LEC Refrigeration

LEC Refrigeration, originally the Longford Engineering Company, is a British manufacturer and brand of refrigerators, freezers and specialist cooling equipment. The business was established in 1942 by fishmongers Frank Purley and Charles Reginald Purley in Bognor Regis, Sussex. Its first wartime activity was the manufacture of munitions at premises on Longford Road, but the company began experimenting with refrigeration equipment after the Second World War. A first refrigerator was produced in 1946, and volume production began at the Shripney Road site in 1947. The company adopted the name LEC Refrigeration in December 1954. Its activities covered both household and commercial refrigeration: historically, roughly three-fifths of output served domestic customers while the remainder was sold to commercial users. LEC also developed an international customer base at an early stage and, before the mid-1950s, reportedly sold more products overseas than in the United Kingdom. Its main manufacturing complex was Shripney Works at Bersted, north of Bognor Regis. The site covered a substantial area and included access to an airfield, which supported visits to overseas buyers and factories. LEC became an important participant in the expansion of household refrigeration in post-war Britain. In the 1960s, when refrigerator ownership in British homes remained much lower than in the United States, the company marketed ranges such as the Twelve Six. It also supplied private-label and contract products, including freezers sold through the Co-operative Wholesale Society. During the 1970s, LEC opened a factory in Northern Ireland, and its freezer products received favourable recognition in Which? testing. By the beginning of the 1980s, the company employed approximately 1,600 people and held a significant share of the British domestic refrigeration market. It operated additional manufacturing capacity in Burnley, Lancashire, and used the Regis suffix on some products to identify their place of manufacture. Alongside household appliances, LEC built a specialist products division in 1956. This division produced refrigerators for hospitals, aircraft and laboratories and later traded under the Lec Medical and Lec Commercial names. The specialist business became an important part of the company's long-term identity and is now associated with Glen Dimplex Professional Appliances. LEC also had a connection with motor racing through LEC Refrigeration Racing and the LEC Car Club, whose activities grew out of a rally championship established in the 1950s. LEC became a public company in 1964. After a difficult period in the early 1990s, including workforce reductions and a decision to source compressors from Denmark rather than manufacture them domestically, the company entered a period of ownership change and manufacturing restructuring. Sime Darby of Malaysia acquired LEC in 1994. In 2005, Glen Dimplex acquired the business. Domestic refrigerator production subsequently moved from Bognor Regis to a Glen Dimplex Home Appliances facility at Whiston, while specialist production continued at Bognor for a limited period before ending there in April 2007. The former Bognor manufacturing site was later redeveloped. Today, LEC remains a refrigeration brand within the Glen Dimplex structure. Its activities are associated with domestic refrigeration products as well as professional and medical cooling equipment marketed through the Lec Medical and Lec Commercial businesses. Commercial operations are based at the Glen Dimplex site in Whiston. The brand's historical significance rests on its long British manufacturing history, its role in the development of domestic refrigeration, and its continuing specialist-appliance presence.

LEC Refrigeration began as the Longford Engineering Company, founded in 1942 by brothers Frank Purley and Charles Reginald Purley. The founders were fishmongers, but wartime conditions led the new company to manufacture munitions at Longford Road in Bognor Regis. After the war, the business turned toward refrigeration. It developed experimental refrigerators from 1945, produced its first refrigerator in 1946, and began production at the Shripney Road site in 1947. The company changed its name to LEC Refrigeration in December 1954. Its Bognor Regis operation became the centre of a broad manufacturing and distribution network serving both household and commercial customers. LEC developed overseas sales early and maintained a substantial export business. The Shripney Works site at Bersted occupied a large area beside the Bognor Regis branch railway line. The company also controlled land across the railway, part of which was used for LEC Airfield, enabling company travel to international customers and production locations. LEC's growth coincided with the spread of electric refrigeration in British homes. In the 1960s it offered products such as the Twelve Six range, while also manufacturing freezers for other retail organizations, including the Co-operative Wholesale Society. It expanded its industrial footprint in the 1970s with a Northern Ireland factory. LEC freezers received strong consumer-testing recognition during that decade. By the early 1980s, the company had approximately 1,600 employees, a major position in the British domestic refrigeration market and manufacturing activity in both Sussex and Burnley. Some products carried the Regis suffix, reflecting their manufacturing origin. A major diversification began in 1956 with the creation of a special products division. This unit made refrigerators for hospitals, aircraft and laboratories, establishing a specialist capability that outlasted much of the original domestic manufacturing network. The business later became known as Lec Medical and Lec Commercial and is now part of Glen Dimplex Professional Appliances. LEC became a public company in September 1964. The company experienced pressure in the early 1990s, when it reduced its workforce below 1,000 employees and decided to import compressors from Denmark instead of producing them internally. Charles Reginald Purley, who had served as chairman for many years, left the chairmanship in October 1991 and died later that year. LEC was acquired by Sime Darby on 21 July 1994. It was subsequently acquired by Glen Dimplex on 26 February 2005. Following the Glen Dimplex acquisition, the company's manufacturing structure changed significantly. From August 2005, domestic refrigerator production moved to Whiston, near Sheffield, at a facility operated by Glen Dimplex Home Appliances. Specialist refrigeration production continued at Bognor Regis until 19 April 2007. The historic Shripney Works site was later redeveloped, including use as a retail development location. Commercial operations are now conducted from Glen Dimplex's Whiston site, while LEC-branded domestic and professional refrigeration activities continue within the Glen Dimplex organization. The company also sponsored or organized motor-racing activity. LEC Refrigeration Racing emerged in the 1970s from the LEC Car Club's rally championship, which had begun in the 1950s. David Purley, a son of founder Charles Purley, became the best-known driver associated with the company's racing activities.

