Evans is a British online women's clothing retailer operated in the United Kingdom by AK Retail Holdings Ltd. It sells plus-size clothing, lingerie, wide-fitting shoes, swimwear and accessories.
History
Evans was founded in 1930 by the manufacturer Jack Green. After 40 years as a limited company, the Burton Group (later Arcadia Group) acquired Evans and it became a public company. Mail order purchases were introduced in 1972, just after Evans had expanded to over 77 branches nationwide.
In 1988, Evans became the market leader in womenswear above a UK size 14. In 1994, the first Evans brochure featured in Good Housekeeping and Prima magazines, consisting of just 12 pages.
In 1997, Evans launched SeVen, a more fashion-led label for the younger customers and also became the first Arcadia brand to start selling online. In 1998, Helen Teague and her comedian partner Dawn French launched the 1647 range, exclusively designed for Evans.
In 2007, Crystal Renn became the official face of Evans, featuring in the first TV advertising campaign and all in-store merchandising.
In 2009, Beth Ditto of the indie rock band the Gossip launched the Beth Ditto at Evans collection, also exclusive to the retailer. In 2011, launched in USA and started providing delivery services to over 100 countries.