High and Mighty (clothing)

High and Mighty
Retail chain
Industry Fashion
Founded Hull 1956
Headquarters Manchester, UK
Area served
 United Kingdom
Products Clothing, Shoes
Parent J D Williams
Website High and Mighty

High and Mighty is a clothing retail chain for tall and/or wide men in the United Kingdom. After having been family-owned for more than fifty years, it was sold to mailorder group N Brown in September 2009.[1]

History

The company was founded in Hull in 1956 by tailor Bernard Levy, as a mailorder company.[2] The company's first store was opened in Edgware Road in London in 1959 as Northern Outsize Menswear, soon followed by several more stores. The company changed its name to High and Mighty in the 1970s,[3] and in 1979 it opened stores in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, trading as London Majesty. It was, however, forced to close the two US stores in 1991.[4]

In 1990, Bernard Levy's daughter, Judith Levy, took over as chairman and managing director,[5] and in 1996 her sister, Ruth Levy-So, joined as business development director.[6] By 2000, the company had 23 stores in the UK and 10 in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, and launched its own urban streetwear brand, Kayak.[6]

By 2008, the company started to have financial difficulties, partly because of increased competition from e-commerce retailers.[7] In September 2009 it went into pre-pack administration and was quickly bought by the N Brown Group's main subsidiary, mailorder firm JD Williams, for £1.6 million.[8] 14 of the 21 stores were included in the purchase, and the N Brown management said that they wanted to reinvigorate and expand the chain, which is N Brown's first branded foray on to the high street.[8]

Current situation

The High and Mighty e-commerce was quickly expanded following the purchase, and several new stores were planned. By September 2010, the number of existing or soon to open stores had risen from 14 to 17,[9] and the flagship store on Edgware Road had been revamped and relaunched with the new High and Mighty look.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "High & Mighty sale to N Brown confirmed". Drapers Online. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
  2. ↑ "Half-century of big business". Hull Daily Mail. 18 December 2006. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  3. ↑ High and Mighty - About Us, Amazon UK. Retrieved 2010-10-29
  4. ↑ "High & Mighty ends U.S. biz. (British big and tall clothing retailer)". Daily News-Record. 6 February 1991. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  5. ↑ Judith Levy CV, LinkedIn. Retrieved 2010-10-29
  6. 1 2 "Ruth Levy-So, High and Mighty". mad.co.uk. 1 January 2000. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
  7. ↑ High & Mighty administration likely as sale looms Retail Week. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-29
  8. 1 2 "100 jobs saved in High and Mighty retail rescue". Yorkshire Post. 11 September 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
  9. ↑ High and Mighty store locator, retrieved 2010-10-29
  10. ↑ High and Mighty revamps London flagship store, Plus Size Tall, 23 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-29
  11. ↑ Red C create a new look for High and Mighty Red C, 26 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-29
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