Accessories moved into a new four acre site at Oldbury Road, West Bromich.

2001		The Fyba Pot Company business was incorporated into Sinclair Horticulture. The Woodpecker business was sold.

2002		A major fire at the Boothby production site resulted in a complete rebuild of all the compost bagging facilities. An additional Vermiculite furnace was built at Gainsborough, quadrupling production capacity. Sold Sinclair Animal and Household Care in order to concentrate on the horticultural markets.

2003		Installed fully automated cartoning facilities at Lincoln for packing fertilisers. Restructured the bark business, closing the Diss and Flimby sites to bring bark bagging in-house at Boothby. Terminated joint venture with Biotal. Bought a 50% share in Freeland Horticulture, a commercial producer of composted green waste material for use in soil conditioners and growing media. Established a partnership with Klasmann Gmbh to sell their growing media in the UK.

2004		Purchased an additional eight acres of land for storage at Lincoln. A new Perlite furnace was installed at Gainsborough, greatly improving energy consumption.

2005		Three new compost bagging lines with integrated programmable palletisation were installed at Lincoln.

2006		William Sinclair Holdings plc transfered its listing to AIM. Sold all peat interests in Estonia. Dissolved the partnership with Klasmann Gmbh.

2007		Increased shareholding in Freeland Horticulture to 87.5%.

2008		Bought Joseph Metcalf Ltd., manufacturers of Gem composts and fertilisers for the retail and commercial horticulture markets, for £2.95m.

2010		Reached an agreement with Natural England to cease future peat harvesting at Bolton Fell Moss and received an advance payment of £9m. Acquired Growing Success Organics from Monro Horticulture, the market leader in specialist, environmentally friendly, garden care products. Bought a premium play sand business from Monro Horticulture Ltd.

2011		Acquired the assets and business of Yorkshire Horticultural Supplies, composters of park and garden waste.

2012		Purchased a major new production site at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, for £4.75m.

Company History

1850

The company was founded by Mr. William Sinclair in 1850 in New York, near Boston in Lincolnshire.

It was initially a seed business, growing local contract crops for wholesale and supplying local farmers.

1885

William Sinclair Salesforce

1889

An office and warehouse was opened at Boston to supply local farmers and national wholeslers with agricultural seeds and a wide range of other products such as fertilisers, feed stuffs etc.

William Sinclair & Son became an Incorporated company.

1915

War strikes but William Sinclair & Son keep on trading

1920

William Sinclair becomes a Limited Company.

Purchased a 50% shareholding in Lindsey & Kesteven Fertilisers (L&K) of Saxilby, Lincolnshire.

1923

Brochure illustrating William Sinclair & Son’s continued expansion.

1937

This brochure typically reflects the era of the 30's

1943

War shortages are in evidence with the 1943 brochure, printed on low quality brown paper.

1961

J Arthur Bower approached L&K to ask them to take over production of his compost.

A small horticultural division, of four people, was set up to produce this and market it alongside a range of garden fertilisers

1970

The seed division of the business aquired United Seeds, which included McGill & Smith and its subsidiaries.

A number of other regional seed companies were acquired and merged into Sinclair McGill.

1975

Export Department created to cope with demand from the Middle East.

1978

William Sinclair Holdings was formed to run all the business under the directorship of Mr Tom Sinclair, the fourth generation of his family to be involved in the business.

It acquired full control of L&K Fertilisers.

1980

Sinclair Horticulture & Leisure was formed to represent the horticultural products.

1982

The agricultural fertiliser division (L&K) was sold to Kemira of Finland for £2.3m.

1983

William Sinclair Holdings became one of the early entries into the Unlisted Securities Market.

A nine-acre factory and office site was purchased and developed at Firth Road, Lincoln. It created Europe’s biggest and most modern compost production unit at the time and also brought the opportunity to manufacture plant foods.

1984

Manufacturing at the Firth Road plant becomes fully operational.

1986

The agricultural seeds and plant breeding operation, Sinclair McGill, was sold to ICI for £5.1m, enabling the company to concentrate on and expand its horticultural interests.

Caledonian Peat Products was bought with 1,600 acres of sphagnum peat in Scotland.

Bought the Fyba Pot Company Ltd., manufacturers of biodegradable pots and mats, based at Knottingley, Yorkshire.

1987

Bought Inside/Outside, importers of Terracotta pots.

Bought Bark Products, processors of wood bark products.

Bought Silvaperl Ltd., pioneers in the use of perlite in horticulture and market leaders in John Innes composts.

Bought Garotta Products Ltd, the home composting accelerator.

1988

William Sinclair Holdings fully listed on the stock market.

Expanded activity in the bark market by buying Woodland Bark and integrating it into Bark Products.

Bought a five acre site in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, and installed new perlite and vermiculite furnaces.

In the first move to diversify into the pet market, bought Mallon Bros., processors of woodshavings and sawdust for the equestrian and pet bedding markets, and renamed it Woodpecker.

1989

Commissioned a fully automated compost bagging plant at Lincoln to increase production capacity from four million bags to over six million per year.

1990

Bought Goldengrow, the coir-based growing media specialist, and integrated it into Sinclair Horticulture.

Bought F J Altons & Partners Ltd., manufacturers of pet treats and feed supplements, and relocated it to Gainsborough.

Moved Woodpecker to Wickenby, Lincolnshire.

1991

Bought Farmer Foster, manufacturers of trellis work and garden furniture.

Bought King British, manufacturers of fish food and aquatic water treatments.

Bought Uno Aquatic Products, heating equipment for aquatics and ponds.

1992

Bought the Secto Company Ltd., a manufacturer of pet and household products.

Sinclair Horticulture was formed from an amalgamation of Sinclair Horticulture & Leisure, Bark Products and Silvaperl.

1994

Bought Zeneca’s growing media business and its production site at Boothby near Carlisle for £2.76m, which doubled William Sinclair Horticulture’s share of the UK professional growing media market and tripled the company’s peat resources.

Established Sinclair Animal and Household Care Ltd. to run the Secto, Altons, King British and Uno Aquatics businesses.

1996

Set up a joint venture with Biotal Products Ltd., to promote home composting products.

Bought Gammacross Ltd., manufacturers of Canac Pet Product (such as pet beds, collars, leads and scratching posts) based at Westbury, Wiltshire.

1997

Bought Midland Oak Ltd., manufacturers of a range of plastic injection moulded products for the pet and horticultural markets.

1999

Purchased a 50% interest in Ou Alutaguse Turvas, an Estonian company with 504 ha of peat reserves.

Gammacross and Midland Oak were merged to become Sinclair Pet Accessories Ltd.

2000

Sinclair Pet Accessories moved into a new four acre site at Oldbury Road, West Bromich.