Dorothy Perkins - History

History

Founded in 1909 under the name H. P. Newman, it changed its trading name to Dorothy Perkins in 1919. In the 1960s, Dorothy Perkins was controlled by the Farmer family, who used to own Winster Hosiery. Staff in the branches could expect regular visits from Alan Farmer, whose picture was printed in a booklet handed to new employees. Best known for its lingerie, tights, and sleepwear collections, its other clothes had a hard time competing with the more trendy Lewis Separates, now owned by River Island Clothing Company Ltd, and Peter Robinson.

One newspaper advertisement for management trainees asked: 'Will curls come in? Will maxis make it?' However, the stores never really got to grips with sixties boutique culture. Author Margret Geraghty who worked there for a while in the late sixties remembers that all the sales staff had to wear nylon uniforms: 'They were cerise with a zip up the front. Forget dolly birds. They looked more like canteen assistants.' The exception was the store manageress, who was permitted to wear her own clothes.

The company ran management trainee courses at its head office in Bracknell, Berkshire, where prospective manageresses were taught 'introduction', a mild pressure-selling technique designed to entice customers into buying more than they'd intended. In 1973, British Land bought Dorothy Perkins, and Group Managing Director David Roxburgh took over the company. Dorothy Perkins is now owned by the Arcadia Group. It has over 600 stores nationwide.