Hintons

Hintons was the trading name of Amos Hinton & Sons plc, a regional supermarket company based in North East England. The business began in 1871 when Amos Hinton bought John Birks' shop in South Street, Middlesbrough. From that local starting point, it developed into a significant Teesside grocery retailer and subsequently expanded its activities through the acquisition of Winterschladen, a chain of off-licences. By 1919, Hintons had grown to seven stores across Teesside. Its later expansion made it one of the region's established independent or locally rooted food retailers. The company operated supermarkets as well as licensed premises, giving it a broader retail footprint than a grocery-only chain. Before its acquisition, the company had moved its head office to Thornaby-on-Tees and maintained limited warehousing there. It also operated a distribution centre in Stockton-on-Tees, a site later used by Morrisons. Argyll Foods acquired Hintons in 1984 for £25 million. At the time of the takeover, the company operated 55 stores and 30 off-licences. The acquisition formed part of Argyll's expansion of its regional supermarket estate. Following the transaction, Hintons' own-brand products were rapidly replaced by Argyll's Presto products. The stores initially retained the Hintons name for a short period, but they were subsequently converted to the Presto format. The transition was completed when the Hintons name disappeared from the stores during the same week that the Presto brand was rolled out across Argyll's estate. A new Hintons store in Guisborough was among the final locations to open under the name, even though its interior had already been fitted out in the Presto format. The acquired off-licence business retained the Winterschladen name for considerably longer, but those outlets were eventually sold and became Victoria Wine stores. Hintons is therefore a defunct regional retail brand whose principal historical significance lies in its role as a Teesside supermarket chain and in its absorption into Argyll Foods' Presto network. No current standalone Hintons operations or official website are identified in the available reference material.

Hintons originated in Middlesbrough in 1871, when Amos Hinton bought John Birks' shop in South Street. The business expanded gradually from a single local shop into a regional food-retailing operation. By 1919, it had seven stores across Teesside, indicating that the company had established a substantial presence in the area within its first half-century. The company later broadened its retail activities by acquiring Winterschladen, a chain of off-licences. This gave Hintons an additional presence in the sale of alcoholic beverages alongside its supermarket operations. The business traded as Amos Hinton & Sons plc and remained associated with the North East of England throughout its independent development. Before its takeover, Hintons' head office had moved to Thornaby-on-Tees. The company had limited warehousing at the head-office site and operated a distribution centre in Stockton-on-Tees. That distribution facility subsequently continued in use under later retail ownership and is associated with Morrisons in the available reference material. In 1984, Argyll Foods bought Hintons for £25 million. The company had 55 stores and 30 off-licences at the time. The acquisition brought Hintons into Argyll's wider retail structure. Rather than preserving the acquired brand as a long-term independent identity, Argyll quickly introduced its Presto own-brand products. The supermarkets continued to trade under the Hintons name briefly, but their stores were then converted to the Presto format. The Guisborough store was one of the final outlets associated with the Hintons name. Although it was launched as a Hintons store, its interior had already been fitted out according to the Presto format, illustrating the transitional character of the acquisition. The Hintons fascia ultimately disappeared from all stores in the same week as the wider Presto rollout across Argyll's estate. The acquired off-licence operations followed a different timetable. The Winterschladen name survived for many years after the supermarket brand had disappeared. Those outlets were later sold and became Victoria Wine stores. Hintons therefore ceased to operate as a distinct retail brand, while parts of its physical and commercial infrastructure were absorbed into successor retail networks.

• 1984

  Argyll Foods completes the takeover

  [1]Hintonsen.wikipedia.org

  Argyll Foods acquired Hintons for £25 million when the company operated 55 stores and 30 off-licences.

• 1984

  Hintons stores are converted to Presto

  [1]Hintonsen.wikipedia.org

  Argyll replaced Hintons own-brand products with Presto products and converted the supermarkets to the Presto fascia.

• 1919

  The chain reaches seven Teesside stores

  [1]Hintonsen.wikipedia.org

  Hintons had expanded to seven stores across Teesside.

• 1871

  Amos Hinton establishes the business in Middlesbrough

  [1]Hintonsen.wikipedia.org

  Amos Hinton founded the business by purchasing John Birks' shop in South Street, Middlesbrough.

• Winterschladen is acquired

  [1]Hintonsen.wikipedia.org

  Hintons expanded into licensed retail through the acquisition of the Winterschladen chain of off-licences.

• Winterschladen outlets later become Victoria Wine stores

  [1]Hintonsen.wikipedia.org

  The Winterschladen name continued after the supermarket brand disappeared, before the outlets were eventually sold and rebranded as Victoria Wine.

A regional, locally established supermarket and licensed-retail chain serving communities in North East England.

• Supermarket retail

  Hintons supermarkets

  Hintons operated a regional supermarket estate serving Teesside and the wider North East of England. The stores sold everyday groceries and general household merchandise under the Hintons name. At the time of Argyll Foods' 1984 takeover, the estate comprised 55 stores. The supermarkets retained the Hintons fascia only temporarily after the acquisition and were subsequently converted to the Presto format.

• Private-label groceries

  Hintons own-brand products

  Hintons maintained its own branded grocery products as part of its supermarket proposition. Following Argyll Foods' acquisition in 1984, these products were quickly replaced by Presto-branded lines as the stores were integrated into Argyll's retail system.

• Off-licence retail

  Winterschladen

  Winterschladen was a chain of off-licences acquired by Hintons. The name continued to be used for the licensed outlets after Hintons' supermarkets were absorbed into Presto, eventually disappearing when the outlets were sold and became Victoria Wine stores.

• 1984

  Accept the Argyll Foods takeoverM&A

  Background

  Hintons was a sizeable regional retailer with 55 stores and 30 off-licences when Argyll Foods acquired the company.

  Action taken

  Argyll Foods purchased Amos Hinton & Sons plc for £25 million and brought the supermarket and licensed-retail operations into its wider estate.

  Aftermath

  Hintons' own-brand products were replaced by Presto products, the supermarkets were converted to the Presto format, and the Hintons name disappeared from the store estate.

  Acquisition price. £25 million (1984)

  Source

• 1984

  Replace the Hintons identity with PrestoStrategy

  Background

  Following the takeover, Argyll Foods pursued integration into its established Presto supermarket format rather than maintaining Hintons as a long-term standalone fascia.

  Action taken

  Presto products were introduced rapidly, and the Hintons supermarkets were progressively refitted and rebranded.

  Aftermath

  The Hintons name disappeared from all stores during the Presto rollout. The Guisborough store was among the last to launch under the Hintons name despite already having a Presto-style interior.

  Source

1. 1Hintonsen.wikipedia.org