Founded 1847 Area served Worldwide | Headquarters Hungerford, England | |
Type Shaving Product Manufacture Key people Robert Johnston, Charlotte Johnston, Andrew Gidden Products Shaving brushes, Shaving Cream, Hair Brushes, Toothbrushes | ||
Coate's was founded in 1875 by James Coate, which first started as a brushmaker company in London. The company moved to Somerset in 1883, opening factories in Axminster and Chard. Coate's later joined with another brush manufacturer called A Simpson. The company stopped production in 2008, but in 2010, the company was purchased by TGS Products Ltd and moved to Hungerford Berkshire where the new owners attempted unsuccessfully to revive the brand.
History
The Coate's brush company was founded in 1847 by James Coate in London. In about 1875, the company was relocated into two factories; in Axminster, Devon and in Chard, Somerset, where they continued making shaving products, hair products and toothbrushes. In 1941, a shaving brush company called A Simpson lost their factory during the blitz and in the spirit of wartime cooperation. Coate’s allowed the company to continue its production at their water-powered factory in Chard.
During World War II, Coate's managed to continue production, despite their reliance on supplies imported from Germany. This was accomplished by having goods exported from Germany to a neutral country, then imported to the UK.
After the war, the companies worked together and eventually Coate's joined with Simpsons in 1990, but the name still lived on in the range of shaving creams that they continued to produce. The A Simpsons company was sold in 2008 to another shaving brush manufacturer, but Coate's remained with David Carter & Francis Woodhouse, the previous owner of A Simpsons. On May 18, 2010, the company was purchased by TGS Products Ltd and relocated to Hungerford, West Berkshire. The first new products were manufactured in late June 2010.
The new Coate's lines were limited to one type of soap and cream, along with small numbers of shaving accessories. They did not prove popular, and were slow sellers. As a result, they were discontinued in 2012, and the brand was sold.