Explain how Darling's legal status changed from 1933 to 1983.

In 1933 a retired army colonel Joshua Darling returned to Liverpool and decided to open a chocolate factory in Liverpool. He started his business as a sole trader as it didn’t demand complicated formal procedures to be founded, the colonel could have personal contacts with staff and customers, could make independent decisions and didn’t have to share profits with anybody.

Several years passed, the factory needed expansion because of an increasing demand for the chocolate, but Darling couldn’t afford it without changing the type of business (a sole-trader has few opportunities to attract capital, develop technologies; a number of workers is limited). So he invited Mr. Windbourne, a husband of his daughter, a businessman, to his business. Then Alice’s husband joined the chocolate factory and the business was turned into general partnership in 1940.

Due to that fact it began expanding: the territory widened, scale of production increased, more workers were employed, the factory started to use machines, though the tradition of finishing chocolate by hand remained.

In the 1950^th they started export campaign to penetrate overseas markets. The most popular brand, exported to Europe, Australia and South America, was “The Colonel’s Choice”.

The export campaign was a very risky step. If it had failed the colonel and Mr. Windbourne would have been liable with all firms’s property including their own. It was one of the reasons for their decision to issue shares and reorganize their business into private limited company. Also Darling wanted to avoid difficult legal procedures of inheritance in event of his death (the partnership isn’t inherited). Also the popularity of Darlings’ chocolates was getting higher, so the business was reorganized to be able to satisfy the expanding demands (limited companies have more opportunities). The company had widened the range of production: it started launching several brands, including “Darling’s Delight”, “Devonshire Cream Bar”, “Villager’s Block”, which were sold only in Britain, and of course “The Colonel’s Choice”, the chocolate was of different kinds: bars with various fillings and boxed chocolate. In 1955 Alice finally joined the company. He died in 1963 and she became the new majority share-holder.

In the 1960^th the prices for raw materials increased very much due to the poor harvest of cocoa beans and sugar, but the company had to buy the finest and the most expensive ingredients in order to maintain a good image. The company needed more assets, in fact in 1964 it was changed into public limited company to be able to appeal to the public for extra funds. Mrs. Alice Windbourne sold 40% of shares on the stock-exchange, the company “Fountain Foods” bought of 39%. She retained the controlling interest as she kept 51%. In 1983, the company celebrated its golden jubilee.

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