Austin Reed (retailer)

This article is about the clothing retailer. For the memoirist, see Austin Reed (author).

Austin Reed flagship store on Regent Street in London (2011)

Austin Reed was a British fashion retailer founded in 1900, and the brand was acquired by Edinburgh Woollen Mill in 2016.

History

Austin Reed was founded by tailor Austin Leonard Reed (1873–1954).

Timeline

• 1900 - First London shop was opened in Fenchurch Street
• 1911 - Opening of flagship store in Regent Street
• 1929 - The first international outlet on the transatlantic liner RMS Aquitania
• 1930 - The opening of the Regent St Barbers Shop
• 1936 - Opening of a concession on the RMS Queen Mary
• 1946 - Opening of a concession on the RMS Queen Elizabeth
• 1940s - Winston Churchill was a customer here.
• 1980s - The launch of Austin Reed's womenswear
• 2000 - UK Manufacturing, at its Crewe factory ended
• 2005 - Kosugi-Sangyo was the Austin Reed ready-to-wear license holder in Japan with retail value of €50 million.
• 2009 - The Austin Reed Group acquires heritage brand Viyella
• 2010 - The launch of the Q Club on the third floor of the Regent Street store
• 2011 - Austin Reed move from the original 103-113 Regent Street Store to the opposite side (100 Regent Street)
• 2016 - Austin Reed entered administration. Five concessions located in Boundary Mills outlet villages will stay open following a buyout by Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

Operations

Austin Reed also owned the CC brand (rebranded from Country Casuals).

References

Austin Reed is mentioned by Captain Peacock on the British situation comedy, Are You Being Served. Cast member John Inman had worked at Austin Reed as a tie clerk in the early 1950s.

External links

• Official website Archived 13 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
• Media related to Austin Reed at Wikimedia Commons