R.E. Tricker Ltd, which trades as Tricker's, is a British footwear company established in 1829 by Joseph Tricker in Northampton.[1]
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1829 |
| Founder | Joseph Tricker |
| Headquarters | Northampton, United Kingdom |
| Products | Shoes |
| Website | www |
Tricker's produces men's and women's shoes and boots, as well as leather accessories such as belts and wallets.[1] It is best known for its heavy country boots and shoes,[2] and was one of several Northampton-based companies identified as having survived the downturn in British shoemaking between the 1970s and 2000s and "carved out a niche for themselves at the top end of the international shoe market" by The Telegraph in 2012.[3] The company was granted a royal warrant in 1989.[4][5]
Tricker's factory in Northampton is a Grade II listed building.[6] Much of the film version of the musical Kinky Boots was filmed in the factory.[7]
As of 2019, Tricker's operated several shops in the UK as well as a single store in Tokyo. A BBC story reported that 80 per cent of the company's sales were overseas, and it was considering opening other shops in South Korea and the United States.[4]
Tricker's closed its factory and shops in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time the firm had stopped producing shoes since it was established.[8] The closure of the factory was necessary on health grounds, as it was not practical for staff to practice social distancing in it.[9] Tricker's received a funding facility from its bank in May that year to enable it to be able to rapidly resume operations.[10]
In 2021 Tricker's employed 86 workers in its factory who typically produced 1,000 pairs of shoes weekly.[11]
References
edit
- ^ a b "Company Overview of R.E. Tricker Ltd". Bloomberg. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ Gustashaw, Megan (16 July 2016). "7 Iconic English Shoemakers You Should Know". GQ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ Nicholls, David (24 March 2012). "For the well-heeled: British shoemakers find their feet". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Shoe firm Tricker's opens Tokyo store". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ "R.E. Tricker Ltd". Member's Directory. The Royal Warrant Holders Association. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ Morrison, Kathryn A; Bond, Allen (2004). Built to Last? The Buildings of the Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Industry. United Kingdom: Swindon. p. 62. ISBN 9781848023031.
- ^ "Getting to the roots of Kinky Boots". Northampton Borough Council. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Royal shoemaker stops for first time in 191 years". BBC News. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Duggan, Jack (23 April 2020). "'The shoe industry will be back on its feet soon': Tricker's boss hopeful after shutting Northampton factory for first time ever in history". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Ulke, Alastair (5 May 2020). "Northampton's Tricker's factory receives 'support' from HSBC to tide firm over until lockdown lifts". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Schomberg, William (26 January 2021). "Historic English shoe-maker counts the costs of Brexit". Reuters. Retrieved 4 April 2021.