| Company type | Public limited company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wool, agricultural machinery |
| Founded | 1887 incorporated London— 9 October 1889 from 14 April 1986— Wolseley-Hughes Limited from 25 November 2010— Wolseley Limited |
| Headquarters | Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom |
Key people | Frederick Wolseley Herbert Austin |
| Products | Sheep-shearing machines |
| Parent | Ferguson plc |
| Website | www.wolseley.com |
The Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company Limited was a London-incorporated public listed company created to capitalise on a sheep-shearing machinery business established by Frederick Wolseley in Australia which was managed by Herbert Austin who went on to manufacture Wolseley and Austin cars.
Frederick Wolseley's innovations to sheep shearing machinery revolutionised the entire wool industry.
The wool industry was much reduced by the advent of synthetic textiles. Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company was obliged to diversify into heating equipment then building materials. Its name and business has continued, supplemented since 1982 by Ferguson Enterprises, a large American supplier of building materials.
A Jersey holding company was set up in 2017 named Ferguson plc and under that name and ownership the original Wolseley business remains listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The British and Canadian operations are still called Wolseley. Ferguson plc's global headquarters is in Zug, Switzerland.