Ethel Austin was an English clothing retailer. At its commercial peak it operated around three hundred stores. The company was purchased from the founding family in June 2002, the company ceased operation in January 2013, after numerous times entering
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
.
History
![Ethelaustin-Au Naturale - Victoria Lane - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Ethelaustin-Au_Naturale_-_Victoria_Lane_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1700478.jpg)
The company was founded in 1934 by Ethel Austin, in the front room of her terraced house in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, helping neighbours with their knitting. This proved so successful, that within five years of going into business, she had opened three shops. The business became a well known and established chain in the
North West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
throughout the mid to late twentieth century. Ethel Austin herself died in January 1989, at the age of 88.
In June 2002, the Austin family sold the business to a management team backed by
Lloyds Development Capital
Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Limited (LDC), is a mid-market private equity house and subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group, established in 1981 as Lloyds Development Capital Limited. From 1999 to 2011, it was known as Lloyds TSB Developme ...
(LDC) for £55 million. In June 2004, two years later,
ABN-AMRO Capital bought the business for £122.5 million. In May 2007, it was announced that the company had won the contract to supply uniforms for the event of
Liverpool - European City of Culture 2008.
In November 2007, the company ran new adverts on television, which used the
BodyRockers
BodyRockers were an English–Australian electronic music duo, consisting of Dylan Burns and Kaz James, which formed in 2004. Their 2005 single, "I Like the Way (BodyRockers song), I Like the Way", reached No. 3 on the United Kingdom UK S ...
song "
I Like the Way (You Move)
"I Like the Way" is a single by Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish DJ Dylan Burns and Australian singer Kaz James, collectively known as BodyRockers. It was released on 18 April 2005 and later appeared on the group's BodyRockers (album), self-titled ...
". At this point, the company had over three hundred stores.
Difficulties and administration
On 15 April 2008, Ethel Austin Ltd entered administration, managed by Menzies Corporate Restructuring. The following day, it was announced that thirty three stores would be closed within three weeks, with job losses totalling 275, with an additional 181 employees made redundant at the company head office and distribution centre at Knowsley,
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...
. On 19 May 2008, it was reported that Elaine McPherson, former boss of clothing chain
MK One
MK One was a British fashion retailer.
History
Beginnings as Mark One
The company was founded in the 1980s by Mark Brafman, Les Lucy and Alan Simons as Mark One, and became a discount womenswear retailer. In February 1996, Mark One was bou ...
, had bought the company for an undisclosed sum, promising to return it to its 'former glory'.
On 8 February 2010, it was reported that the chain had gone into administration again. On 10 February 2010, administrators announced that there would be job cuts over 496 in the company's head office and distribution depot. It was anticipated that there would also be store closures totalling 196, resulting in further job losses.
On 19 August 2011, it was revealed that Ashloch Ltd, founded by the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
based former
Blackwell's
Blackwell UK, also known as Blackwell's and Blackwell Group, is a British academic book retailer and library supply service owned by Waterstones. It was founded in 1879 by Benjamin Henry Blackwell, after whom the chain is named, on Broad Street, ...
director Sue Townsend, had purchased the company and the sixty two remaining stores of Ethel Austin, saving over four hundred jobs. However, Ashloch was forced into administration managed by
Duff & Phelps
Kroll, LLC, formerly Duff & Phelps LLC, is an American multinational financial consultancy firm based in New York City. It was founded as Duff & Phelps in 1932 by William Duff and George Phelps. Since then, the firm has added more than 30 comp ...
on 11 July 2012, after a landlord of a store in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
called in bailiffs after an unpaid rent bill, jeopardising the future of the company. Also in July, the brand was bought by Ricli Limited, owned by Liric owner Mike Basso.
The restructuring specialist GA Europe, a subsidiary of Great American Group, acquired the debt of Ashloch and operated the stores while the company was in administration. On 30 July 2012, Liric, a firm controlled by the clothing entrepreneur Mike Basso, acquired 32 of the Ethel Austin stores from GA Europe. On 11 January 2013, the company declared insolvency, and closed all of the remaining stores closed with immediate effect.
Relaunch
In May 2015, a new store in
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
was announced.
[ ] A clearance store also opened in Units 15 to 16a in
Liverpool City Centre
Liverpool city centre is the commercial, cultural, financial and historical centre of Liverpool, England.
The inner city districts of Vauxhall, Liverpool, Vauxhall, Everton, Liverpool, Everton, Edge Hill, Merseyside, Edge Hill, Kensington, Liv ...
L1 1QE in 2016.
References
{{Reflist
Retail companies established in 1934
Defunct companies based in Liverpool
Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom
Retail companies disestablished in 2013
British companies established in 1934
British companies disestablished in 2013
1934 establishments in England
2013 disestablishments in England
Clothing retailers of England
Clothing companies of England