Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ?
Test your knowledge thanks to the fifth part of the True or False series.
Aston Martin
In 1911, car dealer George Whitaker meets car racing enthusiast Samuel Rootes through common friends. Rootes also happens to be the heir of the Bamford factories, a bicycle business located in suburban London. George and Samuel make fast friends and in 1913 they decide to produce their own vehicles by turning the bicycle workshops into car factories. They name their very first car Aston Martin, after their respective sons Aston and Martin. The brand starts to gain recognition in 1916 when an Aston Martin racing car wins the French Grand Prix. All throughout the 20th century, Aston Martin faces numerous financial troubles; the brand is put up for sales and changes hands several times. It is currently owned by Italian private equity fund Industrinvest.
True or false?
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False. Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, who after a year selling cars made by Singer, Calthorpe or GWK in their car dealership named Bamford & Martin, decided to make their own vehicles. Martin was a race enthusiast who would often race at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, so they named their first car Aston Martin. All throughout the 20th century, Aston Martin faced numerous financial troubles; the brand is put up for sales and changes hands several times. It is currently owned by Italian private equity fund Investindustrial.
Haribo
In 1919, after losing her husband during WW1 Harriet Baumbach leaves her job in Bonn, Germany, to reunite with her parents who emigrated to Switzerland in 1913. Upon arriving in Zürich, Harriet starts working in her parents’ candy shop. Skilled cook and amateur chemist, she soon grows an interest in candy making and creates her first gummy bear candy in 1921. The sweet treat is an instant bestseller and the Baumbachs start opening confectionery workshops in Switzerland and all over the world. Harriet takes the first syllables of her name and surname to christen her new company Haribo, a simplified spelling of Harri-Bau.
True or false?
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False. In 1920, Johannes “Hans” Riegel founds his confectionery company in Bonn, Germany. He chooses the name Haribo for Hans Riegel Bonn. Soon after in 1922, Hans creates Gummibärchen, the first gummy bear candy. When Hans Riegel dies during WW2, his son, also named Hans Riegel inherits the company and starts expanding Haribo’s operation all over the world. Nowadays, Haribo is one of the biggest manufacturer of gummy and jelly sweets in the world.
7-Eleven
In 1927, John Jefferson Green, then employed by Southland Ice Company, starts selling eggs, milk and bread in front of the ice house. It is a success and soon other stores open in the area. A few years later, a fellow Southland employee brings back a totem pole as a souvenir from a trip to Alaska and puts it in front of the store. The company becomes known as Tote’m Stores. In 1946, the company decides to switch its name from Tote’m Stores to 7-Eleven to reflect the stores’ new opening hours. The chain grew steadily and is now the 5th largest retailer in the world with over 35000 in more than 100 countries.
True or false?
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True.
