De La Rue had been regarded as the leading banknote paper manufacturer in the world, having manufactured banknote paper for the Bank of England since 1724. In 1997, De La Rue acquired Harrison and Sons, the stamp and banknote printers based in High Wycombe. The factory closed permanently in 2003. In early 2002, De La Rue took over ownership from Smurfit Diamond Packaging Corporation of Sequoia Voting Systems, a California-based company that was a large provider of electronic voting systems in the U.S., for U.S. $23 million. After losing money for three years in a business way out of the company's traditional lines,
Rue de la Huchette no less than four pubs and several bars. The rue de la Huchette existed as early as 1200 as the "rue de Laas", a road running adjacent to a walled vineyard property known then as the "clos du Laas". The property was sold and divided for urban development in the early 13th century, grew many noble properties in the centuries following, but from the 17th century the "rue de la Huchette" was known mostly for its taverns and "rotisseries" ("meat-roasters"). The inhabitants of the "rue de la Huchette" in the period leading up to the Second World War are portrayed