E. S. & A. Robinson
Corporate brand
UnclaimedE. S. & A. Robinson was a Bristol-based British paper, printing and packaging company founded in 1844 and merged into the Dickinson Robinson Group in 1966.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
E. S. & A. Robinson was a British paper, printing and packaging business established in Bristol in 1844 by Elisha Smith Robinson. It began with paper bags for grocery retailers and expanded into commercial printing, paper merchandising, stationery, cartons, folding boxes, waxed paper and industrial paper sacks. The company became one of the most important manufacturing businesses in Bristol and developed a substantial international presence through subsidiaries, exports and acquisitions. The business grew rapidly during the nineteenth century. Elisha was joined by his brother Alfred in 1848, while Elisha's sons Edward and Arthur entered the company in 1869 and 1874. By 1860, Robinsons operated eleven lithographic presses, two steam-powered lithographic machines and a paper-bag-making machine. Its activities included the production of tradesmen's almanacs, decorated notepaper, bound ledgers and other printed goods. The company also operated as a paper merchant and was described as holding an exceptionally large paper stock for its time. Packaging innovation became central to the company's identity. In 1873, Elisha Robinson acquired British rights to an American paper-satchel-bag patent associated with Margaret E. Knight. The design made paper bags more practical for everyday retail and later supported packaging for products such as cement and flour. A further expansion followed the adoption of folding-carton techniques associated with Robert Gair in the late 1880s. Robinsons also developed a commercially successful method for printing logos and advertising directly on paper bags. Introduced in the early twentieth century, the process generated very large orders and became an important example of branded packaging before modern mass-marketing systems. The company combined industrial expansion with notable employment policies. In 1889 it introduced one week's paid holiday for employees with at least a year's service, at a time when such a benefit was unusual. It later became associated with pensions and profit-sharing arrangements, while managing the changing relationship between employers and organized labour. The business became a limited company in 1893 and continued to enlarge its manufacturing base, including the Malago Factory in Bedminster, completed in 1912. By 1930, that facility was reportedly producing 25 million bags per week. Robinsons broadened its capabilities through acquisitions and overseas operations. It acquired Ensor & Co.'s printing works in 1872, John Laird & Son of Glasgow in 1918 and Strachan & Henshaw in 1920. Overseas entities included E. S. & A. Robinson (South Africa), Paper Sacks (South Africa), E. S. & A. Robinson (Canada) and the Robinson Waxed Paper Company. Waxed paper produced at Fishponds was exported to markets across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean and elsewhere. During the Second World War, company engineers developed an aircraft-template reproduction process that was adopted widely by the British aircraft industry and received government commendation for its contribution to the war effort. In the post-war period, Robinsons maintained a large industrial and technical organization, including an aircraft used from 1955 to transport executives and technicians. A new headquarters at One Redcliffe Street, designed between 1962 and 1964, became Bristol's first skyscraper. E. S. & A. Robinson ceased to exist as an independent company when it merged with John Dickinson Stationery in 1966 to create the Dickinson Robinson Group, one of the world's largest stationery and packaging groups at the time. Robinson-related assets subsequently formed part of a wider corporate history involving acquisitions, a 1989 leveraged buyout, the sale of DRG Packaging to Bowater in 1992 and the separation of DRG Stationery, which returned to the John Dickinson name. The former Robinson industrial buildings in Bristol have since been reused, including conversion of part of the Bedminster site to residential accommodation.
