Blue Inc
 | |
| Blue Inc | |
| Limited company | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Headquarters | Walthamstow, London, England |
Number of locations | Around 250 stores |
Area served | UK |
| Products | Clothing |
| Owner | A Levy & Sons |
| Divisions |
Blue Inc Blue Inc Ladies The Officers Club |
| Website |
www |
Blue Inc is a chain of fashion retail stores based and operating across the United Kingdom. It is notable for being one of the largest menswear retailers in the country. It has stores nationwide, mainly in larger towns and cities.
Currently it trades under both The Officers Club and Blue Inc names, with some Blue Inc stores dedicated to womenswear as well and has around 250 stores nationwide as well as stores in Latvia, Estonia and Malaysia.
History
The company began trading as A. Levy & Sons in 1912. After rapid expansion in the 1980s, the company was trading via a number of brands, chiefly as Mr Byrite.[1]
Blue Inc as a brand first appeared in 1997, aimed at younger men who desire an alternative and low-priced image with an eye-catching street look. The current flagship store is located on Oxford Street, while the main UK chain is based in principally located town and city centres, and major shopping centres. Although traditionally a menswear retailer, Blue Inc has more recently begun to offer womenswear ranges within selected larger stores. In 2006 Marlow Retail Ltd purchased the business.
In March 2011, Blue Inc expanded with the purchase of 47 of the stores from collapsed rival The Officers Club, retaining them under the Officers Club brand name. The company went on to purchase 20 stores from the administrators of the retailer D2, expanding its business to over 200 stores across the country.
Since 2009 the company has also had an online presence with an eCommerce store.
Administration
On 7 January 2016 Blue Inc called in the administrators on behalf of A.Levy and Sons (their parent company) who own the store leases for Blue Inc and Officers Club. As of 21 January 2016 many stores are now closed but most remain open.[2]
Products
Blue Inc offers fashionable men's and women's clothing, from formal products and suits to casual wear at competitively low prices form multiple brands. It sells its own products under the Blue Inc, Officers Club or Twisted Soul brand names but also stocks other brands such as Adidas, Mossimo and Polo Ralph Lauren.
References
- ↑ Property Week
- ↑ Butler, Sarah (7 January 2016). "Hundreds of jobs at risk as fashion firm lines up administrators for subsidiary". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 February 2016.