The Officers Club
 | |
| Ltd | |
| Industry | Retail clothing |
| Founded | 1990s (Sunderland) |
| Headquarters | Walthamstow, London, England |
Area served | UK |
| Products | Menswear |
Number of employees | 800 (at 2011) |
| Parent | Blue Inc |
| Website | http://www.theofficersclub.co.uk/ |
The Officers Club is a menswear retailer based in the United Kingdom.
History
The company was founded in the 1990s in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, and latterly had its headquarters in Cramlington, Northumberland. There were over 150 stores across the country at the firm's peak. After a number of buy-outs it become one of the biggest retail companies in the UK with flagship stores in London's Oxford Street, Cardiff, Scotland and north-east England.[1] The company also sources clothes from Asia.
Until 2004, the company ran a "70% off everything" promotion within its Officers Club branded stores. The promotion ceased after successful legal action by the Office of Fair Trading—which had issued proceedings against the company and Charlton in June 2002—which had evidence to suggest the supposed "original price" of garments was not genuine.[2]
Administration
2008 administration and sale
In December 2008 the company entered administration, and on 23 December The Officers Club's administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers decided to close 32 of the 150 stores immediately. PricewaterhouseCoopers also announced that 118 stores had been sold to TimeC 1215 limited for an undisclosed fee. TimeC 1215 is backed by David Charlton, chief executive of The Officers Club. This deal saved around 900 jobs.[3]
2011 administration and sale
By 2011 the Officers Club had just over 100 stores, with total of around 800 staff employed across the business. On 29 March 2011 the company entered administration again. As part of this process 47 stores were sold to rival menswear retailer Blue Inc, with staff at these stores retaining their jobs. The "Petroleum" and the officers club menswear brand, owned by Officers Club, will be retained by Blue Inc in the interim.
References
- ↑ Power, Helen (2008-12-24). "Zavvi goes under in more High Street pain". London: The Times. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ↑ "Retailer gives court undertakings following OFT action" (Press release). Office of Fair Trading. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ↑ "Officers Club deal saves 900 jobs". BBC News Online. 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
External links
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