Peter England is an international menswear brand based in India. Founded in 1889 in Ireland, it was acquired by Kumar Mangalam Birla's Aditya Birla Fashion brand in 2000.[3] It produces suiting fabric, wool and wool-blended fabrics. According to the website of its parent company, as of 2014 it was the "largest menswear brand in India with over 10 million garments in sales".[4]
History
The Peter England brand was first formed in 1889 and the company was reputedly tasked with outfitting British soldiers during the Boer War.[5] With a factory at Magherafelt in County Londonderry,[6] as of the late 20th century it was owned by the British company Coats Viyella.[7] The Magherafelt factory was subsequently closed,[8] in 1992, resulting in the loss of several hundred jobs in the area.[9][10]
The brand was launched in the Indian market in 1997,[11] with bespoke and ready-made shirts.[12] It was acquired in 2000 by the Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail company.[3]
As of 2014, the brand was reputedly being sold from "over 600 EBOs" (exclusive brand outlet stores) in India.[4]
^"About Us". peterengland.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^"Orme Pledge to North-West Firms". Belfast Telegraph. 10 January 1975. The recession in the trade has had no effect at all on the Magherafelt shirt factory of Peter England. In fact the firm — a member of the Carrington Viyella Group — cannot turn out enough shirts. And as a result they are introducing new shifts and recruiting more workers
^Investors Chronicle - Volume 92, Financial Times Business, 1990, in 1988 [..] Coats Viyella subsidiaries, like Peter England at Magherafelt, excel[led]
^"Magherafelt rises from the ashes". Belfast Telegraph. 21 October 1994. In 1992 over 800 jobs were lost, most of them a result of the closure of the Peter England shirt factory in the town
^"The Cutting Edge". Belfast Telegraph. 31 January 1996. The late 1980s/early 1990s saw job losses with the closure of several of Northern Ireland's large clothing factories, like Peter England, owned by Coats Viyella, which left more than 500 people out of work
