A century-old chocolate brand that started out selling at fairgrounds rather than in shops tells you something about how differently confectionery businesses used to build a customer base.
A Preston chocolate maker since 1920
Beech's Fine Chocolates was founded in 1920 by Edward Collinson in Preston, Lancashire. Collinson picked the location deliberately: Preston was a busy port with good road connections, which made it a practical base for distributing chocolate across the rest of the country as the business grew.
From fairgrounds to luxury shelves
The company's earliest sales weren't through grocers or department stores — they were made at fairgrounds, a common route to market for confectioners in the early twentieth century. It took until 1946 for Beech's to move into the luxury chocolate market it's now associated with, a shift that set the direction for the rest of the company's history.
A century of change in ownership
Beech's stayed in the Collinson family until 1966, when it was sold to a family of Yorkshire wool merchants. It later became a supplier to the Supercook brand, which went on to acquire the company outright in 1984, before Beech's was bought by the RenshawScott Group in 2000. Despite all the changes of ownership, it remains a family-owned business today, now exporting luxury chocolate internationally more than a century after it started.
You'll find luxury boxed chocolate alongside everyday favourites in our chocolate range.
Frequently asked questions
When was Beech's Fine Chocolates founded?
1920, by Edward Collinson in Preston, Lancashire.
Who founded Beech's and why Preston?
Edward Collinson founded it, choosing Preston for its port access and strong road links for distribution.
Who owns Beech's Fine Chocolates today?
It's changed hands several times — including acquisition by Supercook in 1984 and by RenshawScott Group in 2000 — and remains family owned.