Barratt
Barratt is a long-established British confectionery brand associated with traditional sweets, liquorice, sherbet products and nostalgic childhood treats.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Barratt is a British confectionery brand whose origins date to 1848, when George Osborne Barratt established a small sweets business at 32 Shepherdess Walk in Hoxton, London. The enterprise began with a single sugar boiler and expanded through a combination of manufacturing growth, direct promotion and a broadening portfolio of inexpensive sweets. Barratt himself travelled around London in a pony and trap to sell and promote the products, while his eldest son later undertook similar journeys as the business expanded its reach. An early commercial success was a sticky toffee known as stickjaw, reportedly created accidentally and particularly popular with children. The company outgrew its original premises and moved to a former piano factory on Mayes Road in Wood Green, north London. The first new building was ready in 1882, and by 1904 the operation occupied eight buildings across almost five acres. A major fire in October 1899 destroyed five buildings, but the company recovered and continued to expand. Around 1906, Barratt was reported to employ approximately 2,000 people and produce about 350 tonnes of sweets per week, making it one of the world's largest confectionery manufacturers at that time. The business became a limited company in 1909, with a stated valuation of £330,000. Barratt's early range concentrated on boiled sweets, toffees, rock confectionery and related products. Over time it introduced lines such as Almond Rock, Brandy Snaps, Coffee Almonds, Rose Pastilles, Yankee Panky, Tichborne Rock and various liquorice products. Its most enduring twentieth-century products included Black Jack and Fruit Salad, introduced in 1920, and Sherbet Fountain, introduced in 1925. By the 1950s the company was making roughly 200 lines across categories including rock, sherbet products, liquorice, starch goods, boiled sweets, caramels and toffees. The independent family business later entered a succession of corporate ownership arrangements. Bassett's acquired Barratt in a friendly takeover in 1966, and Cadbury Schweppes acquired Bassett's in 1989. The Wood Green factory, by then in long-term decline, closed in 1980. The former site was subsequently redeveloped as The Chocolate Factory. In 2008, the Barratt business and brand portfolio became part of Tangerine Confectionery, a British sweets manufacturer that was later renamed Valeo Confectionery. The Barratt name has continued through a portfolio of heritage and contemporary products. The brand was brought back into active use in 2018, with products including DipDab, Refreshers, Nougat, Sherbet Fountain, Fruit Salad, Black Jack, Wham, Refreshers Softies and Fruit Salad Softies. Its positioning rests largely on recognisable British sweet-shop traditions, distinctive formats, strong colour and flavour cues, and nostalgia surrounding products that have remained familiar across generations. Barratt is therefore best understood not as a single product but as a heritage confectionery brand house within Valeo Confectionery's broader portfolio.
History
George Osborne Barratt founded the confectionery business that became Barratt in London in 1848. The original premises were at 32 Shepherdess Walk in Hoxton, where the company initially employed one sugar boiler. Barratt promoted and distributed his products personally, travelling in a pony and trap around London and nearby areas. His eldest son later took over these journeys, while Barratt developed wider commercial activity across the country. The business benefited from a growing range of inexpensive sweets and from the popularity of stickjaw toffee, a product said to have originated accidentally. As production increased, the Hoxton premises became inadequate. Barratt moved the business to a former piano factory owned by a Mr Ivory on Mayes Road in Wood Green, north London. The first building at the new site was completed in 1882. Expansion continued rapidly: by 1904, eight buildings occupied almost five acres. A serious fire on 18 October 1899 destroyed five buildings, but the company rebuilt and continued operating. Around 1906, it employed approximately 2,000 people and produced about 350 tonnes of sweets each week. This growth led to Barratt being described at the time as the world's largest confectionery manufacturer. The product portfolio developed from early boiled sweets and toffees into a much broader selection. Historic products included Almond Rock, Brandy Snaps, Stickjaw, Coffee Almonds, Brandy Nips, Ching Chang Marbles, Coker