The Flannels Group Limited, trading as Flannels, is a British retailer. The company currently has 50+ locations open in the United Kingdom. In 1976, Neil Prosser founded Flannels. He remained the managing director until the brand was acquired by Frasers Group (formerly Sports Direct International) in 2017.[6]
History
Neil Prosser founded Flannels in 1976 with a menswear store in Knutsford, Cheshire.[7]
Prosser's friendship with retailer Jim Gibson led to a joint venture in 1995[8] with womenswear and menswear stores under the name, Cruise Flannels, being opened in Nottingham and subsequently in Birmingham and Newcastle in 1996.
In February 2000, Prosser and Gibson went their separate ways after their venture grew to 17 stores nationwide, and the Cruise Flannels shops in Birmingham and Nottingham were rebranded as Flannels sites.[8]
In 2012, Frasers Group bought a majority 51% stake in Flannels[9] and in 2017, they acquired the brand in full.[10]
External links
References
- The Flannels Group Limited overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK Companies House, 1988-11-17, retrieved 2024-02-29^
- The Flannels Group Limited overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK Companies House, 2016-04-06, retrieved 2024-02-29^
- Sportsdirect.com Retail Limited overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK Companies House, 1988-11-17, retrieved 2024-02-29^
- Sports Direct Sports Direct, retrieved 2024-02-29^
- Annual return made up to 1 June 2016 with full list of shareholders Companies House, 2016-06-06, retrieved 2024-02-29^
- Laura Chesters. Sports Direct buys loss-making Flannels for 'a nominal sum' The Independent, independent.co.uk, 13 July 2012, retrieved 18 June 2014^
- Sarah Walters. Quiet gent who became world beater Manchester Evening News, manchestereveningnews.co.uk, 15 February 2007, retrieved 18 June 2014^
- Laura Chesters. Clothes maketh the man Property Week, propertyweek.com, 19 May 2006, retrieved 18 June 2014^
- George MacDonald. Sports Direct takes majority stake in Flannels Drapers, drapersonline.com, 13 July 2012, retrieved 18 June 2014^
- Richard Frost. Flannels now wholly owned by Sports Direct Insider Media Ltd, 6 September 2017^