How Arcadia Group’s story started in Chesterfield

Arcadia, the owner of major high street names including Burton, Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, went bust on Monday – leaving around 13,000 jobs at risk.

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The firm traces its heritage back to the early 1900s, when Sir Montague Maurice Burton – who was born Meshe David Osinsky – left Lithuania for Britain with the ambition of starting a company.

The teenager borrowed £100 to set up his first menswear business, The Cross-Tailoring Company, in Chesterfield town centre. It was the beginning of the Burton brand.

Within a few years, Sir Montague had established a chain of Burton stores selling ready-to-wear and bespoke suits.

By the end of the Second World War, Burton was clothing around a fifth of British men.

The move to womenswear came in the 1940s with the acquisition of the Peter Robinson chain.

Sir Montague died aged 67 in 1952 – but his firm continued to thrive and grow.

The mid-1960s saw the launch of Topshop – a ‘young fashion department’ within Peter Robinson.

Topman opened in 1970 and names like Dorothy Perkins and Evans were also acquired.

The Burton Group demerged in 1997, giving rise to Arcadia, which then bought Wallis, Miss Selfridge and Outfit.

In 2002, Arcadia became part of Taveta Investments, owned by Sir Philip Green and his family.

Harry Wallop, Sir Montague’s great-grandson, said treating staff well was a priority for his remarkable relative – who received a knighthood for services to industrial relations in 1931.

“His factory workers were offered a gymnasium, a ladies’ cricket club, free dental check-ups and a bank deposit scheme offering a generous five per cent interest on savings,” said Harry.

“I’ve always been proud of what this immigrant Jew achieved.”

Administrators say all of Arcadia’s shops remain open while they ‘assess all options available’.

Harry added: “Burton’s had lost its way long before Sir Philip Green took over.

“But I hope a new owner might rescue the brand – once as synonymous with decent workers’ welfare as good suits.”

The former Burton store in Chesterfield town centre shut in 2016 and Greggs later opened in the premises.

Burton subsequently opened a store in the town’s Tesco on Lockoford Lane.

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