M&Co.

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Mackays Stores Limited

Trade name	M&Co
Type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	1834; 187 years ago (1834)
Founder	Len McGeoch
Headquarters	Inchinnan, Scotland, UK
Area served	United Kingdom Continental Europe Middle East
Key people	Andy McGeoch (Chief Executive Officer)[1]
Revenue	£193 million (2019)[2]
Operating income	£(106,000) (2019)[2]
Net income	£(888,000) (2019)[2]
Owner	Iain McGeoch (90%)
Number of employees	3900+ [3] (2019)
Website	www.mandco.com

M&Co. (previously trading as Mackays, company name Mackays Stores Limited) is a Scottish 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]

Established in 1834, the company has been selling clothing for over 50 years. The chain operates over 300 stores and also has an online presence.^[7]

History[]

This section is in list format, but may read better as prose. You can help by , if appropriate. Editing help is available. (December 2020)

M&Co shop in Wetherby, Yorkshire

(Info source: Gale Directory of Company Histories: Mackays Stores Group Ltd.)^[8]

• 1834 – McGeoch family founds a pawnbroker business in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
• 1953 – Under Neil McGeoch, the company begins converting pawnshops to clothing stores.
• 1969 – 50 stores trading. The first store is opened in London, and within a year, a chain of seven stores is purchased, prompting expansion in the south of England.
• 1970 – Company acquires Ghinns Ltd., extending its retail clothing business in the London area.^{[citation needed]}
• 1973 – Len and Iain McGeoch take over company from their father and adopt low-priced retail clothing format under Mackays name.
• Mid-1970s – 100+ stores trading. Head office and warehouse premises are acquired at Caledonia Street, Paisley.
• 1986 – Company acquires Apparel Affiliates Inc., owner of 140 retail clothing stores in the United States.^{[citation needed]}
• Mid-1980s – 150+ stores. Mackays becomes one of the first multiple retailers to install full EPOS tills in all stores, allowing the capture of sales data and managing product replenishment. Continued growth with 160 stores in operation by 1985. International ventures are pursued with the purchase of a US company with 120 stores. Benetton stores are opened in Scotland, Ireland and Australia (later all closed).
• 1990 – Apparel Affiliates is forced to declare bankruptcy, and Mackays exits the US.^{[citation needed]}
• 1992 – Len McGeoch returns from the United States to resume buying role.
• 1996 – A store in Poland is opened.
• Mid-1990s – 220 stores trading. A children's franchise is operated in China, and more stores open in Poland (both now closed).
• 1998 – Len McGeoch retires following the success of the brand, with Iain McGeoch taking over the family business.
• 2000 – Fashion sub-brand Kylie launches its teen girl website.
• 2001 – Iain McGeoch buys out his brother's share of the company. Mackays corporate website is launched.
• 2003 – The Laroque store chain in Coventry is acquired; a new upscale clothing format, M&Co, is launched.^{[citation needed]}
• 2004 – Ten new M&Co. stores open featuring ladieswear.
• 2005 – Company begins converting all 270 stores to M&Co format.
• January 2006 – 240 Mackays and 30 M&Co. stores operational in Britain.
• February 2006 – Ladieswear transactional website launched.
• 2007 – Most stores now converted to M&Co format. First Northern Ireland store opened in Belfast's Laharna Retail Park. Mackays moves to larger headquarters, from Paisley to nearby Inchinnan.
• March 2012 – The first of several international franchise stores open, beginning with the first of many in Dubai at the Dubai Mall, with further UAE expansion planned.^[9]

M&Co shop in a mall in Dubai, UAE

• August 2012 – Announcement of planned expansion into House of Fraser.
• 2013 – More international franchise stores opened, including The Strand Mall (Bulgaria) and Valletta (Malta).

In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, M&Co was reported to be seeking new backers amid a slump in sales. Professional services firm Deloitte, was supporting its hunt for new investors as the company explored sale options including a pre-pack administration.^[10]

Branches closed[]

Source:^[11]

See also[]

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on retail

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to M&Co.

• M&Co. – official site
• Mackays (archive)