Hull. its workforce Photo: CHRIS DAVIES (Report) Imperial Typewriters is completely owned by the American multi-national corporation Litten Industries, Litton had a turnover of 2,476,632,000 dollars in 1072 and owns over 1060 plants and facilities spread over 32 countries.
Litton also owns Triumph and Adler Typewriters as well as Olympus business machines Swada cash registers, Van Nostrand Educational Publishing and the London Office Litton moved its typewriter production from Hartford, Conneticut, USA, when it bought out Imperial. It dosed down its Hartford Plant, sacked all the workers and justified this on the grounds that labour was cheaper abroad. Aided by training and removal grants from the British Government it moved its machinery into Leicester and Since 1968 the workforce in Hull and Leipester has doubled - turnover has trebled; rising from £3,346,000 to E10,762,000. Despite the increase in production Litton claim a loss of E2,938,000 for 1972, The company is now private with its financial head office in Zurich which controls Litton's European financial dealings. This also helps Litton to keep its real information on their overall finance away from researchers.
In 1972 ES.4 million worth of the company's goods were exported and E4.6 million of that went to other companies in the same group. Thus Litton does not pay any tax to the Inland Revenue. It is therefore able to use its losses' and ability to move its goods at a cheap price, to a country where its tax position is more favourable, as blackmail against