Austin Reed

founded by

Austin Reed

belongs to

Austin Reed Group

about

From a single shop in the City of London in 1900, Austin Reed has transformed itself from a traditional business into a dynamic and progressive group, boasting over 70 outlets in the UK with international licensees across the globe. After opening his first shop on Fenchurch Street in 1900, Austin Reed would begin to build what was just the beginning of Austin Reed today by opening branches in Regent Street, Oxford Street, Birmingham and Manchester.

The 1920s would prove to be an amazing decade of growth in London, led by the 'centennial redevelopment' of Regent Street. Austin Reed took up his part in the redevelopment and created in his Regent Street store, a flagship with every emphasis on excellence and distinction. In addition to this, Austin Reed showed a commitment to innovation and a readiness to respond to new market directions and retailing practices. In 1925, recognizing such an opportunity, the brand took the revolutionary step of offering a quality, value-for-money ready-to-wear suit.

The 1940s were marked by the Second World War where Austin Reed manufactured uniforms for both male and female soldiers. The company's most famous customer was Prime Minister Winston Churchill for whom Austin Reed developed the famous one-piece siren suit. A true British patriot, however, Austin Reed rallied staff and supported the war effort whole-heartedly encouraging and supporting staff through some very difficult years.

The time when Austin Reed the business was celebrating its golden jubilee, Austin Reed had retired as chairman but was still very much involved. The focus was to increase production, which led to completely modernising the business in term of stock control, production, and managing the business portfolio and investments. The focus on building a modern business continued through the 60s and 70's and eventually to the expansion of women's range in the 1980s.

In the 1990s Austin Reed ventured into airport retailing, opening its first tax-free shop selling shirts and accessories at Terminal 4, Heathrow Today, Austin Reed has airport shops located in Heathrow Terminal 1 & Terminal 2, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Stanstead which continue to project the brand to new markets. The recent relaxation of dress codes and increased leisure time inspired the company to introduce its REED label in 1998, offering high performance, essential items of contemporary smart separates and casualwear in quality fabrics, such as wrinkle-free cotton, moleskin, linen, wool and cashmere.

Austin Reed's international expansion began back in 1929 when Cunard selected Austin Reed to open a shop on the transatlantic liner, the Aquitania, reflecting the extent to which the company had established itself as the UK's premier menswear retailer. This was followed by concessions on two great ships, the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, in 1936 and 1946 respectively.

Today Austin Reed operates licence agreements in USA, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malayasia and India and has over 1,400 stockists around the world.