Tines, Tichborne Rock, Yankee Panky and Rose Pastilles. The company introduced Black Jack and Fruit Salad in 1920, followed by Sherbet Fountain in 1925. The latter combined sherbet in a paper-wrapped cardboard tube with a liquorice stick used to consume it. By the 1950s, Barratt was making around 200 lines across seven broad manufacturing groups: rock, sweet cigarettes, sherbet products, starch goods, liquorice, boiled sweets, and caramels and toffees. After George Osborne Barratt's death in 1906, his eldest son George William became chairman. The business was incorporated as a limited company in 1909, with a stated valuation of £330,000. Albert Barratt, George Osborne's youngest son, served as chairman and managing director from 1911 to 1921 and was knighted in 1922 for public services. The company also developed extensive employee institutions. These included an early company-supported employees' union, a surgery with nursing and medical provision, a chiropody service, a dental centre and, later, a social club with recreational and cultural activities. The company experienced a week-long strike in September 1890 involving roughly one-third of its approximately 600 employees. The dispute was connected with the Gas Stokers' union, while the broader historical record describes management-employee relations as generally positive. The Wood Green factory closed in 1980 after a prolonged decline. The former site, bounded by Coburg Road, Mayes Road and Western Road, was later redeveloped as The Chocolate Factory. Barratt's ownership changed during the consolidation of the British confectionery industry. Bassett's acquired the company in a friendly takeover in 1966. Cadbury Schweppes subsequently acquired Bassett's in 1989. In 2008, the brand became part of Tangerine Confectionery, later renamed Valeo Confectionery. The Barratt name was brought back into use in 2018. Its current portfolio draws on both historic products and newer formats, including DipDab, Refreshers, Nougat, Sherbet Fountain, Fruit Salad, Black Jack, Wham, Refreshers Softies and Fruit Salad Softies. The brand's continuing identity is built around traditional British sweets, childhood familiarity and the adaptation of established formats for contemporary retail.
- 2018
Barratt brand reintroduced
[1]The Barratt name returns to active use across a portfolio of heritage and contemporary confectionery products.
- 2008
Transferred to Tangerine Confectionery
[1]Barratt becomes part of Tangerine Confectionery, later renamed Valeo Confectionery.
- 1989
Bassett's acquired by Cadbury Schweppes
[1]Cadbury Schweppes acquires Bassett's, bringing Barratt into its corporate ownership history.
- 1980
Wood Green factory closes
[1]The historic Wood Green manufacturing site closes after a long period of decline.
- 1966
Acquired by Bassett's
[1]Barratt is acquired in a friendly takeover by Bassett's.
- 1925
Sherbet Fountain introduced
[1]Barratt launches Sherbet Fountain, combining sherbet with a liquorice stick in a distinctive tube format.
- 1920
Black Jack and Fruit Salad introduced
[1]The company introduces two products that become long-running parts of the Barratt confectionery tradition.
- 1909
Company incorporated as a limited company
[1]Barratt becomes a limited company with a stated valuation of £330,000.
- 1906
Large-scale manufacturing reached
[1]The company is reported to employ around 2,000 people and produce approximately 350 tonnes of sweets each week.
- 1899
Major factory fire
[1]A fire on 18 October destroys five buildings at the Wood Green operation.
Products and positioning
A heritage British confectionery brand focused on nostalgic, accessible sweets and distinctive traditional formats, including liquorice, sherbet, chewy fruit confectionery and soft sweets.
Sherbet confectionery · 1925
Sherbet Fountain
Sherbet Fountain is one of Barratt's signature products. Introduced in 1925, it traditionally consists of sherbet packaged in a paper-wrapped cardboard tube and accompanied by a liquorice stick used as a straw. The product combines an interactive eating format with sweet-and-sour sherbet and liquorice flavours, making it especially associated with traditional British sweet-shop culture. A modern version introduced in 2009 retained the core concept while updating the presentation.
Liquorice confectionery · 1920
Black Jack
Black Jack is a liquorice-flavoured chewy sweet and one of Barratt's best-known heritage lines. It was introduced in 1920 and became associated with a strong aniseed profile and distinctive dark appearance. The product represents Barratt's long-standing role in British liquorice confectionery and remains part of the brand's modern heritage portfolio.
