Ambius history

By then, too, Rentokil had succeeded in extending its reach beyond the United Kingdom, beginning with Australia in 1965, and built up an especially strong position in the European market.

Rentokil went public in 1969.

In the same year, it established the basis of a hygiene division with the purchase of Rashbrooke Chemical Company and in 1970 acquired Thames Services for £1million.

Tropical Plant Rentals began the expansion into other markets in 1975, becoming the leader in the emerging interiorscape industry.

1982: Sir Clive Thompson takes over leadership of Rentokil, leads company on acquisition trail of more than 300 companies in less than 20 years.

Placed in charge of the company was Clive Thompson, then 40 years old, who started with the company as a director before being named chief executive officer in 1983.

In 1985, BET launched a full-fledged takeover of Initial, then merged its Advance Services subsidiary under the Initial brand name.

In 1988, Tropical Plant Rentals was sold to Rentokil Initial Plc, the largest service based organization in the UK.

In 1991, the company moved into textile and industrial laundry services by acquiring that division from Electrolux, of Sweden.

1992: Rentokil moves into security services sector with its £76 million acquisition of Securigard, which also marks the company's entry into the parcels delivery sector with subsidiary A to Z Parcels.

Yet its stock price remained low, leaving it open to Rentokil's hostile takeover in 1996.

Nor was Rentokil's quest for growth undiminished: by 1997, the company was back on the acquisition trail, adding the textile services divisions of France's Generale des Eaux, itself in the process of transforming into Vivendi Universal.

The company continued its acquisition drive through 1998, adding ten more companies to its various services divisions.

Together these activities generated nearly £2.24 billion in sales in 2001.

Thompson announced his intention to step down as chief executive at the end of 2002, taking on the position of non-executive chairman instead.

Rentokil was selected as the preferred supplier of pest control services and products to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2012 a Global Science Centre was established to undertake research, development and regulatory work for the Pest Control and Hygiene businesses.

An international ‘Bring her Home’ campaign was launched in Adelaide and in late 2013 the ship bearing the City’s name began its voyage home.

Signature won the prestigious Red Dot Design award in 2014.

© Rentokil Initial plc 2021