Wittington Investments is a privately owned British holding company with a majority share of Associated British Foods (ABF). It was incorporated in 1941 in London by Canadian entrepreneur Garfield Weston, the son of George Weston, who founded Weston Foods in 1882. Garfield founded ABF in 1935 as Food Investments Limited, which became Allied Bakeries Limited a month later. It took on its current name in 1960 after acquiring some of the biggest bakers in Britain, including the Aerated Bread Company in 1955. Today, Wittington Investments is 79.2 per cent owned by the Garfield Weston Foundation, one of the UK’s largest grant-making trusts, which was established by Weston in 1958. As a diversified food, ingredients and retail group, ABF has annual revenues of over $19 billion, and Wittington derive the majority of their wealth from their holding of 54.5 per cent. Outside of ABF, they also have shares in luxury retail brands, property, including hotels and retail space, as well as a broad mix of financial assets. Dividends Wittington receives from ABF are largely reinvested in other assets or are paid out as dividends by Wittington themselves. Wittington also owns department stores in Ireland and the Netherlands and has a subsidiary in Canada of a similar name based in Toronto, where Garfield Weston was born. His foundation is said to have given over 1 million GBP to charitable causes since its establishment 60 years ago.
- Family name: Weston family
- Sector: Consumer Products & Retail
- Founded: 1941
- Founder: Garfield Weston
- Country: United Kingdom
- Company headquarters: United Kingdom
- Revenue: 20
- Employees: 125,166
- Website: wittington-investments.co.uk
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