Bassetts
Historic British confectionery brand associated with liquorice, jelly sweets, mints, and traditional pick-and-mix confectionery.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Bassetts is a historic British confectionery brand whose roots reach back to George Bassett's Sheffield business, established in 1842. The original company traded as a wholesale confectioner and lozenge maker and later developed a broad portfolio of boiled sweets, liquorice, chewy sweets, mints, and jelly confectionery. Its identity is closely connected with traditional British sweet-shop products and with the visual and cultural familiarity of Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts. The brand's best-known product story concerns Liquorice Allsorts. According to the long-established account, a Bassett salesman accidentally dropped samples of different sweets in front of a prospective customer in 1899. The mixed appearance suggested a new product concept, and the assortment became one of the company's defining offerings. The product combines liquorice with brightly colored confectionery pieces and has remained central to Bassetts' recognition in the United Kingdom and other markets. In 1926, the Bertie Bassett character was introduced as a mascot for Liquorice Allsorts. Bertie subsequently became one of the most recognizable confectionery mascots in Britain and continues to represent the product in later brand activity. Bassetts also has a long association with jelly sweets. The company introduced its own soft sweet range in 1918 under the name Peace Babies. These sweets were relaunched as Jelly Babies in the 1950s, helping establish a product line that remains strongly associated with the Bassetts name. Jelly Babies became part of British popular culture, including through their reported association with Beatles concerts and George Harrison's preference for the sweets. The business expanded through corporate development as well as organic product creation. It acquired Barratt & Co. in a friendly takeover in 1966, broadening its position in the British confectionery sector. Bassett's became a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange in 1929, but later ceased to be an independent listed business following its acquisition by Cadbury Schweppes in 1989. The reported transaction value was £91 million. After later changes in the ownership of Cadbury's confectionery operations, the brand ultimately became part of Mondelēz International. In 2016, Mondelēz combined Bassetts with Maynards in a dual brand architecture marketed as Maynards Bassetts. This change placed Bassetts alongside another established British confectionery name while retaining Bassetts' heritage associations. Products sold under or associated with the Bassetts name include Liquorice Allsorts, Fruit Allsorts, Dessert Allsorts, Sports Mixture, Jelly Babies, various Babies formats, bonbons, drops, mints, sherbet sweets, traditional mixed sweets, and selected toffees. Availability and naming can vary by market and over time, and some historical products have been discontinued or reformulated. Bassetts is therefore best understood as a heritage confectionery brand rather than as a standalone operating company. Its positioning rests on British tradition, recognizable mascots, colorful formats, nostalgic sweet-shop associations, and long-running product recipes or product types. Although corporate ownership and brand architecture have changed, the Bassetts name continues to be used in the confectionery market, particularly through the Maynards Bassetts portfolio.
History
George Bassett established his confectionery business in Sheffield in 1842. Early records describe him as a wholesale confectioner, lozenge maker, and British wine trader, indicating that the original enterprise operated across several related areas of nineteenth-century food and drink commerce. In 1851, Bassett took on Samuel Meggitt Johnson as an apprentice. Johnson later became Bassett's son-in-law, and his descendants remained connected with the company for generations. Gordon Johnson, a member of that family line, retired as chairman in the 1970s. The company opened a factory on Broad Street in Sheffield in 1852. As the business developed, its manufacturing operations moved in 1933 to Owlerton, another part of the city. The Owlerton site remained associated with the company and its continuing Sheffield identity. Bassett's was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1929, reflecting its development from a family-connected confectionery enterprise into a larger corporate business. The brand's product history includes soft sweets that predated the modern Jelly Babies name. Similar baby-shaped sweets were produced in Britain during the nineteenth century, and in 1918 Bassetts introduced its own version as Peace Babies. The range was relaunched as Jelly Babies in the 1950s. The new name became significantly more prominent in popular culture, and the sweets were reportedly thrown at the Beatles during concerts because they were favored by George Harrison. Liquorice Allsorts became another defining part of the company’s identity. The commonly cited origin story places its creation in 1899, when salesman Charlie Thompson accidentally dropped samples from several product lines in front of a potential customer. The customer saw commercial potential in selling the sweets together as a mixed assortment. The resulting product developed into Liquorice Allsorts, a combination of liquorice and brightly colored pieces that became one of Britain's best-known traditional confectionery products. The name and presentation were retained as the product expanded into a signature Bassetts offering. In 1926, the company introduced Bertie Bassett as a character associated with Liquorice Allsorts. Bertie became a durable mascot and an important part of the brand's advertising and public identity. His continued use helped connect the product with British confectionery heritage and gave the brand a distinctive character beyond the packaging itself. Corporate expansion followed. Bassett's acquired Barratt & Co. in a friendly takeover in 1966, bringing another confectionery business into its portfolio. In 1989, the combined firms were acquired by Cadbury Schweppes in a transaction reported at £91 million. Bassetts subsequently passed through the ownership structure of Cadbury's confectionery business and ultimately became a brand of Mondelēz International. Under Mondelēz, Bassetts continued as a heritage brand rather than an independent company. In 2016, its products were re-marketed using the Maynards Bassetts dual brand. The combined identity linked two established British confectionery names while preserving Bassetts' associations with Liquorice Allsorts, Jelly Babies, mints, drops, bonbons, mixed sweets, and other traditional formats. The range has included Fruit Allsorts, Dessert Allsorts, Sports Mixture, Milky Babies, Fruity Babies, Party Babies, Sherbet Lemons, Fruit Bonbons, Lemon Bonbons, Pear Drops, Dolly Mixture, Sweetshop Favourites, Murray Mints, Mint Creams, Mint Favourites, Imperials, Everton Mints, Animal Mix, Snakes, Sour Squirms, and assorted toffees. Some historical products, including earlier versions of Traditional Wine Gums, have been discontinued or changed. Today, Bassetts remains identified primarily with classic British sweets and nostalgic brand assets. Its history combines local Sheffield manufacturing heritage, long-running product lines, a famous confectionery mascot, acquisitions within the British sweets industry, and integration into the international Mondelēz portfolio.
