Beginning

In 1856, Frederick Franz Krolle founded the company. He came to England from Germany, married an English woman and had four children—two of which were sons, Albert and Harry. Frederick was a saddler and initially the goods were exclusively saddlery. Through the remainder of the 1800s, as a result of the steam age, the company moved into travel goods. Customers such as Army and Navy stores, Harrods and Fortnum and Mason were the mainstay of the business.

Albert and Harry joined the business around 1870-1880 and by the turn of the century the business traded as A. Krolle, Albert being the eldest brother. However, by 1912, Harry had left the business. Albert served in World War I and during that time his wife, Amy Adelaine, ran the company. By this time the product range included kitbags, suitcases, hatboxes, shoeboxes, as well as dressing cases. Throughout the First World War the company made Sam Brown belts and other military equipment for the British Army.

1920s

In the early 1920s business slowed. At around this time Frank Squires, a salesman, introduced Albert Krolle to Frank Garrett, Managing Director and Chairman of R.T. Tanner and Co. Ltd. The two quickly became friends and F. Garrett suggested moving the entire A. Krolle business to Dorset Rise into R.T. Tanner & Co. Ltd. premises where there was spare space. This saved the A. Krolle business, which became an equal partnership trading as Tanner and Company. Customers at this time included include Harrods

Harrods

Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...

, Asprey

Asprey

Asprey is a British luxury brand with a heritage that dates back to 1781. The brand offers an extensive range of gifts, jewellery, watches, leather, silver, bone china, crystal and rare books, all available in its flagship New Bond Street store. Asprey was once the destination for crowns,...

, Debenham Freebodies, Dickens and Jones, John Pound, Drews, and Finnigans, all of which were interested in the company's handcrafted leather goods.

1930s-1940s

In the 1930s and 1940s the business grew as Albert's son, Geoffrey Krolle, joins the business. Tanner and Co. continued to receive tenders from the Ministry of Supply for straps, gun instrument covers, cockpit covers, canvas and leather equipment for military use. Unfortunately, in 1940, the entire building in Dorset Rise was destroyed through bombing and fire and all records, archive material, historical pieces were lost. New premises were temporarily found in Wheatsheaf House in Carmelite Street in the old Daily Mail building. By the end of the 1940s, R.T. Tanner and Co. Ltd. moved to Crayford and the company began exporting to the U.S.A. to stores such as Brooks, Saks

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...

, Gimbel, Crouch Fitzgerald and London Harness. Harrods remained the biggest customer along with Fortnum and Mason as the product line was expanded to include zip suitcases, pullman bags, attaché cases and document cases.

1950s

In the 1950s, A. Krolle died and the structure evolved as Tanner and Co. bought another high-quality leather manufacturer, J.D. Watts for £6,000. Soon after, on 23 November 1956 Tanner Krolle and Co. Ltd. formed, a move which restored the Krolle family name into the trading title.

1960s-1970s

The 1960s and 1970s continued to see growth and the name Tanner Krolle was first mentioned on products sold to Fortnum and Mason and eventually Harrods. Selfridges and other department stores were added and the product range was extended as the company began exporting to the continent.

1990-2000s

In the early 1990s, Tanner Krolle was purchased by Chanel

Chanel

Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...

, with Alain Wertheimer

Alain Wertheimer

Alain Wertheimer is a Jewish French businessman based in France who, with his brother Gerard own the controlling interest in the House of Chanel. The son of Jacques Wertheimer and Eliane Fischer, it was his grandfather Pierre who co-founded the Chanel business...

 presiding over the acquisition and later in 2003, a private equity group acquired the company which owns Tanner Krolle to this day.

Present day

Tanner Krolle continues manufacture leather goods and accept commissions from style icons and royal households worldwide. Notable customers include Jackie Onassis

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...

, who bespoke equestrian accessories and luggage, Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...

, who travelled extensively using Tanner Krolle luggage and later commissioned school trunks for Princes William

Prince William of Wales

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge KG , is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, and third eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...

 and Harry

Prince Harry of Wales

Prince Henry of Wales , commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and fourth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...

, as well as Saudi Arabia’s late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud

Fahd of Saudi Arabia

Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, was King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005...

.

External links

• Tanner Krolle site