Hovis: Patent , horse van, war plane, advertising, an iconic brand – a bread winner since 1886

1886 was the year when Benz received the first patent for an automobile. The year in which Coca Cola was launched.

In the same year, the then village town of Stoke-on-Trent in the United Kingdom smelled the first bread coming out of the now famous Hovis brand. Richard Smith found a way to separate the wheatgerm from the flour. Richard changed the way flour was milled, separating the wheat gram from the flour without losing any of the vitamins or minerals found in the wheat gram.

The process was registered as Smith’s Patent process which later on was used by other bakers as well. By this time, the manufacturing of Hovis had moved to Macclesfield, at the S. Fitton & Son Flour Mills.

This was the beginning of a legacy bread brand, which even after almost 140 years , still occupies the breakfast and dinner table of millions of customers in the United Kingdom and the neighbouring countries.

The name Hovis was decided after a competition which was run in 1890 to get suggestions for the brand name. The winner , Herbert Grime (who took home £25), recommended the name ‘Hovis’ from the latin words ‘Hominis Vis’ meaning ‘Strength of Man’.

By the mid 1890s , Hovis bread has reached the Royal Family. The popularity of Hovis was growing at great pace, courtesy the quality of the product and an amazing advertising work.

The Wheatgerm bread by now was known as ‘Hovis’ and supplied to the Royal Family, the brand was one of the most popular breads during those times. The patented process, the bigger manufacturing unit at Macclesfield played a crucial role in this. However, it is interesting to note the contribution of J F Morton.

The story of a teenager who shaped the brand Hovis. An amazing visionary and a great read for all people into advertising. The way in which John Figgins Morton established Hovis is truly incredible. He captured all possible arenas for the direct print media and Hovis signages, bill boards, leaflets were put up in all possible touch points. JF Morton showcased the impact of marketing and got a printing press to manage all the Hovis related work. From using the strongest man of Britain to providing cycle maps to recipe books and running annual competitions, Hovis’s unique marketing under the visionary of J F Morton ensured a long lasting legacy for the bread brand. You can read all about this here in the detailed article by Mills Archive.

The manufacturing unit had to be moved to a bigger place to match the rising demand. In 1904 the milling moved to Trafford Park, Manchester. With the onset of automobiles, by 1912 the horses and carts which were used for delivery were replaced by petrol driven trucks. The 1920s witnessed the launch of first recipe books from Hovis, in 1930s tea with Hovis was seen everywhere , courtesy the tie up with pubs, hotels and tea shops across UK. The World War II Battle of Britain saw ‘Hominis Vis’ in the air, the spitfire provided by the employees of Hovis. In a recent Linkedin post by Hovis they mentioned an anecdote connecting the generations.

Hovis also finds a mention in the wartime wisdom article about their sandwich recipes.

The 1950s saw Hovis innovating their product line as well as advertising. The sliced and wrapped bread was launched in 1954. The first Hovis television advertisement was up and running in 1956. The Hovis tv ads have a special place in the hearts of the audience. The most famous British advertisement is the 1970s Hovis ad , called the ‘The Boy on the Bike‘ directed by the famous Sir Ridley Scott (directed the movies Gladiator, Hannibal, Kingdom of Heaven, etc.). It is really great to have a look at the ad which is restored by British Film Institute.

It is never easy to replicate or match the benchmark set by one of the best tv ads and yet Hovis was once again in news in the advertising world for a magnificent 122 seconds advertisement released in 2008 celebrating the 122nd anniversary of the brand. This is one of my favourite ones.

The brand over the century has gone through ownership changes. From going public in 1918 to its first merger in 1957. Hovis and McDougall Trust merged to form Hovis-McDougall in 1957. In another five years time, this changed to Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM). It was in 2007, Premier Foods acquired Hovis brand and later in 2015 sold 51% stake to The Gores Group to form a JV. Endless LLP, the British private equity firm, bought the business in 2020.

Recently there is news indicating a merger of two of the biggest British bread brands : Hovis bread and Kingsmill. The merger , if it goes through, would make the highest market share holder going ahead of Warburtons’.

It is great to see the way Hovis, the iconic brand, has sailed through almost 14 decades and still dominating the market. The way in which the legacy is captured in local pubs is just an indication of the impact of this brand over the years.

The legacy of the brand can still be seen on the walls of ‘The Society Rooms’, Macclesfield part of the Weatherspoon pubs. You can read in detail here in the Weatherspoon pub history page in their website.

At a time, when the culinary ecosystem is seeing a number of innovative and alternative options instead of bread, it will be interesting the innovations that will be brought on by brands like Hovis to stay relevant and dominant in the market. The product extension into rolls, buns and tie ups with other related categories are an indication of how brands like Hovis are working towards the changing needs and tastes of the consumers.

The latest advertisement of Hovis is a beautiful way of showcasing the generations of this bread brand serving the customers. As the famous marketing campaign of Hovis goes, ‘As good today as it’s always been‘, Hovis is a brand which has marked its legacy over the 140 years.