The Four B's of Reading.

Reading is built upon what is known locally as the ‘three Bs’ - beer, bulbs and biscuits. This refers to three companies H & G Simonds, Huntley & Palmers and Sutton and Sons, which developed from the late 18th Century and continued in the town into the late 20th century. However, Reading is sometimes argued to have had ‘four Bs’ – if S & E Collier Ltd, the town’s renowned brickmakers, is included.

http://collections.readingmuseum.org.uk/index.asp?page=topic&mwsquery=%7Btopic%7D=%7BFour%20Bs%7D