M&Co.

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M&Co Trading Limited
M&Co
Company type
 Private
Industry Retail
Founded1834;192 years ago (1834) (high street)
April 2023;3 years ago (April 2023) (online)
FounderNeil McGeoch (pawnbroker)
Len and Iain McGeoch (clothing)
DefunctApril 2023;3 years ago (April 2023) (as a standalone store)
Headquarters Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Area served
 United Kingdom
Continental Europe
Middle East
Key people
A. R. Killingsworth (CEO)
Saeed Hatteea (Chairman)
RevenueIncrease2.svg £230.79 million [1]  (2024)
OwnerYours Clothing Group
Number of employees
3900+ [2] (2019)
Parent AK Retail Holdings
Website www.mandco.com

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, though its main buying office is in Mayfair, London. [2] [3] Previously, its head office was at Caledonia House in Paisley. [4] The company previously operated as Mackays Stores Limited until its 2020 administration, previously trading as Mackays.

Contents

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. [5] The chain operates over 300 stores and also has an online presence. [6] In 2023, it was announced that Yours Clothing had acquired the company. [7] [8]

History

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, owner of 140 retail stores in the United States. [11]

21st century

M&Co shop in a mall in Dubai, UAE M&Co shop in a Dubai mall.jpg
M&Co shop in a mall in Dubai, UAE

In 2005, the company began converting all 270 of its stores to the M&Co. banner. [5] In March 2012, the first of several international franchise stores opened, beginning with the first of many in 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] In February 2023, it was announced that Yours Clothing Group had acquired the company with Andrew Killingsworth as Chief Executive Officer and Saeed Hatteea as Chairman. [7] [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Yours Company Accounts 2024" . Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Company History – M&Co" . Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "M&Co. – 20 Conduit Place, Paddington, London, W2 1HS" . Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "Contact Us". Mackays Stores. Archived from the original on 29 April 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2012. Mackays Stores Ltd Caledonia House, Caledonia Street, Paisley, PA3 2JP
  5. 1 2 "Mackays revamp pays off Clothing empire records seventh consecutive year of rising profits". The Herald . Newsquest Media Group. 21 July 2006.
  6. ↑ "Congratulations to M&Co who have risen 349 places in the retail Top 500 websites ranking". tryzens.com. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  7. 1 2 Finamore, Emma (6 December 2023). "Andrew Killingsworth". Drapers. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  8. 1 2 "M&Co relaunches website under new owner". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "Co-founder Iain McGeoch hands over reins at M&Co". The Scotsman. JPIMedia Publishing Ltd. 19 September 2015.
  10. ↑ Northrop, Alasdair (2 March 2009). "THE BIG PROFILE: Twenty years at the top". Insider. Insider Publications Ltd.
  11. ↑ Funk, Nancy M. (December 13, 1989). "Quakertown Retailer Seeks Chapter 11 Apparel Affiliates To Close Lady Bug, Paraphernalia Chains, Most Corner Houses". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Times Mirror Company . Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  12. ↑ Marc-Christian Riebe Retail Market Study 2013 , p. 407, at Google Books
  13. ↑ Kleinman, Mark (30 June 2020). "Coronavirus: Fashion retailer M&Co hunts new backers amid sales slump". Sky News. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  14. ↑ Goldfingle, Gemma (10 December 2022). "M&Co plunges into administration - Retail Gazette". www.retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Fraser, Douglas (6 February 2023). "M&Co: Renfrewshire clothing chain to close all 170 stores". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
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