ArcadiaGroupLimited.docVIP

Arcadia Group Limited History The Arcadia Group began life in the early 1900s when 18-year-old Lithuanian émigré Montague Burton arrived in Britain and borrowed ￡100 to set up an eponymous menswear business in Chesterfield. The Burton shop was a success and within six years he had established a chain of Burton stores selling both ready-to-wear and bespoke suits. In 1910, the thriving business relocated to Leeds, where Arcadia Group retains a major office location to this day. The advent of the First World War in 1914 provided Montague with further expansion opportunities as his growing business supplied clothing for a quarter of the armed forces.By the end of the conflict, Burton employed 132 staff at its Leeds headquarters. In the early 1920s, Montague began to develop the Hudson Road factory in Leeds. Within 15 years the enterprise (which today is the location for Arcadia Groups accounting and facilities teams) had become the largest clothing factory in Europe. Montague adopted a philanthropic approach to business, which was evident when he implemented a welfare office at the Hudson Road factory, providing workers with meals, a dentist and an eye specialist to treat eye strain brought on by close needle-work. In 1931 Montague received a knighthood for services to industrial relations; he also served as a Justice of the Peace for many years. By the end of the Second World War Burton was estimated to be clothing around a fifth of the British male population. In 1946 Montague made his first foray into womenswear with the acquisition of the Peter Robinson women’s fashion chain. In 1952, the year in which Sir Montague died, the company he founded comprised a staggering 616 stores, making it the largest multiple tailor in the world. The mid-1960s saw the unveiling of Topshop – a ‘young fashion department’ within Peter Robinson, and in 1969 the business changed its name to The Burton Group. A year later, Topman was launched as a counterpart to Topshop, catering to