Acquisition breathes new life into John Partridge

John Partridge, the English country clothing label, is relaunching under new ownership and creative direction. Led by former Penny Plain managing director Nick Oliver, the label has secured an investment agreement with venture capital company FW Capital and business angel Anne Holliday.

After leaving Penny Plain in 2007 and working in a different industry for the past few years, Oliver was looking to return to the apparel sector. He was introduced to fellow Partridge directors David Reay, a former Barbour, Jockey and Warnaco director, and Gary Newbold, former head of design at Barbour, through mutual friends. The trio concluded the deal, acquiring John Partridge from Bollin Group, in December 2010.
John Partridge was established in the 1960s and in its heyday, was sold through stockists such as Selfridges and Liberty. After a few soft years, reinvigoration is key and Oliver intends to reintroduce the brand into the larger department stores in due course. The company’s other core targets are country clothing and sporting goods stores and independent fashion retailers.

Behind the scenes, Oliver says the new company is still evolving, it has appointed a fulfilment house and is currently “putting the sales infrastructure in place”. Although fundamentally a wholesale brand, Oliver aims to get a direct-to-consumer website up and running in the near future.

In addition, the brand is using a network of agents and stockists to expand its presence in the UK and overseas. Oliver has plans to sell the brand into the USA, where John Partridge has had a presence in the past, but no decisions have yet been made.