Fat Face

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Please improve this article if you can. (November 2006)
Fat Face garment designs often feature the number 88, a reference to the year in which the company was established.
Fat Face garment designs often feature the number 88, a reference to the year in which the company was established.

Fat Face is a chain of clothing retailers selling its own branded products. The company has 138 stores in the United Kingdom[1], with international stores in Singapore, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, France, Iceland, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar[2]. The chain sells clothes aimed at men, women and children interested in outdoor, surf, ski and other sports themes. The company motto is "Life Is Out There". While originally marketed as active outdoor clothing, it is now also quite a fashion brand.

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[edit] History

The company was founded in 1988 by Jules Leaver and Tim Slade. Their first store was in Meribel, a ski resort in the French Alps. Jules and Tim were skiers, but had run out of money. They sold belongings, including a Volkswagen camper van, and with the new money bought lots of plain t-shirts on which to print logos. The idea of "better a bad day on the water than a good day in the office" came from this, and with growing interest and rapport with British tourists, they decided to set up shop in the UK. Between 1992 and 1993, the Fulham store was opened. When their flagship store opened in Exeter, on 25 September in the latter year, there was a turnover in excess of £110 million. As in most companies, growth was slow to begin with, but operations grew over time into the present-day company, which owns over 150 stores worldwide. The original UK store at 827 Fulham Rd, Fulham,London closed in 2006.

[edit] Acquisitions and investments

Fat Face was bought by Advent, who also own New Look retail stores in the UK, in 2005 for £100m. Although Jules and Tim still own a share in the company, they are no longer majority share holders.

A European Investor, Bridgepoint Capital bought Advent in March 2007 for what is said to be £360m. Bridgepoint has promised Fat Face employees and customers that Fat Face will not change, only expand. With more shops opening across the UK as well as the world.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stores Fat Face website
  2. ^ International Fat Face website

[edit] External links