Matalan
 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Preston (1985) |
| Headquarters | Knowsley |
Key people | John Hargreaves (founder & chairman) Jason Hargreaves (Managing Director) |
| Products | Clothing, homeware |
| Revenue |  £1.1 billion GBP (2019)[1] |
| Owner | John Hargreaves & family |
| Website | www |
Matalan is a British fashion and homeware retailer based in Knowsley, Merseyside. It was established by John Hargreaves in 1985 and is still owned by the Hargreaves family. As of 2019[update] the company employed over 13,000[1] and had 230 stores in the United Kingdom, together with 32 franchise stores in Europe and the Middle East.[2]
History
John Hargreaves opened the first Matalan store in 1985 at Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. By 1995 there were 50 stores and in 1997 the company moved its headquarters from Preston to Skelmersdale, also in Lancashire.[2]
The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1998[3] but taken private again by the Hargreaves family in 2006.[4] In 2009, John Hargreaves sought to sell off Matalan but failed to find buyers willing to meet the £1.5 billion price.[5]
Jason Hargreaves was appointed managing director in July 2013.[6] In 2014 the headquarters moved to a purpose-built site at Knowsley, Merseyside.[2]
Controversy
Matalan was among the companies who sourced clothes from the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh which collapsed, killing 1,129, in April 2013.[7] In July 2014, they were the focus of a campaign by 38 Degrees and Labour Behind the Label, for failing to contribute to the official compensation fund coordinated by the ILO.[8] This was in contrast to some of their main competitors, such as Primark who contributed $9 million.[9] After pressure, they announced that they would contribute an undisclosed amount.[10] It was later revealed that they had paid £60,000[11] into the fund, which labour rights campaigns challenged as being an insufficient amount compared with other retailers.[12]
Structure
Matalan Retail Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Missouri Topco Limited, a holding company based in Guernsey and controlled by the Hargreaves family.[13]
References
- ^ a b "Matalan Retail Limited – Annual Report 2019". Companies House. February 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Heeds, Chantelle (8 September 2019). "From stall to international company: The story behind Matalan". Lancs Live. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The Daily Mail writer on the end of the Matalan fairytale". This is Money. 12 January 2001. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Matalan PLC: RNS announcement". ADVFN. 11 October 2006. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Matalan founder John Hargreaves to trouser £250m in refinancing deal". www.theguardian.com. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ Holland, Tiffany (15 July 2013). "Profile: Matalan's new managing director Jason Hargreaves".
- ^ "Pressure intensifies on Matalan to give to Rana Plaza fund". The Times. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "'If Primark can pay over factory collapse, why can't Matalan?' - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Primark Ethical Trading - Our Work in Bangladesh". Primark Ethical Trading. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ Julia Kollewe. "Matalan donates to Rana Plaza victims' trust fund one day before deadline". the Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Press Release: Matalan slammed for "trivial" compensation payments to Rana Plaza victims". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "38 Degrees - Blog - Matalan: Only £60,000". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Report and Accounts for Year Ended 23 February 2019 (Missouri Topco Limited)". Matalan. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
External links
