| Type | Private (subsidiary of Bain Capital) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bathroom fixtures & plumbing supplies |
| Predecessor | Armitage Ware Limited |
| Successor | American Standard Companies |
| Founded | 1817 |
| Founder(s) | Thomas Bond |
| Headquarters | Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Number of locations | 8 factories |
| Area served | United Kingdom |
| Website | http://www.armitage-shanks.co.uk/ |
Armitage Shanks is a British manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies.
In 2004 Armitage Shanks had eight factories in the UK, the largest in Armitage, Staffordshire. Armitage Shanks is one of the sponsors of the Loo of the Year Awards.
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The company that became Armitage Shanks was founded in 1817 by Thomas Bond in Armitage, Staffordshire. The Armitage "sanitary pottery manufacture" became a successful UK toilet manufacturer. In 1907 Armitage Ware Limited was incorporated.
In 1969 Armitage merged with Shanks Holdings Limited, a competing "sanitary engineering company" established at Barrhead near Glasgow, Renfrewshire in 1878, producing the famous brand name Armitage Shanks.[1]
In 1980 Armitage Shanks was purchased by Blue Circle Industries, and in February 1999 Blue Circle sold its bathroom division (consisting of Armitage Shanks and the Italian Ceramica Dolomite) to U.S. based American Standard Companies for US$430 million. Following this purchase, the Armitage Shanks brand disappeared outside the UK, as their former export markets, such as those in east Asia, moved over to the American Standard brand. American Standard were acquired by Bain Capital in 2007.
The company has inspired other people and groups to use the name, sometimes as an example of toilet humour.