About Us
For more than 140 years, the iconic Swan brand has been the undisputed king of lighters. Worth more than £80m in the UK alone, Swan launched in 1883 with ‘Swan Wax Matches’. By 1906 these had been gradually replaced by the shorter Swan Vestas, which became Britain’s bestselling match by the 1930s. But Swan didn’t stop there. During the 20th century the Swan logo rolled out on papers, filters lighters and other accessories.
Swan has also featured in some of the UK’s most iconic cultural moment too, featuring in Sherlock Holmes, John le Carré’s Smiley’s People, the Stomp musical, and adventure video game The Last Express. Yoko Ono wielded a box of Swan Vestas in the documentary Beatles: Get Back and a box was found among the belongings of mountaineer George Mallory, who died during one of the first British Mount Everest expeditions. Whether it’s novels, TV, music, or the silver screen, there’s no brand that’s more of a polymath than Swan.
Most importantly, Swan is an iconic accessories brand with expertise across all areas of the roll-your-own market. From the smallest newsagent to the largest supermarket, retailers across the country trust Swan to help them grow their sales and profits and meet their customers’ evolving needs.
Our Companies Timeline
1844
William Bryant and Francis May went into partnership, supplying general provisions from London.
1850
Bryant & May placed first order for matches from Swedish Match manufacturers, Lundstrom of Jankoping.
1855
Zig-Zag was founded over 170 years ago, in 1855, by Maurice & Jacques Braunstein.
1861
Bryant & May set up manufacturing site at Fairfield Works, Bow in London to cope with demand for newly invented safety matches.
1864
New ‘strike anywhere’ match was launched by Bryant & May.
1883
‘Swan Brand’ began in 1883 when Collard & Kendall Match company in Bootle on Merseyside near Liverpool introduced “Swan Wax Matches”.
1884
Bryant & May was incorporated as a public company.
1906
‘Swan Vestas’ were launched – following the Bryant and May merger with the Diamond Match Company.
1917
Swedish Match Company was formed.
1921
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.
1927
British Match Corporation (BMC) was formed – a collaboration between Bryant & May and Swedish Match.
1973
BMC acquired Wilkinson Sword Ltd and changed its name to Wilkinson Match Ltd. It retained Bryant & May as a separate, named business.
1981
Bryant & May started selling lighters.
1984
Bryant & May started selling other tobacco accessories (lighter fluid, lighter gas, etc) under the Swan brand name.
1985
Swan cigarette papers were launched.
1994
Liverpool factory closed and match manufacturing was transferred to the Swedish Match factory in Tidaholm.
1997
On 1st January, Bryant & May Ltd changed its name to Swedish Match Ltd.
2008
In December, Swedish Match AB sold the UK business to Republic Technologies International.
2009
In February, Swedish Match UK Ltd changed its name to Republic Technologies (UK) Ltd.
2012
Major rebranding of Swan Papers and Filters.
2012
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.
2012
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.
2013
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.
2018
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.
2019
The launch of environmentally-friendly 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.
2023
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.
2024
Swan & Yamaha signs Peter Hickman to join defending champion Tommy Hill In 2012 British Superbike Program
2024
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.
2025
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.
Some interesting facts about the Swan brand
One of the more subtle products placed in Bond films are Swan Vesta matches. Our brand is mentioned in the Ian Fleming novel You Only Live Twice and we can see Swan Vestas in the movies On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), The Man With The Golden Gun (1975), Moonraker (1979) and Octopussy (1983).
In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond himself uses a lighter to light his cigarettes, but both M and the real Sir Hillary Bray have a box of Swan Vesta matches on their desk to light their pipes. The pack of Swan Vestas can be spotted on M’s desk when Bond resigns.
The matches can be seen on M’s desk in The Man With The Golden Gun, Moonraker and Octopussy.
The Swan Spitfire in WWII
In World War II, the government appealed by donation for funds to support the war effort. The price tag for a Spitfire was £5,000. Bryant and May donated a Spitfire to the RAF, named ‘The Swan’ (R7268).
54 Squadron at RAF Hornchurch, June/July 1941 Spitfire Mk Va KL-M ‘The Swan’ (R7268), and the pilot is possibly Flying Officer Christopher Cookson.
On 23 July 1941, he was shot down in this Spitfire near Calais by a Bf 109 during Circus 59. He is buried in the Phien-les-Guines Communal Cemetery.
Our Locations Around Europe!
Our knowledge and expertise of the UK market has been built over many years, dating back to the late 1800s. Our focus on quality and commitment to research & development means we are continuously refining our products and innovating to meet ever-changing consumer needs.
Our production facilities and specialist R & D labs are equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Our sales team works in partnership
with some of the largest retail, wholesale and distribution groups to bring our quality products to UK consumers.
Warehouse & Distribution
Manchester
Head Office
High Wycombe
Filter Production
Austria
Paper Production
France
Bagged Filters
Spain
Warehouse & Distribution
Manchester
Head Office
High Wycombe
Filter Production
Austria
Paper Production
France
Bagged Filters
Spain
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Get In Touch!
If you have any trade queries regarding House of Swan brands or products or want further details on how our sales team can support your business, please contact us via e-mail or phone.
Want to know more about Republic Technologies?
Head over to the Republic Technologies Visit our Parent Company Republic Technologies (UK) Ltd Website who distribute, market and sell Swan products alongside a range of other smokers accessories of the finest quality throughout the UK