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Servis Was a white goods brand well known in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1929 in Darlaston, an area of the West Midlands renowned for manufacturing. The company started out as a manufacturer, but fell into difficulties in the 1980's. Since 1991, the business has operated in partnership with Italian manufacturer Antonio Merloni.

As a manufacturer

Servis Domestic Appliances manufactured washing machines (and later tumble driers). It acquired a patent on electronic controls for washing machine drums and the Servis Quartz was the first washing machine to be controlled by a microchip. The company went into liquidation in 1981. A new company was formed. but. in 1985. this too was in serious difficulties. The receiver had been called in, placing 500 jobs at risk. The future of the company, and indeed the decline in manufacturing in the region was mentioned in parliament. The company had ceased manufacturing by the end of the decade and a new buyer was being sought.

In 1980, the company provided commercial sponsorship for the Staffordshire Brass Band for a period of 3 years.

Partnership with Merloni

The company states on its web site that it operates in a partnership with Antonio Merloni. In fact, the company is owned by Antonio Merloni and the parent company supplies the majority (but not all) of its product range. Antonio Merloni continues to grow the brand in the United Kingdom and, as at 1995, it had 3.5% of the domestic market. The company now supplies refrigeration equipment and dishwashers in addition to washing machines and tumble driers. There is no longer any United Kingdom manufacture, all the appliances are European.

Staff at the company have been prominent in raising funds for Meningitis UK.

Origins of name

One source suggests that the name was the result of a staff competition. A more plausible explanation is that the spelling differentiates the name for trademark purposes.

Liquidation

In October 2008, Merloni announced that it would be placing the Servis brand into liquidation[1] with the loss of 150 jobs.

In September 2011, Vestel of Turkey was reported to have purchased the Servis brand from Antonio Merloni SpA [2]

References

• patent on electronic control
• illustration of computer control
• whitegoods information resource
• meningitis support
• competition commission
• granted patents
• Hansard on job losses