Tom Tailor

In 1962 Uwe Schröder forms the company Henke & Co. with his then business partner Hans-Heinrich Pünjer in Hamburg. The Company starts out by importing terry towels from India and selling it in Germany.

In the following years, the product range is expanded to include shirts, underwear and men's corduroy trousers. The two company founders market their first corduroy trouser line under the name "Tom".

As the Company grows, Schröder and Pünjer quickly realize that they need a catchy and memorable name that will work both in international markets and in Germany. At the cutting table, they come up with the idea of combining the name "Tom", already established in the market, with the English word "tailor". The TOM TAILOR brand is born. In 1979, the Company launches its first sportswear collection under the new name.

In the mid-1990s, the company diversifies its business model, adding children's collections and launching an extensive range of accessories in cooperation with license partners to complement the TOM TAILOR world of fashion.

At the end of the decade, finally, women's fashions are introduced with the launch of the TOM TAILOR WOMEN line.

In 2006, Dieter Holzer joins the Company, first as new Managing Director, and later as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Uwe Schröder leaves the Management Board and becomes Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TOM TAILOR.

Over the coming years, TOM TAILOR makes the transformation from a wholesale supplier to a vertically integrated system supplier. From this point onward, retail represents a key strategic element. Flanking that development is the company's entry into online retail in 2006 with the launch of the TOM TAILOR e-shop. The goal is to increase the brand's availability while further emotionalizing the brand world of TOM TAILOR.

One year later this is followed by the introduction of the young brand TOM TAILOR DENIM.

In March 2010, the Company goes public as TOM TAILOR Holding AG. Since then it is listed in the Prime Standard segment on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the regulated market of the Hamburg Stock Exchange. From June 2010 to December 2015, the Company was listed in the small-cap index (SDAX). The proceeds from the IPO are used to step up the Group's international expansion efforts.

Moreover, the brand portfolio is expanded in 2010 with the addition of the line TOM TAILOR BABY.

A year later the Company establishes its own procurement organization, TOM TAILOR Sourcing Ltd. in Hong Kong, to replace the use of external agents with an in-house sourcing function.

In August 2012, the TOM TAILOR GROUP acquires BONITA, one of Germany’s leading fashion brand producers and retailers for the over-40 customers. The connection with BONITA fits under the heading: "Product expertise meets retail excellence." While BONITA has one of the best retail organizations for textiles in Germany and Europe, TOM TAILOR is set apart by its outstanding analytical design and product development process and its ability to respond quickly and flexibly to market trends.

In the fall of the same year, the Group takes over the management of the children's fashion business of ADLER. In addition, the Company expands its portfolio with the rollout of the premium sportswear brand TOM TAILOR POLO TEAM.

In December 2012, the e-shop is launched Europe-wide, making the TOM TAILOR brands available to online customers outside Germany, too. In the following year, BONITA launches its own e-shop.

In September 2016, Dieter Holzer leaves the Company. He is succeeded as CEO by Dr Heiko Schäfer, who joined the TOM TAILOR GROUP as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2015. Along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Thomas Dressendörfer and Uwe Schröder, who gives up his Supervisory Board position to join the Management Board on an interim basis, the new management team is making profitability the top priority of the TOM TAILOR GROUP strategy.

The Group's focus is on its strong core brands (TOM TAILOR, TOM TAILOR DENIM and BONITA), its core markets, and close connection between stationary sales and e-commerce.