Family owned investor Milbank Group has completed the acquisition of leading mastectomy and post-surgery wear specialists Nicola Jane Ltd.
Peter Lawrence, founder and managing director of Nicola Jane said, “I am delighted that we have found a buyer who is committed to the long-term stability of Nicola Jane. I feel confident that the Milbank Group will continue to nurture the business, support the staff and care for our customers – all factors which have proved critical for our success over the past 36 years. It has been my honour to build Nicola Jane to what it is today, and I wish the future owners the very best in continuing and growing its legacy.”
Nicola Jane was established in 1984 with a mission to restore confidence and femininity after breast surgery following a breast cancer diagnosis. As the UK’s leading mastectomy and post-surgery wear specialists, the small family-run business based in Chichester, West Sussex, sells direct to consumers. Over the past 36 years the business has grown significantly. From its operational base in the United Kingdom, it has established a strong mail order and online business. In more recent years the demand for the Nicola Jane brand has seen trade sales increase across the world including customers in Hong Kong, Israel, USA and Spain.
Improving sustainability is one of the Milbank Group’s core values and this is well reflected within the Nicola Jane ethos. They are committed to the improvement of waste-reduction and focus their strategy around 3 areas: their products, their suppliers and their HQ/retail shop. Current achievements see 20 per cent of their bras and swimwear manufactured from ‘end of line’ fabrics, usually destined for landfill and products supplied in recyclable PEVA plastic bags.
Claire-Marie Farrar, General Manager, and Melissa Muvuti, Operations Manager, bring with them over 16 years’ experience in this industry and will take over the running of Nicola Jane with immediate effect. Both will be supported by the 25+ strong team at Nicola Jane, along with any additional support required from Milbank Group’s resources. Milbank Group’s successful eCommerce division is well-positioned to support Nicola Jane in its next stage of growth both in the UK and internationally.
Sean Milbank of the Milbank Group said, “Nicola Jane is a great business providing outstanding products with a caring and friendly service to their customers. Having such a beacon of customer focus within our Group can only help us further improve in an area that we already pride ourselves in. Nicola Jane falls firmly into the category of being different or diverse from the rest of the Group businesses, in terms of the sector that they operate in, which is part of our own growth strategy.”
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