Markets

Did You Check Out WPP's Line of Bath and Kitchen Products?

By Jim Edwards

Updated on: August 17, 2009 / 2:56 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

Everyone knows that Martin Sorrell built WPP by first acquiring Wire & Plastic Products, a maker of shopping carts and whatnot. He used it as a shell holding company and leveraged it into the advertising behemoth that we are all famiiar with.

But did you know that the original Wire & Plastic Products still exists, still makes wire baskets, and is still a part of WPP?

BNET was surprised to relearn this factoid in this Telegraph story about an unrelated merger in the UK.

It's true! Dig through WPP's web site (you probably want to avoid downloading the WPP search engine for the time being) and there is Delfinware, the company that WPP morphed into, celebrating its 40th anniversary of business. You can tell it's WPP because your browser labels it as such in the top corner.

Delfinware's sales numbers are too small to be broken out in WPP's financial reporting. But check out some of their product lines. How many of these wine bottle holders have you seen in your friends' homes? Sorrell gets everywhere!

The only disappointment: That WPP no longer makes actual shopping baskets, just functional, refreshingly non-designed kitchen and bathroom products.

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