1. 2007Bognor specialist production ends

   Specialist refrigeration manufacturing ends at Bognor Regis on 19 April.

   Source
2. 2005Glen Dimplex acquisition and production transfer

   Glen Dimplex acquires the company and domestic refrigerator production moves to Whiston.

   Source
3. 1994Sime Darby acquisition

   Sime Darby acquires LEC Refrigeration on 21 July.

   Source
4. 1973Northern Ireland factory opens

   LEC expands its manufacturing footprint with a factory in Northern Ireland.

   Source
5. 1964Company becomes publicly listed

   LEC becomes a public company on 1 September.

   Source
6. 1956Special products division opens

   LEC establishes a division serving hospitals, aircraft and laboratories.

   Source
7. 1954Name changes to LEC Refrigeration

   The company adopts the LEC Refrigeration name on 13 December.

   Source
8. 1947Refrigerator production starts

   Production begins at the Shripney Road works after the first refrigerator was made in 1946.

   Source
9. 1945Refrigeration development begins

   The company begins experimental refrigerator work as it diversifies from wartime production.

   Source
10. 1942Longford Engineering Company is founded

    Frank Purley and Charles Reginald Purley establish the company in Bognor Regis, initially producing wartime munitions.

    Source

A British refrigeration brand combining mass-market household appliances with specialist cooling equipment for medical, laboratory, aviation and commercial applications.

• Domestic refrigeratorsHousehold refrigeration1946

  LEC's domestic refrigerator business formed the core of its post-war expansion. The company produced conventional household refrigerators at its Bognor Regis works and later shifted domestic production to Whiston under Glen Dimplex ownership. Historical ranges included the Twelve Six line, while later products were sold as part of the LEC domestic appliance portfolio.

• FreezersHousehold refrigeration

  LEC manufactured upright and other household freezer products for its own brand and for contract or private-label customers. Its freezers were prominent in the British market during the 1970s and received favourable Which? recognition. The range supported LEC's position as a broad domestic refrigeration supplier rather than a refrigerator-only manufacturer.

• Wine coolersSpecialty refrigeration

  Wine coolers are among the specialty refrigeration products associated with the LEC brand. They extend the brand beyond standard food-storage appliances into temperature-controlled storage for beverages and other domestic specialty uses.

• Lec MedicalMedical refrigeration1956

  Lec Medical is the specialist medical refrigeration business developed from LEC's special products division. Its equipment serves healthcare settings requiring controlled refrigeration, including hospital and laboratory environments. The business is now associated with Glen Dimplex Professional Appliances.

• Lec CommercialCommercial refrigeration1956

  Lec Commercial represents LEC's commercial refrigeration activities. The division developed from the company's long-standing production of equipment for professional users and complements its domestic appliance range with cooling products for commercial and institutional applications.

• 2005Glen Dimplex acquires LECM&A

  LEC's domestic and specialist refrigeration operations were being reorganized within a changing appliance market.

  What changed. Glen Dimplex acquired LEC Refrigeration on 26 February 2005.

  Aftermath. The LEC brand became part of Glen Dimplex's appliance activities, with commercial operations centered at Whiston and specialist products linked to Glen Dimplex Professional Appliances.

  Source
• 2005Domestic production is transferred to WhistonStrategy

  Glen Dimplex reorganized LEC's manufacturing footprint after acquiring the company.

  What changed. From August 2005, domestic refrigerator production moved from Bognor Regis to a Glen Dimplex Home Appliances site at Whiston.

  Aftermath. Specialist production remained at Bognor Regis until April 2007, while the historic Bognor site was later redeveloped.

  Source
• 1994Sime Darby acquires LEC RefrigerationM&A

  LEC entered the 1990s after a loss-making period and organizational reductions.

  What changed. Sime Darby of Malaysia purchased the company on 21 July 1994.

  Aftermath. LEC continued under new ownership until its acquisition by Glen Dimplex in 2005.

  Source
• 1993Compressor sourcing is moved overseasStrategy

  During a period of operational pressure, LEC reduced its workforce and reconsidered the economics of making compressors in-house.

  What changed. The company decided to import compressors from Denmark rather than continue manufacturing them internally.

  Aftermath. The decision formed part of a wider restructuring before the Sime Darby acquisition.

  Source

• 2007Specialist production ends at Bognor Regis

  Production of specialist refrigeration equipment at the Bognor Regis site ended in April 2007 after the domestic manufacturing transfer.

  Other
  Source
• 2005Glen Dimplex acquires LEC Refrigeration

  Glen Dimplex acquired LEC Refrigeration in February 2005, bringing the brand into the Irish appliance group's portfolio.

  M&A
  Source
• 2005Domestic refrigerator production moves to Whiston

  Domestic refrigerator manufacturing was transferred from Bognor Regis to a Glen Dimplex Home Appliances facility at Whiston.

  Other
  Source
• 1994LEC Refrigeration is acquired by Sime Darby

  Sime Darby of Malaysia acquired LEC Refrigeration in July 1994 as the British appliance company underwent ownership and operational restructuring.

  M&A
  Source

1. LEC Refrigeration