Brothers Stephen and Dan Illingworth take the helm at 140-year-old family company
Brothers Stephen and Dan Illingworth have just completed a management buy-out to acquire outright their family’s wholesale gift and home décor company Widdop And Co.
“It will secure the future of the company for a fifth generation of our family,” stated Stephen, the new owner and ceo of the business which includes licensing partnerships with greetings publishers including Raspberry Blossom, Hotchpotch, Pigment and Meg Hawkins.
“Dan and I are thrilled to take over after what has been a lifelong dream and journey,” Stephen added. “Our predecessors have built the most incredible platform for us to build on, and it’s an honour and privilege to take the helm in our 140th year for what will be an exciting new chapter of growth and innovation in our industry.
“We are very grateful to our father Stuart in particular for supporting us on this journey, and we cannot wait to share with the world our vision for the future.”
Widdop has just launched its own manufacturing studio at its Oldham base for short-run gift items, and PG Live last month saw the full launch of the Raspberry Blossom collection of gifts and homewares in collaboration with the publisher’s owners Rebecca and Mark Green.
Alongside Stephen and Dan, Adam Attwood has worked in a non-executive and consulting capacity for 17 years with Widdop, and now joins the company as part-time board chairman.
