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1910 - Open for Business
Lixall, originally known as SweepoDust, was formed on 21st December 1911 by two directors, Frank Battersby and William James Ringer, both from Southport. In addition to the founding directors, the company also had an additional two shareholders, Clare Jane Ringer and Joseph Leadbetter.
In the early days, Lixall manufactured a product called Sweepodust, a mixture of sand, sawdust and disinfectant which was scattered on the floor prior to sweeping, sold mainly to factories as a cleaning product.
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1940 - New Beginnings
Around 1942, the business was owned by Mr and Mrs Dawson. Mr Dawson was not interested in the business his wife had inherited so offered an odd, yet unique opportunity to a gentleman wearing a Czechoslovakian uniform named Mr Frank Kessler who by chance he gave a lift to one day. Mr Dawson explained the business was not really going anywhere and it needed someone to run it for them. Mr Frank Kessler a refugee who had escaped from the Nazis in Czechoslovakia took Mr Dawson up on the opportunity -.
Frank Kessler worked very hard on the business and started to manufacture other products such as detergents and disinfectants and added other products to the range such as brushes and dusters. As the product range expanded, Mr Kessler took on more staff and salesmen and turned the company into a thriving profitable business.
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1950 - Change of Direction
Mr Dawson decided to sell the business offering Mr Kessler first refusal. Frank Kessler, along with three other investors Samuel Lipkin, Myer Lister and Marcus Malies, purchased the business in March 1954. Mr Kessler subsequently bought out the other three shareholders to become the sole owner in November 1957.
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1960 - Time for Change
Frank’s son Harry joined the business and following his father’s short illness, he then inherited the business in 1966. In 1969 the company changed its name to Lixall Products Ltd and in 1973 acquired Highfield Cleansing products of Westhoughton, near Wigan.
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1970 - New Ideas for Growth
During the 1970s, Lixall stopped manufacturing their own products, instead pursuing a direction of utilising their contacts in the janitorial business to get other manufacturers to produce products for them under the Lixall name. Lixall transformed from a manufacturing company to one of purely wholesaling. To facilitate this change, in 1977, Lixall moved from Southport and bought a larger, 50,000 square foot premises at Mayflower Works in Formby for £50,000.
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1980 - Economic Challenges
In April 1982, Lixall acquired Hygenco Ltd of Blackburn and after continuing to grow the business successfully, Harry Kessler sold Lixall in 1984 to George Baird of The Broadway Group.
The following period proved challenging for the company with economic pressures reflecting poorly on previously excellent trading results, consequently the company again changed hands with the current owners acquiring Lixall in September 2002.
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2000 - Forces Joined
The new owners combined the operations of Lixall with Cleanall and moved to their new purpose-built buildings in Leyland in 2003.
Cleanall Services, a business operating since 1967 provided commercial cleaning services throughout the UK, Cleanall had built its reputation as a leading cleaning business by forging long-term partnerships with its customers to deliver dynamic, cost-effective solutions to their building requirements.
As the business evolved providing dynamic solutions for client’s cleaning and facilities management needs. Lixall and Cleanall have gone from strength to strength in recent years and is looking forward to the next 100 years of successful trading from their Lancashire base.