Chubb Locks is a former brand name of the Mul-T-Lock subsidiary of the Assa Abloy Group, which manufactures locking systems for residential, secure confinement and commercial applications. When the brand licence expired in 2010 the name ceased to be used, with the same locks sold as Yale or Union locks.
Chubb was started as a ship's ironmonger by Charles Chubb in Winchester, England, and then moved to Portsmouth, England, in 1804. Chubb moved the company into the locksmith business in 1818, in Wolverhampton. The company worked out of a number of premises in Wolverhampton, including the purpose-built factory on Railway Street, still known today as the Chubb Building. His brother Jeremiah Chubb then joined the company, and they sold Jeremiah's patented detector lock.
In August 1984, the company was purchased by Racal under the chairmanship of Ernest Harrison. After the group was floated out from Racal, in February 1997 it was bought by Williams plc. In August 2000, they were sold to Assa Abloy. In 2006, Chubb was merged into the group Mul-T-Lock within Assa Abloy. The Chubb Electronic Security subsidiaries produce smoke detectors, fire alarms, burglar alarms and glass break detectors.
In 2010, the "Chubb Locks" brand licence expired, and Assa Abloy decided not to renew. The products are still sold, but rebranded as Yale and Union locks, other well known brands owned by Assa Abloy.[1]