The Group’s rich history
The British history of dartboard manufacturing is a fascinating story that started in earnest in the early part of the Twentieth Century.
This timeline shows how our three companies, with a collective and jaw dropping total of 225 years at the forefront of the darts industry, have all made a massive and hugely positive contribution, to the sport we love.
Ted Leggett invents Nodor modelling clay, so called because it had "No Odour".
Nodor Plasticine Dartboard first marketed.
Nodor moves to a larger manufacturing premises in East London and adds darts to product range.
FT Dabbs, a Kent Publican, makes a dartboard from rope ends. Leggatt refines the idea and files for Patent with Dabbs.
The Nodor Original Bristle dartboard is first marketed. Ted Leggatt founds the National Darts Association.
Present day "Clock" pattern is adopted as the standard board Worldwide.
Nodor Company workforce reaches 100 staff.
Due to the war, Nodor moves out of London to Devon. Raw materials are scarce, but production still continues.
Harry Kicks Snr, invests his demob money to start making Elm dartboards, like Nodor, in London's East End.
During the war, US Servicemen learn to play and enjoy the game of darts, and export market starts to develop.
With scarce resourses, Kicks factory utilised paraffin lamps for light, a coal fire for heating, and delivered his boards to Watneys Brewery via the London Underground.
Nodor moves back to London and the original patent is extended for an additional 6 years. Production and sales soon surpass pre war levels.
World famous dart player, Johnny Ross, joins Nodor as Works Manager.
Kicks adds hand made dartboard cabinets to his range.
Dunlop Sports negotiates contract with Nodor to market all bristle dartboard production.
The Grisley Family buys the Nodor Company.
H.A.Kicks and Sons relocate to Haverhill, Suffolk, as part of London's regeneration program.
Business prospers as Kicks establishes reputation for quality.
The Nodor Company moves out of London for the last time and relocates to purpose built factory in Cardiff, South Wales, due to the compulsory purchase of the London premises.
Harry Kicks renames the company Winmau (pronounced Win-More) after the first letters of his wife's names, Winifred Maud.
Ford Motor Company Engineer, John Bluck, founds Brackla Engineering.
Winmau achieves a major breakthrough deal with Olly Croft of the British Darts Organisation, a relationship that would last for nearly 50 years.
Brackla Engineering launches the Red Dragon brand as the first "Direct to Consumer" brand, with tungsten darts priced to suit the pocket of the working man.
Leighton Rees of Wales, wins the inaugural World Professional Darts Championships, played on a Winmau Bristle Dartboard.
Winmau supplies Argos for the first time, a relationship that would continue every year to the present day, and see Argos become one of the world's biggest retailers for darts equipment.
Winmau supplies equipment to TV Show "Bullseye" which was to become a British institution for 15 years, attracting audiences of 20 million viewers at its peak.
The Nodor Company changes hands to the Bluck family and is merged with Red Dragon, by now, the leading manufacturer of tungsten darts.
World Renouned and patented "Supabull" is invented and takes the market by storm.
Other patents granted to Nodor, greatly enhancing board features.
Nodor acquire and relocate to a prime manufacturing facility of 122,000 square feet from Hawker Siddely Group PLC, to facilitate long term growth.
Accudart, Winmau's US distributor becomes a majority shareholder in the Winmau Company.
Nodor supplies its premium Supawire boards to the inaugural PDC World Championships.
Winmau commence development on the most technically advanced dartboard in the world.
World 10 hour Bullseye record is broken by John Lowe, scoring 1320 Bulls, using Nodor Supabull 2 Bristle Dartboard.
After two years of development, Winmau launch the Blade "Ultimate No Bounce" dartboard, incorporating sophisticated staple free technology.
Nodor secures the world's largest promotional order in darts and manufactures nearly 600,000 bristle dartboards for the US market.
Nodor relocates dartboard production from Wales to Kenya, East Africa, home of the finest quality sisal and the key ingredient for bristle dartboards.
Nodor acquire Winmau and integrate production at it's state of the art production facility in the prime, sisal growing heartlands of East Africa.
With Nodor's engineering backing, Winmau launch Blade 2, providing enhanced benefits for serious dartplayers.
Crowd favorite and Winmau legend, Andy "The Viking" Fordham becomes BDO World Champion.
Blade 3 launches to the worldwide market.
Michael Van Gerwen wins Winmau World Masters at the age of 17, starting a career that would see him become one of the finest players of all time.
Red Dragon signs Peter "Snakebite" Wright.
Winmau Blade 4 showcases at Lakeside World Championships for the first time.
Groundbreaking launch of patented Dual Core technology which optomises dartboard compression for durability and dart retention.
Red Dragon signs Gerwyn "The Iceman" Price.
Enhanced wiring technology and new Rotalock stabilising system feature in Blade 5 and Blade 5 Dual Core.
Nodor celebrates its Centenary of 100 Years in Darts.
Winmau sign 3 time World Champion, Michael van Gerwen.
Red Dragon's Peter Wright wins 1st World Championships as the Group sees exponential growth in the Covid years as darts booms in Lockdown.
Blade 6 Series, including Blade 6, Dual Core, and Blade 6 Triple Core Carbon are launched.
Red Dragon's Gerwyn Price wins 1st World Championships.
Winmau signs an exclusive deal with Professional Darts Corporation, who select the Blade 6 Triple Core Carbon as their Official board for tournaments Worldwide.
Peter Wright wins 2nd World Championships and 3rd consecutive World Title win for Red Dragon.
MvG wins New York Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden, New York, on a Blade 6 Triple Core dartboard.
Nodor International Inc. is formed and opens offices and warehouse in Dallas Texas, to service the growing US market.
After a plethora of Major Titles throughout 2023, “Cool Hand” Luke Humphries wins his first World Championship title and immediately becomes PDC World Number 1.
Luke’s name joins that of Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price on the famous “Sid Waddell” Trophy making this a phenomenal fourth win in five years for Red Dragon…
Nodor International is awarded with the King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2024.
With thanks to Patrick Chaplin
Worlds leading darts historian.
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