William Bryant and Francis May went into partnership, supplying general provisions from London.

Bryant & May placed first order for matches from Swedish Match manufacturers, Lundstrom of Jankoping.

Zig-Zag was founded over 170 years ago, in 1855, by Maurice & Jacques Braunstein.

Bryant & May set up manufacturing site at Fairfield Works, Bow in London to cope with demand for newly invented safety matches.

New ‘strike anywhere’ match was launched by Bryant & May.

‘Swan Brand’ began in 1883 when Collard & Kendall Match company in Bootle on Merseyside near Liverpool introduced “Swan Wax Matches”.

Bryant & May was incorporated as a public company.

‘Swan Vestas’ were launched – following the Bryant and May merger with the Diamond Match Company.

Swedish Match Company was formed.

Bryant & May acquired state-of-the-art factory at Garston, Liverpool and another site in Leeds. At their peak, they also had sites in Glasgow and, via subsidiaries, in Gloucester and Belfast.

British Match Corporation (BMC) was formed – a collaboration between Bryant & May and Swedish Match.

BMC acquired Wilkinson Sword Ltd and changed its name to Wilkinson Match Ltd. It retained Bryant & May as a separate, named business.

Bryant & May started selling lighters.

Bryant & May started selling other tobacco accessories (lighter fluid, lighter gas, etc) under the Swan brand name.

Swan cigarette papers were launched.

Liverpool factory closed and match manufacturing was transferred to the Swedish Match factory in Tidaholm.

On 1st January, Bryant & May Ltd changed its name to Swedish Match Ltd.

In December, Swedish Match AB sold the UK business to Republic Technologies International.

In February, Swedish Match UK Ltd changed its name to Republic Technologies (UK) Ltd.

Major rebranding of Swan Papers and Filters.

Swan enjoyed life in the fast lane (literally) in 2011 and 2012 thanks to the iconic brand’s high-profile involvement in the British Superbike Championship via sponsorship of the Swan Yamaha team.

This culminated in a maiden victory for the Swan Yamaha team in 2011 with reigning British champion Tommy Hill and Isle of man TT superstar Ian Hutchinson subsequently signing-up for the 2012 team.

ZIG-ZAG hit the bullseye in 2012 thanks to a profile-raising sponsorship of Premier League Darts, one of the world’s most prestigious darts tournaments.

The televised tournament, which attracted a huge following, featured the world’s most famous players, most noticeably Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, widely regarded as the greatest darts player of all time.

The launch of Swan Ultra Slim Filters in 2013 equipped roll-your-own enthusiasts with the thinnest Swan filter ever.

This not only provided a smoother taste and an enhanced tobacco flavour, it enabled people to make thinner cigarettes which proved particularly popular with roll-you-own connoisseurs.

A Cook’s Matches partnership with celebrity chef Tom Kerridge was one of the highlights of the relaunch of Republic Technologies matches’ range in 2018.

Key elements of the partnership included a collectable set of 12 Tom Kerridge recipes on the back of Cook’s Matchboxes, supported by wide-ranging social media activity.

The launch of iconic brand OCB rolling papers in 2019 not only featured the highest level of rolling paper quality, it also introduced what was hailed at the time as ‘the best possible rolling experience’.

Providing a silky touch and a lightweight feel, OCB Virgin papers feature natural acacia gum, sustainably sourced from African acacia trees, which is both 100% natural, vegetarian, and GMO free.

Fast-growing OCB reinforced its natural credentials early in 2023 with the introduction of OCB Rice rolling papers.

Organic and chlorine free, OCB Rice papers include a blend of rice and organic hemp which results in a slow-burning experience.

Swan & Yamaha signs Peter Hickman to join defending champion Tommy Hill In 2012 British Superbike Program

The pioneering Swan brand broke new ground in tobacco accessories in 2024 with the launch of Swan Just Paper, the 100% plastic free filter tips.

The environmentally-friendly product also incorporated a novel ‘flip-a-tip’ feature which dispenses loose extra slim filters, without the use of plastic rods.

We’ve ignited our Match brands in 2025, Cook’s Matches introduced Daniel Clifford, whilst Bryant & May welcomed Chris Mackett on packs.

Both partnerships bring on pack chef partnerships, offering consumers exciting bonus recipe options alongside social media content and giveaways.