Chewy fruit sweets · 1920
Fruit Salad
Fruit Salad is a fruit-flavoured chewy sweet introduced alongside Black Jack in 1920. Its enduring appeal comes from its compact format, bright fruit character and strong connection with traditional British mixed-sweet selections. It remains one of the Barratt products used to express the brand's nostalgic positioning and is also available in a soft-sweets format.
Flavoured sweets
Refreshers
Refreshers is a Barratt confectionery line built around pronounced fruity and tangy flavour cues. The portfolio has included traditional sweet formats as well as more contemporary soft versions. Alongside the classic product identity, Refreshers Softies extend the line into a softer texture, allowing the heritage name to serve multiple confectionery formats.
Sherbet confectionery
DipDab
DipDab is a Barratt sherbet product based on an interactive dipping format. It combines a sweet component with sherbet and is designed to be consumed by dipping the sweet into the flavoured powder. The format fits Barratt's broader tradition of playful, participatory confectionery and is included in the brand portfolio reintroduced in the late 2010s.
Chewy sweets
Wham
Wham is a chewy confectionery line within the Barratt portfolio. It contributes a more contemporary, energetic product identity alongside the brand's older liquorice and sherbet products. The name is included among the products used to re-establish Barratt as an active umbrella brand in the modern confectionery market.
Nougat confectionery
Nougat
Nougat is part of the Barratt portfolio associated with the brand's reintroduction under Tangerine Confectionery. It broadens the range beyond the most recognisable sherbet, liquorice and chewy fruit products and illustrates the use of Barratt as a portfolio brand spanning several traditional sweet categories.
Soft sweets
Refreshers Softies and Fruit Salad Softies
Refreshers Softies and Fruit Salad Softies adapt established Barratt flavour identities into softer confectionery formats. The products preserve the recognisable names and fruit-led positioning of the original lines while offering a different texture for consumers. They are examples of how the brand extends heritage products into modern soft-sweets segments.
Brand decisions
2018
Reintroduction of the Barratt brandStrategyBackground
The Barratt name had a long history but had not been used continuously as the central active brand identity.
Action taken
The owner brought Barratt back into use across products including DipDab, Refreshers, Nougat, Sherbet Fountain, Fruit Salad, Black Jack, Wham, Refreshers Softies and Fruit Salad Softies.
Aftermath
The brand's modern positioning combines historic British sweet-shop associations with expanded soft-sweets and contemporary portfolio formats.
2008
Transfer to Tangerine ConfectioneryM&ABackground
The Barratt brand had passed through Bassett's and Cadbury Schweppes as ownership of British confectionery businesses consolidated.
Action taken
Barratt became part of Tangerine Confectionery, subsequently renamed Valeo Confectionery.
Aftermath
Valeo continued to manage Barratt as a heritage confectionery brand and later restored the Barratt name to active portfolio use.
1989
Bassett's acquired by Cadbury SchweppesM&ABackground
Barratt was already part of Bassett's following the 1966 takeover.
Action taken
Cadbury Schweppes acquired Bassett's, thereby taking Barratt into its portfolio.
Aftermath
The brand remained within a major confectionery group until its later transfer to Tangerine Confectionery.
1966
Sale to Bassett'sM&ABackground
Barratt had developed from a family-founded manufacturer into a large confectionery business within an increasingly consolidating British sweets industry.
Action taken
The company was acquired by Bassett's in a friendly takeover.
Aftermath
Barratt continued as part of a larger confectionery ownership structure, eventually passing to Cadbury Schweppes and later to Tangerine Confectionery.
Recent events
Reported
Barratt announced sponsorship of the South Coast Commercial Property Show[2]
Barratt announced that it will sponsor the South Coast Commercial Property Show again in November.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Barratt and David Wilson Homes receive wildlife award[3]
Barratt and David Wilson Homes received a special award for wildlife at developments in Dorset; the article does not specify the award's name.
Sources3 sources
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