History
E. S. & A. Robinson originated in Bristol in 1844 when Elisha Smith Robinson established a business focused on paper bags and related paper goods. His brother Alfred joined in 1848, and the firm soon moved beyond basic bag manufacture into paper merchandising and commercial printing. Its early catalogue included tradesmen's almanacs, decorative notepaper and bound ledgers. By 1860, the company had eleven lithographic presses, two steam-powered lithographic machines and a mechanized paper-bag operation, reflecting the growing importance of industrial printing and packaging in Victorian Britain. Expansion of the Bristol premises accompanied the company's growth. Robinsons acquired the printing works of Ensor & Co. in Marsh Street in 1872. The following year, Elisha Robinson obtained rights to an American paper-satchel-bag patent associated with Margaret E. Knight. The satchel design made paper bags more convenient for retail use and helped extend paper packaging into heavier applications, including flour and Portland cement. Elisha's sons Edward and Arthur joined the business in 1869 and 1874 respectively. After Elisha died in 1885, the next generation continued the family enterprise. The company benefited from developments in folding-carton production following Robert Gair's late-nineteenth-century paperboard innovations. New facilities were built as earlier premises became inadequate. A large Bedminster block erected in 1887 was itself outgrown within several years. Robinsons also introduced an early employee-benefit policy in 1889 by granting a week's paid holiday to workers with at least one year of service. Later policies included pensions and profit-sharing schemes, giving the firm a distinctive position among large industrial employers of its period. Edward and Arthur converted the business into a limited company in 1893. Packaging became the company's principal area of industrial differentiation. In 1902, a bag-making manager identified a method for printing on paper bags. The process enabled companies and retailers to display logos and advertising on packaging, and demand grew quickly; the company received an order for 100 million bags within weeks of the process becoming operational. Robinsons later sold the patent to the Union Bag Company, which subsequently became associated with Union Camp Corporation. The Malago Factory in Bedminster, completed in 1912, became a major production center and was reportedly producing 25 million bags per week by 1930. During the early twentieth century, Robinsons diversified through acquisitions and overseas companies. John Laird & Son, a Glasgow printing business, was acquired in 1918, followed by the engineering firm Strachan & Henshaw in 1920. E. S. & A. Robinson (South Africa) was incorporated in 1920, and Paper Sacks (South Africa) followed later. Robinson Waxed Paper Company was incorporated in 1924, with its Fishponds factory exporting waxed paper by 1929 to a broad range of destinations including New Zealand, Malaya, China, India, Ceylon, the West Indies, Egypt, Palestine, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden. E. S. & A. Robinson (Canada) was established in Toronto in 1932. The company also developed technical capabilities with applications beyond conventional packaging. In 1940, its engineers produced a process for reproducing aircraft templates. The process was adopted by much of the British aircraft industry and was commended by Sir Stafford Cripps for its wartime contribution. Foster Robinson became chairman in 1944. In 1955, the company acquired a de Havilland Heron aircraft for transporting executives and technical personnel, illustrating the scale and geographic reach of its operations. Between 1962 and 1964, in-house architects designed a new headquarters at One Redcliffe Street in Bristol. The building became known as Bristol's first skyscraper. The independent company ended in 1966, when it merged with John Dickinson Stationery to create the Dickinson Robinson Group. The enlarged group became one of the world's largest stationery and packaging organizations, with publicly familiar products including Sellotape and Basildon Bond. During the 1970s it acquired Papeteries de La Couronne, J. Arthur Dixon, Royal Sovereign and John Heath. The group's later history involved ownership restructuring and business separation: Pembridge Investments acquired DRG through a highly leveraged transaction in 1989; DRG Stationery was sold to Biber Holding AG in 1990; and Bowater acquired DRG Packaging in 1992. The stationery operation later returned to the John Dickinson name and was acquired and rebranded by Hamelin in 2008. Former Robinson buildings in Bristol survive in adapted uses, including residential conversion of the Robinson Building and associated East Street Church site.
- 1966
Merged into Dickinson Robinson Group
[1]E. S. & A. Robinson merged with John Dickinson Stationery, ending its independent corporate existence.
- 1940
Aircraft-template reproduction process developed
[1]Company engineers developed a process adopted by much of the British aircraft industry during the war.
- 1932
Canadian subsidiary established
[1]E. S. & A. Robinson (Canada) was founded in Toronto.
- 1924
Robinson Waxed Paper Company incorporated
[1]The company created a dedicated waxed-paper subsidiary.
