The Officers Club
Encyclopedia
The Officers Club was a menswear
retailer based in the United Kingdom
.
, Northumberland
. There were over 150 stores across the country at the firm's peak. After a number of buy-outs it become one of the biggest retail companies in the UK with flagship stores in London
's Oxford Street
, Cardiff
, Scotland
and north-east England. The company also sources clothes from Asia.
Until 2004, the company ran a "70% off everything" promotion within its Officers Club branded stores. The promotion ceased after successful legal action by the Office of Fair Trading
—which had issued proceedings against the company and Charlton in June 2002—which had evidence to suggest the supposed "original price" of garments was not genuine.
, and on 23 December The Officers Club's administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers decided to close 32 of the 150 stores immediately. PricewaterhouseCoopers
also announced that 118 stores had been sold to TimeC 1215 limited for an undisclosed fee. TimeC 1215 is backed by David Charlton, chief executive of The Officers Club. This deal saved around 900 jobs.
, with staff at these stores retaining their jobs. The remaining 56 stores, the Officers Club head office and the warehouse were closed, with staff at these locations made redundant. The "Petroleum" menswear brand, owned by Officers Club, will be retained by Blue Inc in the interim.
As of 27 April the website is online again - this is being operated by Blue Inc
.
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
retailer based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
The company was founded in the 1990s in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, and latterly had its headquarters in CramlingtonCramlington
Cramlington is a town and civil parish in the county of Northumberland, North East England, situated north of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town's name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or an Anglo-Saxon origin, the word "ton" meaning town. The population was estimated as 39,000 in...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. There were over 150 stores across the country at the firm's peak. After a number of buy-outs it become one of the biggest retail companies in the UK with flagship stores in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and north-east England. The company also sources clothes from Asia.
Until 2004, the company ran a "70% off everything" promotion within its Officers Club branded stores. The promotion ceased after successful legal action by the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
—which had issued proceedings against the company and Charlton in June 2002—which had evidence to suggest the supposed "original price" of garments was not genuine.
2008 administration and sale
In December 2008 the company entered administrationAdministration (insolvency)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
, and on 23 December The Officers Club's administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers decided to close 32 of the 150 stores immediately. PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
also announced that 118 stores had been sold to TimeC 1215 limited for an undisclosed fee. TimeC 1215 is backed by David Charlton, chief executive of The Officers Club. This deal saved around 900 jobs.
2011 administration and closure
By 2011 the Officers Club had just over 100 stores, with total of around 800 staff employed across the business. On March 29th 2011 the company entered administration again. As part of this process 47 stores were sold to rival menswear retailer Blue IncBlue Inc
Blue Inc is a Walthamstow, London based chain of fashion retail stores, operating across the United Kingdom.-History:The company began trading as A. Levy & Sons in 1912...
, with staff at these stores retaining their jobs. The remaining 56 stores, the Officers Club head office and the warehouse were closed, with staff at these locations made redundant. The "Petroleum" menswear brand, owned by Officers Club, will be retained by Blue Inc in the interim.
Website
The Officers Club also ran a retail website (theofficersclub.co.uk), to sell its clothing. A new website was launched on 25 November 2009 under the Officers Club branding; previous versions of the site had used the logo "oclubonline". The website ceased operating as a result of the 2011 administration process.As of 27 April the website is online again - this is being operated by Blue Inc
Blue Inc
Blue Inc is a Walthamstow, London based chain of fashion retail stores, operating across the United Kingdom.-History:The company began trading as A. Levy & Sons in 1912...
.