M&Co.
Scottish apparel retailer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
M&Co Trading Limited, trading as M&Co.) is a Scottish online retailer and former high street chain store selling women's, men's, and children's clothes, as well as small homeware products. Its head office is in Inchinnan, Scotland,[4] though its main buying office is in London.[3][5] Previously, its head office was at Caledonia House in Paisley.[6] The company previously operated as Mackays Stores Limited until its 2020 administration, previously trading as Mackays.
 | |
| M&Co | |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1834 (high street) April 2023 (online) |
| Founder | Neil McGeoch (pawnbroker) Len and Iain McGeoch (clothing) |
| Defunct | April 2023 (as a standalone store) |
| Headquarters | Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, Scotland |
Area served | United Kingdom Continental Europe Middle East |
Key people | Andy McGeoch (Chief Executive Officer)[1] |
| Revenue |  £193 million (2019)[2] |
 £(106,000) (2019)[2] | |
| £(888,000) (2019)[2] | |
| Owner | Andrew Killingsworth (90%) |
Number of employees | 3900+ [3] (2019) |
| Parent | AK Retail Holdings Ltd (Since 2023) |
| Website | www |
Established in 1834 as pawnbrokers, Mackays switched to selling clothes in 1953 by brothers Len and Iain McGeoch. In 2005 the company rebranded as M&Co. to reflect a more modern image.[7] The chain operates over 300 stores and also has an online presence.[8]
M&Co. closed all of its stores in April 2023 and moved to a sole online company.
History
19th century
In 1834, the McGeoch family founded a pawnbroker business in Paisley, Renfrewshire.[citation needed]
20th century
In 1953, Len and Iain McGeoch began converting their six pawnshops to clothing stores.[9] In 1970, the company acquired Ghinns Ltd., extending its retail clothing business in the London area.[10] In 1986, the company acquired Apparel Affiliates Inc., owner of 140 retail clothing stores in the United States.[11]
21st century
In 2005, the company began converting all 270 of its stores to the M&Co. banner.[7]
In March 2012, the first of several international franchise stores opened, beginning with the first of many in Dubai at the Dubai Mall, with further UAE expansion planned.[12]
In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, M&Co was reported to have sought new backers amid a slump in sales. Professional services firm Deloitte supported its hunt for new investors as the company explored sale options including a pre-pack administration.[13]
In December 2022, M&Co went into administration with Teneo Financial Advisory as administrators.[14] On 6 February 2023, it was announced that M&Co would be closing all 170 stores in the spring of the same year, with the last of them closing by the end of April.[15]
Also in February 2023, it was announced that Andrew Killingsworth's AK Retail Holdings had acquired the company.[16][17] Killingsworth is the founder and CEO of Yours Clothing.