- 1920
Engineering and South African expansion
[1]Robinsons acquired Strachan & Henshaw and incorporated E. S. & A. Robinson (South Africa).
- 1918
John Laird & Son acquired
[1]The company acquired the Glasgow printer John Laird & Son.
- 1912
Malago Factory completed
[1]The new Bedminster factory expanded the company's paper-bag manufacturing capacity.
- 1902
Printed paper-bag process developed
[1]Robinsons developed a commercially successful method for printing logos and advertising directly on paper bags.
- 1893
Business incorporated as a limited company
[1]Edward and Arthur Robinson converted the family business into a limited company.
- 1889
Paid holiday introduced
[1]Employees with at least one year of service received one week's paid holiday, an unusually progressive benefit for the period.
Products and positioning
An industrial paper, printing and packaging enterprise built around manufacturing scale, packaging innovation, commercial printing and technical diversification. Its historical reputation rested particularly on paper bags, printed packaging, folding cartons and export-oriented paper products.
Paper packaging · 1844
Paper bags
Paper bags were the company's foundational product and remained central to its industrial development. Robinsons supplied bags for grocery retail and later produced stronger formats for commodities such as flour and Portland cement. The business also developed a method for printing branding and advertising on bags, turning a functional package into a mass-distributed promotional medium.
Industrial packaging · 1902
Printed paper sacks
The company's printed sacks served industrial and commercial packaging requirements. The printed-bag process developed around 1902 generated very substantial demand, while the Malago Factory later operated at exceptionally high production volumes. South African operations also included a dedicated paper-sack company.
Paperboard packaging · 1887
Folding cartons and boxes
Robinsons expanded into cartons and folding boxes as mechanized paperboard-conversion techniques became available in the late nineteenth century. This activity helped move the company beyond bags into broader consumer and industrial packaging and later formed part of the packaging capabilities associated with the Dickinson Robinson Group.
Specialty paper · 1924
Waxed paper
Through Robinson Waxed Paper Company, incorporated in 1924, the business manufactured waxed paper at its Fishponds factory. By 1929, the product was being exported to markets across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean and other regions.
Printing · 1844
Commercial lithographic printing
Printing was a major part of Robinsons' business from its early years. Its output included almanacs, elaborate notepaper, ledgers and other commercial printed materials. The company expanded its printing estate through new Bristol facilities and the acquisition of Ensor & Co. and John Laird & Son.
Brand decisions
1992
Sale of DRG Packaging to BowaterM&ABackground
The packaging division was disposed of after the post-buyout separation of the group's principal activities.
Action taken
Bowater acquired DRG Packaging.
Aftermath
The Robinson packaging heritage became part of Bowater's corporate lineage, later associated with Rexam.
1990
Sale of DRG Stationery to Biber HoldingM&ABackground
Following the restructuring of Dickinson Robinson Group, its stationery division was separated from the packaging business.
Action taken
DRG Stationery was sold to Switzerland's Biber Holding AG and returned to the John Dickinson Stationery name.
Aftermath
The stationery business continued independently of the packaging assets that were later acquired by Bowater.
1989
Leveraged buyout of Dickinson Robinson GroupM&ABackground
The established British stationery and packaging group became the subject of a leveraged acquisition during a period of intense debate over corporate restructuring and financial ownership.
Action taken
Roland Franklin's Pembridge Investments acquired DRG through a leveraged buyout.
Aftermath
The transaction attracted criticism concerning possible asset stripping and short-termism, including commentary from the Financial Times, and caused concern among remaining Robinson shareholders.
Reported leveraged buyout value. £900 million (1989)
1966
Merger with John Dickinson StationeryM&ABackground
Both companies operated in stationery and packaging, and their combination was intended to create a much larger industrial group.
Action taken
E. S. & A. Robinson merged with John Dickinson Stationery to form the Dickinson Robinson Group.
Aftermath
The merger ended Robinsons' independent corporate existence and placed its activities within one of the world's largest stationery and packaging groups.
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