Ethel Austin
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| Company type | Private (Ltd) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Liverpool, England 1934 |
| Founder | Ethel Austin |
| Defunct | 11 January 2013 |
| Fate | Administration |
| Headquarters | Knowsley, Liverpool |
| Products | Clothing |
| Website | ethelaustin |
Ethel Austin was an English clothing retailer. At its commercial peak it operated around three hundred stores. The company was purchased from the founding family in June 2002; the company ceased operation in January 2013, after entering administration several times.
The company was founded in 1934 by Ethel Austin, in the front room of her terraced house in Liverpool, helping neighbours with their knitting. This proved so successful, that within five years of going into business, she had opened three shops. The business became a well known and established chain in the North West and North Wales throughout the mid to late twentieth century. Ethel Austin herself died in January 1989, at the age of 88.[citation needed]
In June 2002, the Austin family sold the business to a management team backed by Lloyds Development Capital (LDC) for £55 million. In June 2004, two years later, ABN-AMRO Capital bought the business for £122.5 million. In May 2007, it was announced that the company had won the contract to supply uniforms for the event of Liverpool - European City of Culture 2008.[citation needed]
In November 2007, the company ran new adverts on television, which used the BodyRockers song "I Like the Way (You Move)". At this point, the company had over three hundred stores.