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Burton (clothes retailer)
Encyclopedia
Burton is a large United Kingdom
high street
clothing retailer. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
, but is now part of the Arcadia Group
.
The Company was founded by Montague Burton
in Chesterfield
in 1903 under the name of The Cross-Tailoring Company. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange
in 1929 by which time it had 400 stores, factories and mills. In 1934, Burton's large factory in Leeds
was visited by Princess Royal
.
After World War II
Montague Burton offered men the chance to buy a full suit, which included jacket, trousers, waistcoat, shirt and underwear and became known as 'The Full Monty
'. In 1946 the Company acquired the Peter Robinson women's fashion chain. By 1952, the year of Montague Burton
's death, the Company was the largest multiple tailor in the world.
Burton was the official sponsor for the World Cup
in 1966 and again in 2002. In 1998 the Company changed its name to Arcadia Group
.
The Burton Company archives are held at the West Yorkshire Archive Service in Leeds.
, a notable example being at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre
in the West Midlands
, where it has had a store since November 1989.
Burton worked closely with the Bobby Moore Fund, an arm of Cancer Research UK
funding research into bowel cancer, the cancer from which England's World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore died in 1993.
Sir Montague Burton was a champion of workers’ rights and this same sense of equality & giving back is something that is strongly supported by Burton Menswear.
In November 2009, Burton endeavoured to bring back ‘The Burton’ through their support of Movember
in order to raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity. Burton will be resurrecting ‘The Burton’ - a moustache style created by Montague Burton himself which has evolved through history. It is, still, today a revered moustache style that has been perfected within the Burton family. Styled upon two influential moustache types; the English and the Handlebar, it is full bodied and curves down across the mouth. The tips should be slightly waxed and it should never be oversized or exaggerated.
Burton will be actively encouraging staff & customers to "Go for a Burton" and raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity. Staff will enjoy the friendly competition in support of the Movember campaign in an attempt to grow, style and groom the perfect Burton Mo.
To support men taking part in the Movember challenge, Burton have also developed a facebook fan page to use to gain support amongst a network of friends and raise awareness of the charity.
and Trevor Nelson
, and TV Presenter Steve Jones
have all appeared in such campaigns. Notable sporting figures such as Joe Cole
, Kevin Pietersen
and Jenson Button
have been used to attract young males, interested in this area.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
high street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
clothing retailer. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
FTSE 100 Index
The FTSE 100 Index, also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the footsie , is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange....
, but is now part of the Arcadia Group
Arcadia Group
The Arcadia Group Limited a British company that owns the high street clothing retailers Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Topshop, Wallis and BHS, and the out of town chain Outfit, which sells lines from the other group chains...
.
History
The Company was founded by Montague Burton
Montague Burton
Sir Montague Maurice Burton founded Burton, one of Great Britain's largest chains of clothes shops....
in Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
in 1903 under the name of The Cross-Tailoring Company. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
in 1929 by which time it had 400 stores, factories and mills. In 1934, Burton's large factory in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
was visited by Princess Royal
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
The Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood was a member of the British Royal Family; she was the third child and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the sixth holder of the title of Princess Royal...
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Montague Burton offered men the chance to buy a full suit, which included jacket, trousers, waistcoat, shirt and underwear and became known as 'The Full Monty
The Full Monty (phrase)
The full monty is a British slang phrase of uncertain origin. It is generally used to mean "everything which is necessary, appropriate, or possible; ‘the works’", and has been in common usage in the north of England for many years; the 1982 Yellow Pages for Manchester listed both a "Full Monty...
'. In 1946 the Company acquired the Peter Robinson women's fashion chain. By 1952, the year of Montague Burton
Montague Burton
Sir Montague Maurice Burton founded Burton, one of Great Britain's largest chains of clothes shops....
's death, the Company was the largest multiple tailor in the world.
Burton was the official sponsor for the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 1966 and again in 2002. In 1998 the Company changed its name to Arcadia Group
Arcadia Group
The Arcadia Group Limited a British company that owns the high street clothing retailers Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Topshop, Wallis and BHS, and the out of town chain Outfit, which sells lines from the other group chains...
.
The Burton Company archives are held at the West Yorkshire Archive Service in Leeds.
Style
Burton combines a long heritage of tailoring with a modern take on casual wear. Burton is one of the most successful menswear brands on the high street and has over 400 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland. It has also expanded to out of town sites since the 1980s1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, a notable example being at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Westfield Merry Hill is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill near Dudley, West Midlands, England. It was developed between 1985 and 1990, with several expansion and renovation projects taking place since. The original developers and owners were Richardson Developments but the Centre has had a number...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, where it has had a store since November 1989.
Charity
In the lead up to the 2006 Fifa World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
Burton worked closely with the Bobby Moore Fund, an arm of Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world's largest independent cancer...
funding research into bowel cancer, the cancer from which England's World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore died in 1993.
Sir Montague Burton was a champion of workers’ rights and this same sense of equality & giving back is something that is strongly supported by Burton Menswear.
In November 2009, Burton endeavoured to bring back ‘The Burton’ through their support of Movember
Movember
Movember is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November. The Movember Foundation runs the Movember charity event, housed at Movember.com...
in order to raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity. Burton will be resurrecting ‘The Burton’ - a moustache style created by Montague Burton himself which has evolved through history. It is, still, today a revered moustache style that has been perfected within the Burton family. Styled upon two influential moustache types; the English and the Handlebar, it is full bodied and curves down across the mouth. The tips should be slightly waxed and it should never be oversized or exaggerated.
Burton will be actively encouraging staff & customers to "Go for a Burton" and raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity. Staff will enjoy the friendly competition in support of the Movember campaign in an attempt to grow, style and groom the perfect Burton Mo.
To support men taking part in the Movember challenge, Burton have also developed a facebook fan page to use to gain support amongst a network of friends and raise awareness of the charity.
Marketing
Burton regularly include celebrities in their advertising, featuring various 'Burton Boys' over periods of the retailing calendar, targeting their market audience of 18-30 year old males. Music personalities such as LemarLemar
Lemar Obika , professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English recording artist. Obika has had a run of chart success in the UK, Europe and Australia...
and Trevor Nelson
Trevor Nelson
Trevor Nelson MBE is an English DJ and presenter.Born in Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, he attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School in Cowper St, Islington, London EC2 and Westminster Kingsway College...
, and TV Presenter Steve Jones
Steve Jones (presenter)
Stephen Ashton "Steve" Jones is a Welsh television presenter. Jones is primarily known in the UK as presenter of T4. Internationally, he is known as the host of The X Factor USA.-Early life:...
have all appeared in such campaigns. Notable sporting figures such as Joe Cole
Joe Cole
Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003...
, Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
and Jenson Button
Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
have been used to attract young males, interested in this area.