Corporate Information

COMPANY PROFILE

High Street

The Edinburgh Woollen Mill has 192 mainstream high street stores selling ladies and menswear for the 45 plus customer. Outlets are located in a wide variety of market and provincial towns, 70 per cent of which are positioned south of Birmingham.

Tourist Shops and Visitor Centres

We have 94 speciality tourist stores, where gift items and other products reflect the stores location. The outlets, which trade under an individual, often local, fascia, are in key tourist locations throughout the UK - 60 per cent of which are in Scotland. Many stores are on busy tourist routes and benefit from coach visits where food service and exhibitions are all part of the attraction.

Destination Shopping

There are 28 destination sites which contain all of the Group's concepts and other brands to increase their attractiveness as a retail destination. The sites trade under local, individual fascias such as Antartex Village, Masson Mill, Kernow Mill, Mackinnon Mills, and as anchor tenants in larger developments like Wilton Shopping Village.

Our Service

As well as our core customers of the 60s plus market, EWM has now started to present its product to the 45 to 60 year old market (the fastest growing UK age group). We constantly liaise with suppliers and the Group's associate manufacturing companies to provide a fresh and diverse clothing range for these markets.

The Edinburgh Woollen Mill is closely involved in every aspect of the development cycle of a natural woollen product - from processing raw material, through production of yarn and cloth to the design and manufacture of the garment, and finally to the sale in the shop and now on www.ewm.co.uk. By maintaining total control in this way, we have built a good reputation for providing the finest quality merchandise at the best possible value.

COMPANY HISTORY

The Edinburgh Woollen Mill was founded by Drew Stevenson in 1946 as the Langholm Dyeing and Finishing Company, undertaking the dyeing of yarn on a contract basis. The development into retailing began in 1970, when the Group opened its first shop in Randolph Place, Edinburgh. In 1972 the first store south of the Border opened, appropriately enough at 81 English Street, Carlisle.

The company has had a number of owners dating from the early 1970s and was divested by Grampian Holdings in 2001. The business was taken over by a management buy-in led by Philip Day and, over the next few years Philip returned the company back to being and independent privately-owned business which is now owned 100% by the Day family.

The company had gone through a chequered performance history when it was acquired by Philip Day and he set about improving its store appearance, delivering excellent customer service in a friendly environment and creatoing a “first price right price” approach with the delivery of excellent quality and superb value for money products to our customers.

The company has grown substantially into being one of the best mid-market performers in the sector, delivering good consistent growth.

The Group has continued to invest in acquisitions and in the last couple of years has added to its portfolio It has recently acquired the assets of Ponden Mill and Rosebys (which he has rebranded as Ponden Home with 150 stores nationwide) and Proquip (the famous sponsor of the Ryder Cup European Tour, specializing in the very best waterproof clothing).

The Group turnover for 2009/2010 was in excess of £240m and the company operates in excess of 500 stores nationwide.