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Victor by name and victor by nature
FEW businessmen can boast that they sent Robert Maxwell packing.
Victor Watson achieved this feat – not once, but twice.
Soon we can read the inside story of how he saved Waddingtons of Leeds from the clutches of predators like Maxwell and turned it into one of the best-loved names in business.
It's a name that stirs memories for anyone who got a taste for property by playing Monopoly. Under the guidance of Mr Watson's family, Waddingtons became famous as the producer of best-selling board games such as Monopoly and Cluedo.
Next month, Mr Watson will launch his new book – The Waddingtons Story – at a special reception in Leeds Civic Hall, which reflects his status as a leading light of Yorkshire's printing industry.
Mr Watson, the former chairman of Waddingtons, describes the background to the firm's success, drawing on the memories of three generations of his family.
The story begins with the dramatic rise of his grandfather, Victor Hugo Watson, whose business acumen transformed the firm from a struggling provincial printer into a market leader.
He charts the career of his father, Norman Watson, who helped to associate Waddingtons with household names such as Monopoly and Cluedo. The Monopoly concept was first bought from the US by the Watson family and proved a stunning success.
Mr Watson's own time at the helm was turbulent. As the company grew, he had to fight off takeover bids from Maxwell's Printing and Communications Corporation.
The book gives an insight into how firms like Waddingtons survived the upheavals of the last century. It managed to keep growing despite the General Strike of 1926 and the Depression of the 1930s, and also carried out secret printing work during the Second World War. The company flourished despite intense rivalry from the likes of De La Rue. It was also instrumental in founding the World Monopoly championships.
Mr Watson grew up in Horsforth, near Leeds, and as an apprentice at Waddingtons used to make little wooden houses for board games. He retired as chairman of the company in 1993.
He is still an active member of the business community and is partnership president of Print Yorkshire, a partnership between the British Printing Industries Federation and Yorkshire Forward. He is also a former president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce.
In 2007, Mr Watson received the British Printing Industries' Federation's first award for Outstanding Contribution to the Printing Industry.
Always outspoken, last year Mr Watson suggested that Yorkshire Post readers should write in to the leaders of Leeds and Bradford councils and tell them what they should do with money raised from the sale of Leeds-Bradford airport.
At a special luncheon, on Tuesday November 11, at Leeds Civic Hall, Mr Watson will be joined by Dame Fanny Waterman,
the founder of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, and David Perry, the former England rugby captain and managing director of Waddingtons. The event will raise funds to support the work of the Prince's Trust, which helps young entrepreneurs achieve their potential.
A limited number of tickets, at a cost of 40 each, are available for the luncheon. Anyone who is interested in attending should contact Catherine Bates
by emailing catherine.bates@ rdw.co.uk or by telephoning 01484 534323.
The Waddingtons Story, by Victor Watson, will be published next month and is available in hardback and paperback from Huddersfield-based Jeremy Mills Publishing. www.jeremymills publishing.co.uk.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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