John Hargreaves (businessman)

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John Hargreaves (born in Liverpool) is the founder and group chairman of the large UK out-of-town discount clothing and homeware chain Matalan. He went into the retail business when he was only 19, and opened the first Matalan store in Preston in 1985. Matalan now has 200 stores throughout the UK, employs over 16,000 people, and is still one of the fastest growing retailers in the country.

John Hargreaves resigned as Chairman of Matalan on the 18th November 2007, less than a year after taking the company private. His resignation marked the end of a 22 year era for Matalan.