Invicta Plastics

Invicta Plastics Ltd.

The Oadby Headquarters in 2001

Industry| Manufacturing
Founded| 1946; 79 years ago (1946)
Defunct| 2013 (2013)
Fate| Liquidation
Successor| Make a Material Difference Ltd.
Headquarters|

* Queen's Road, Leicester
* Oadby, Leicester (demolished 2009)
* Scudamore Rd., Leicester (2009-2013)

Key people

* Lady Onslow (Chief Executive)
* Edward Jones-Fenleigh (Founder)

Products|

* Toys
* Mastermind (board game)
* Games
* Plastic dinosaurs
* Other plastic goods

Number of employees

| 35 (2013)

Invicta Plastics Ltd. was a plastics manufacturing company,[1] founded in 1946[2][3] by Edward Jones-Fenleigh (Incorporated as a PLC in 1951, previously Invicta Industries).[4] They had a headquarters in Oadby up until 2009, when they moved to Scudamore Road,[4] where they remained until their insolvency in 2013.[5] They were particularly known for their production of the Mastermind Board Game.[3] They were also responsible for the manufacture of ‘Red Noses’ for Comic Relief in the 1980s and 1990s.[6]

## History

[edit]

The company was founded by Edward J. Jones-Fenleigh in 1946,[2][3] and was incorporated as a PLC in 1951.[1] In the early years of the company, their services included injection moulding, thermoplastic sheet moulding, and vacuum forming.[7] In 1951, the company moved to their Oadby headquarters, where it remained until 2009.[8] During this period, they served clients such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Reckitt Benckiser.[9][10] The site was demolished, and a Waitrose was built in the location, opening in 2010.[11] The company went into MBO in 2013, where a Management Buyout occurred, with Make a Material Difference Ltd. procuring several divisions of Invicta Plastics Ltd.[5]

## Notable Products

[edit]

Invicta Electronic Master Mind game

Mastermind or Master Mind, is a code-breaking board game for two players launched in 1971.[3] It was one of the more prominent products of the company, with them professing sales in excess of a million units. The success of the game led to them winning the Queen’s Award for Export in 1978.[12] They also made a handheld electronic device based on the game.[13]

Invicta Plastics also produced a line of plastic dinosaurs in conjunction with the British Natural History Museum from 1974.[14]

The company manufactured the Comic Relief ‘Red Noses’ for a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s.[10] Of particular note, in 1995, they produced heat responsive colour changing noses.[15]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "INVICTA PLASTICS LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
2. ^ a b "Invicta Plastics Ltd - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
3. ^ a b c d "Invicta Toys and Games". 2007-08-12. Archived from the original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
4. ^ a b "INVICTA PLASTICS LIMITED - Filing history (free information from Companies House)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-27.)
5. ^ a b Media, Insider. "Invicta Plastics assets sold to directors". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
6. ^ Gyekye, Liz (2013-03-13). "Invicta Plastics claims world rPET first". Packaging News. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
7. ^ "Oadby". www.wigstonhistoricalsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
8. ^ "Borough of Oadby and Wigston Directorate of Development and Consumer Services Planning section" (PDF). Oadby-wigston.gov.uk.
9. ^ "Red Nose company leads way with food-safe plates from recycled bottles". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
10. ^ a b "Invicta Plastics - Client Portfolio". 2006-03-21. Archived from the original on 2006-03-21. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
11. ^ Troughton, Adrian (2019-07-18). "Waitrose statement reveals new supermarket taking over store". LeicestershireLive. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
12. ^ "Invicta Plastics - Plastic Injection Moulding Company". 2006-03-21. Archived from the original on 2006-03-21. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
13. ^ "Invicta Master Mind". www.vintagecalculators.com. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
14. ^ "The INVICTA DINOSAURS gave me quite a surprise". Dinosaur Toys Collectors Guide. Archived from the original on 2021-02-23.
15. ^ "History of Invicta Plastics". Invicta group. Archived from the original on 2001-04-17.