- 2016
Maynards Bassetts branding introduced
[1]Mondelēz brings the Bassetts and Maynards names together in a dual-brand marketing architecture.
- 1989
Acquired by Cadbury Schweppes
[1]Cadbury Schweppes acquires the combined confectionery businesses in a transaction reported at £91 million.
- 1966
Barratt & Co. acquired
[1]Bassett's completes a friendly takeover of Barratt & Co., expanding its confectionery portfolio.
- 1933
Manufacturing moves to Owlerton
[1]The company's Sheffield factory operations move from Broad Street to Owlerton.
- 1929
London Stock Exchange listing
[1]Bassett's is first listed on the London Stock Exchange.
- 1926
Bertie Bassett is created
[1]The Bertie Bassett mascot is introduced to represent Liquorice Allsorts.
- 1918
Peace Babies introduced
[1]Bassetts launches a soft sweet range later relaunched under the Jelly Babies name.
- 1899
Liquorice Allsorts origin story
[1]A reported accidental mixing of product samples inspires the concept that becomes Liquorice Allsorts.
- 1852
Broad Street factory opens
[1]The company opens a manufacturing site on Broad Street in Sheffield.
- 1842
George Bassett establishes the Sheffield confectionery business
[1]George Bassett begins the business recorded in Sheffield directories as a wholesale confectioner and lozenge maker.
Products and positioning
Traditional, nostalgic British confectionery with strong associations with liquorice, jelly sweets, colorful assortments, and classic sweet-shop formats.
Liquorice assortment · 1899
Liquorice Allsorts
Bassetts' signature liquorice assortment combines liquorice pieces with brightly colored layers and centers in varied shapes. Its reported accidental creation in 1899 became a central part of the brand story. The product is also closely linked with Bertie Bassett, the mascot introduced in 1926, and remains the most recognizable confectionery associated with the name.
Jelly sweets · 1950
Jelly Babies
Jelly Babies are soft, fruit-flavored, baby-shaped sweets descended from Bassetts' 1918 Peace Babies range. The product was relaunched under the Jelly Babies name in the 1950s and became a major part of the brand's popular identity. Its cultural visibility was reinforced by reported associations with George Harrison and Beatles concerts.
Fruit confectionery assortment
Fruit Allsorts
Fruit Allsorts extends the assortment concept beyond the traditional liquorice-led product. It uses a variety of fruit flavors and colorful pieces to provide a mixed, shareable sweet format associated with the broader Bassetts and Maynards Bassetts portfolio.
Mixed sweets
Sports Mixture
Sports Mixture is a traditional mixed-sweet product associated with Bassetts' heritage range. It belongs to the classic British confectionery category in which varied shapes, colors, and flavors are combined in a single bag for sharing or informal sweet-shop consumption.
Mint confectionery
Murray Mints
Murray Mints are part of the mint confectionery assortment associated with the Bassetts portfolio. Alongside Mint Creams, Mint Favourites, Imperials, and Everton Mints, they represent the brand's presence in traditional mint sweets as well as in liquorice and jelly products.
Brand decisions
2016
Maynards Bassetts dual-brand strategyStrategyBackground
Mondelēz held two established British confectionery names with overlapping heritage and traditional sweet-shop associations.
Action taken
Products were re-marketed under the combined Maynards Bassetts branding.
Aftermath
Bassetts continued as a heritage name within a broader portfolio rather than as a separately operated company.
1989
Acquisition by Cadbury SchweppesM&ABackground
Bassett's and the combined confectionery businesses were acquired as part of Cadbury Schweppes' expansion in confectionery.
Action taken
Cadbury Schweppes purchased the business in a transaction reported at £91 million.
Aftermath
Bassetts ceased to operate as an independent listed confectionery company and became a brand within a larger corporate portfolio.
Reported acquisition value. £91 million (1989 transaction)
1966
Acquisition of Barratt & Co.M&ABackground
Bassett's was expanding its position in the British confectionery industry and pursued a friendly takeover of Barratt & Co.
Action taken
Bassett's acquired Barratt & Co. and incorporated its confectionery activities into the broader business.
Aftermath
The transaction enlarged the company's product and brand portfolio before the later Cadbury Schweppes acquisition.
Recent events
- 2016
Bassetts and Maynards adopt dual branding[1]
M&A
Mondelēz International reorganized the relevant confectionery branding so that products were marketed under the combined Maynards Bassetts identity.
- 1989
Bassetts becomes part of Cadbury Schweppes[1]
M&A
Cadbury Schweppes acquired the combined Bassett's confectionery business in a transaction reported at £91 million, ending its independence as a major standalone confectionery company.
Sources1 sources
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