Marcus Henry Bland arrived in Gibraltar from Liverpool and in 1810 established a shipping agency in his house in Irish Town which was then the commercial centre of Gibraltar. He saw the business develop despite stiff competition and passed the business on to his son Marcus Hill who in December 1840 went into partnership with Charles Middleton and John Mackintosh (the father of Gibraltar's great philanthropist of later years) to set up the firm of Middleton Mackintosh & Bland.

The company grew as a consequence of opportunities created by the development of steam engines and greater trade that followed as a result of Gibraltar's strategic location in relation to both North Africa and Britain's wider empire.

Marcus Hill Bland died in Liverpool in July 1856 and passed on his interest in the company to his sons Horatio and John who, as a result of the subsequent deaths of Charles Middleton in the early 1860's and John Mackintosh in 1865, gained control of the company. As a result, on the 13th September 1865 the goodwill and trade of Middleton Mackintosh & Bland was taken over by MH Bland & Co.

The company continued to develop both as a ship agent, ship owner and coal merchant and played an important role in the development of the port of Tangier. On 2nd December 1882 Horatio died of heart disease and control of the company passed to his brother. In 1887 John Bland's health deteriorated to the point that he had to leave more and more of the running of the business to Joseph Gaggero who had joined the business as a clerk in the 1860's. Joseph Gaggero's grandfather had arrived in Gibraltar from Genoa early in the 19th century and he had been born in the same building where Middleton Mackintosh & Bland had offices, a coincidence that no doubt influenced his future career.

John Bland died without heirs in June 1891 and later that year arrangements were put in place to permit Joseph and his brother Emmanuel to purchase the company for the sum of £28,474. A limited company was formed in London as there was no company register in Gibraltar at the time and on the 23rd December 1891 during the first board meeting of MH Bland & Co Ltd, Joseph Gaggero was appointed Managing Director and his brother Emanuel as Director.

Over the next 18 years the two brothers enlarged the fleet of ships owned by the company from 4 to 12 vessels (not including launches, lighters and hulks) which traded between the North African coast, Spain and the United Kingdom. On the 28th November 1911 at the age of 62, Joseph died and due to Emanuel's poor health responsibility for the management of the company passed to his youngest brother Avelino, who had previously moved to London to become a prominent merchant there.

1914 was a traumatic year for both the company and the family. Trade had improved as a result of the French and Spaniards taking over Moroccan affairs but war was on the horizon and Avelino's death on the 2nd August 1914 could not have come at a worse moment. A hurried meeting of the board took place and it was decided to appoint our grandfather George Gaggero, Joseph's son born on 5th April 1897 and then aged 17 to the position of Managing Director. It was a daunting responsibility at such a critical moment. War was declared on the 4th August 1914, 2 days after George's appointment. George's brother Charles would join the company shortly afterwards.

Together, George and Charles would steer the company through the difficulties of the World War I, the great depression of the 1930's and the tumultuous years of World War II. Despite these difficulties the company developed into salvage, ship repair, timber, an ice making factory and aviation in addition to its existing shipping interests. George received a knighthood for his services to Gibraltar and it's people in February 1941.

In 1946 George and Charles decided to divide the business in what was to be the 1st of the re-organisation of the Gaggero family interests. George retained the shipping and aviation interests of MH Bland and in the post war years would further develop it into a large group with interests in shipping, tourism and aviation in Gibraltar, Morocco, Spain and the United Kingdom but would have this growth choked by the closure of the frontier between Gibraltar and Spain in October 1969.

Sir George Gaggero relinquished his responsibilities as Chairman of what had become the Bland Group in 1970 to his sons Joseph and John. Sir George died on the 4th September 1978.

Joseph and John ran the business until 1986 when they decided to divide the business for a second time. Joseph retained the family's interest in aviation, its travel agencies and its hotel under the name Bland Group whilst John retained the shipping agency and the cable car to the top of the Rock under the original name MH Bland & Co Ltd.

John retired in 1997 and was succeeded by his sons Johnnie and George who have again developed MH Bland's marine and tourism interests.