Church and Co
of Northampton
1873 Business founded by Thomas Church, his wife and 2 sons, Alfred and William, at Maple Street, Northampton.
1880 Moved to larger premises at Duke Street. Much of the work was done by piece workers at home.
1881 Gold medal at the Great Exhibition
1892 Thomas retired; his youngest son Thomas Dudley Church was made an associate partner.
By 1900 all of the manufacturing had been brought in-house.
1921 Opened first boutique in London
WWII Making shoes for the armed forces
1957 A new factory was opened in St. James Road, Northampton,
1967 Acquired Joseph Cheaney and Son to enable the Cheaney brand to be available to retailers all over the world.[1]
1999 The company was bought by Italian luxury fashion house Prada.
2004 5,000 pairs of Goodyear men's shoes were made every week at thee factory in St. James Road. Italian goods manufacturer Prada took over the company.
2014 The company employed 650 people
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times Apr. 5, 1967
- Trademarked. A History of Well-Known Brands - from Aertex to Wright's Coal Tar by David Newton. Pub: Sutton Publishing 2008 ISBN 978-0-7509-4590-5