Harvey Jacobson (born 28 June 1956 in the
City of Salford
The City of Salford () is a metropolitan borough within Greater Manchester, England. The borough is named after its main settlement, Salford. The borough covers the towns of Eccles, Swinton,
Walkden and Pendlebury, as well as the villages ...
) is a businessman and entrepreneur based in the
North West of England. He is the executive chairman of the Jacobson Group, an independent supplier of
footwear
Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serves the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves th ...
in the UK. Jacobson Group owns more than 75 shoe and clothing brands including
Gola, Lotus, Ravel,
Dunlop,
Lonsdale and Frank Wright. In addition to the Jacobson Group, Jacobson also holds a range of personal business interests, from
property development
Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...
to international trade distribution.
Entry into brands
In 1996, Jacobson acquired
Gola and the rights to
Dunlop slippers. These were followed in subsequent years by brands including Lotus, Ravel, Frank Wright, Manfield and Trueform. The group also acquired a number of licences, including the
Lonsdale brand.
At the same time as the company's entry into branded footwear, the group also expanded its presence in the own-label contract supply market, securing business with a range of high-street retailers.
Current work
Today, the Jacobson Group has interests in different footwear and clothing businesses. The group annually supplies merchandise with a value in excess of £250 million and employs over 300 people across the UK at its premises in
Rawtenstall,
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
,
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
&
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 ...
.
In addition to his role with the Jacobson Group, Jacobson was an investor in North Shoe Ltd. during the 1990s. North Show grew from one retail outlet to 29 in five years. During the period of Jacobson's involvement, the company grew by approximately 2000%. Between 2002 and 2004 he was Chairman of the Original Factory Shop Ltd. Today Jacobson owns a number of individual properties in the UK, South America and Europe and has an interest in five property development schemes in the North West of England. In addition, he holds shareholdings in two trade distribution companies and two retail businesses. In 2007, Jacobson was named in the
Sunday Times Rich List
The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday news ...
for the first time.
References
External links
Jacobson boss takes back seat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobson, Harvey
1956 births
Living people
People from Salford
English businesspeople