Wittington was established in 1941 by Garfield Weston, the entrepreneurial founder of a number of businesses which today comprise ABF.  In 1951 Wittington added Fortnum and Mason plc to its portfolio.

In 1958 Garfield gifted the majority of his shares in Wittington to a charitable trust, the Garfield Weston Foundation (“GWF”), which today supports many charitable causes across the UK each year.  Since inception GWF has given over £1.4 billion to good causes.