Jewson is one of the largest chains of British general builders' merchants, selling to small and medium building contractors. The chain comprises around six hundred branches located all across Great Britain. Jewson, as part of the Meyer group, was acquired by the French conglomerate Saint-Gobain in April 2000.
History
Foundation
George Jewson bought a business in Earith in 1836 to trade goods in the Huntingdonshire Fens of East Anglia. His son John Wilson Jewson had 13 children: the eldest, George, at the time working with a timber merchant in Norwich, suggested expansion there. John Jewson bought a house in Colegate in Norwich in 1868, and he moved there where he developed a successful timber, coal and builders' merchant business. The family played a role in civic service in Norwich and Norfolk. In October 2001, Worldwide Business Information and Market Reports stated that "Having undergone a period of major consolidation, the builders' merchants market is now dominated by Jewson Ltd, Wolseley and Travis Perkins... These top three companies each have total sales of over £1bn."
Litigation
Jewson Ltd vs. Jewson's Drives Ltd
On 15 May 2009, Jewson Ltd applied under s.69 Companies Act 2006 for a change of name of Jewson's Drives Ltd which had been registered since 18 March 2009. Jewson Ltd argued that they enjoyed goodwill under the name "Jewson" since 1836 and that they were the United Kingdom's leading timber and builders' merchant. Jewson Ltd alleged that Jewson's Drives Ltd had been offering flagging, paving, fencing and related services and that their own customers had been misled by the respondent. However, as long as Jewson's Drives Ltd had actually been operating as a business and there was no evidence to show they only registered their name for the purpose of obtaining consideration from Jewson Ltd or for the sake of obstructing their own registration of a name, then they could have a defence to the application. Jewson Ltd's application was struck out by the adjudicator.
