PIFCO 1980

Advert fro PIFCO electrical appliances from 1980

In 1963, they needed to expand the company to increase production and needed more capital. They were forced to sell the company to Tube Investments (TI), a conglomerate of electrical appliance brands. Production was moved to Wombourne in Staffordshire, where it was shared with Creda and to Blythe Bridge, in a former aircraft factory now owned by Indesit. Russell became technical director of Creda, then managed Turnright. TI sold off their consumer brands, with the company going to Polly Peck, managed by Asil Nadir in the late 1980s. Polly Peck collapsed and Russell Hobbs was bought by Pifco based in Failsworth in 1991, then by Salton on 4th June 2001. Pifco, the British manufacturer of appliances such as teasmades became known as Salton Europe. The parent company, Salton Inc., is based in Lake Forest, Illinois and has a Canadian division in Ontario. In March 2002, Salton Europe closed down their factory in Wombourne near Wolverhampton, moving their last bit of production to China.

In December 2007, two longstanding companies in the small household appliance business, Salton, Inc. and Applica Incorporated, combined their businesses through a merger. As a result of the merger, Applica became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Salton. In December 2009, the combined company (formerly known as Salton, Inc.) changed its name to Russell Hobbs, Inc.[7]

Russell died on 16 February 2006 aged 85.[8] Hobbs died on 11 April 2008 aged 91

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