John Partridge, the English country clothing label, is
relaunching under new ownership and creative direction. Led by
former Penny Plain managing director Nick Oliver, the label has
secured an investment agreement with venture capital company FW
Capital and business angel Anne Holliday.
After leaving Penny Plain in 2007 and working in a different
industry for the past few years, Oliver was looking to return to
the apparel sector. He was introduced to fellow Partridge
directors David Reay, a former Barbour, Jockey and Warnaco
director, and Gary Newbold, former head of design at Barbour,
through mutual friends. The trio concluded the deal, acquiring
John Partridge from Bollin Group, in December 2010.
John Partridge was established in the 1960s and in its heyday,
was sold through stockists such as Selfridges and Liberty. After
a few soft years, reinvigoration is key and Oliver intends to
reintroduce the brand into the larger department stores in due
course. The company’s other core targets are country clothing and
sporting goods stores and independent fashion retailers.
Behind the scenes, Oliver says the new company is still evolving,
it has appointed a fulfilment house and is currently
“putting the sales infrastructure in place”. Although
fundamentally a wholesale brand, Oliver aims to get a
direct-to-consumer website up and running in the near
future.
In addition, the brand is using a network of agents and stockists
to expand its presence in the UK and overseas. Oliver has plans
to sell the brand into the USA, where John Partridge has had a
presence in the past, but no decisions have yet been made.
Share