John Collier (retailer)
Encyclopedia
John Collier is a former British
chain of shops selling men's clothes.
Founded in Leeds
in 1907 by Henry Price
, the chain expanded to over 399 stores across the country, most of which traded under the Fifty Shilling Tailor brand.
In 1958, the company was sold to UDS
, which renamed it John Collier. It continued to trade within the UDS empire until 1983 when UDS was sold to Hanson plc
. In order to recoup the cost of the purchase Hanson sold on a number of UDS assets, including John Collier to a management buy-out team. In 1985 the company was sold on to the Burton Group
, but the brand was discontinued and no longer exists today.The huge head office complex in Kirkstall Road Leeds had two
factories no1 factory and no2 factory at Evanston Avenue.Other factories were Westland Road
Leeds,Hartlepool,Middlesbrough,South Shields & Peterlee.One by one they closed leaving only
Hartlepool & Middlesbrough by the late 1970's.The last factory to remain open was Hartlepool
at Powlett Road after the closure of Middlesbrough Factory.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chain of shops selling men's clothes.
Founded in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1907 by Henry Price
Henry Price (tailor)
Sir Henry PriceIn 1919 Henry Price opened a tailors shop in Silsden, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire....
, the chain expanded to over 399 stores across the country, most of which traded under the Fifty Shilling Tailor brand.
In 1958, the company was sold to UDS
United Drapery Stores
United Drapery Stores, or UDS, was a British retail group that dominated the British high street from the 1950s to the 1980s.-Early history:The group was founded in 1927 and from the outset sought to grow through the takeover of other companies. The company started with five department stores in...
, which renamed it John Collier. It continued to trade within the UDS empire until 1983 when UDS was sold to Hanson plc
Hanson plc
Hanson plc is a British based international building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. Traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index for many years, the company was acquired by a division of German rival Heidelberg Cement in August 2007.-History:Hanson...
. In order to recoup the cost of the purchase Hanson sold on a number of UDS assets, including John Collier to a management buy-out team. In 1985 the company was sold on to the Burton Group
Arcadia Group
The Arcadia Group Limited a British company that owns the high street clothing retailers Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Topshop, Wallis and BHS, and the out of town chain Outfit, which sells lines from the other group chains...
, but the brand was discontinued and no longer exists today.The huge head office complex in Kirkstall Road Leeds had two
factories no1 factory and no2 factory at Evanston Avenue.Other factories were Westland Road
Leeds,Hartlepool,Middlesbrough,South Shields & Peterlee.One by one they closed leaving only
Hartlepool & Middlesbrough by the late 1970's.The last factory to remain open was Hartlepool
at Powlett Road after the closure of Middlesbrough Factory.