A Lancashire-born value fashion and homeware retailer, founded in 1985 by John Hargreaves, now headquartered in Knowsley, Merseyside, with about 230 UK locations.
Matalan is a UK retailer selling clothing and homeware at value prices. It sells fashion for women, men and children, plus home products, through shops across the UK and online. It began in 1985 as a single store, and its aim from the start was good-value family clothing. The sources we could read describe the company's history and locations but do not list its current product ranges in detail, so this description is deliberately general.
John Hargreaves founded Matalan in 1985 and opened the first store at Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. In August 1988, operations director Duncan Sullivan turned it into a membership-only, warehouse-style business, a model that was phased out by March 1998. We did not find a published mission or values statement for the company, so we have not invented one.
Matalan's head office has always been in the north west of England. It was in Preston until 1997, then moved to Skelmersdale, Lancashire. In 2014 it moved to a purpose-built site in Knowsley, Merseyside, with planning approved in October 2012. By around 1995 it had about 50 stores. In June 2024 it had 230 locations in the UK. That makes it a nationwide employer, with shops in many towns as well as a large head office near Liverpool.
We found little published about staff numbers or workplace culture in the pages we could read. The company's long history of moving its head office within the north west, and building a new one in Knowsley, suggests a lasting commitment to the region, though this is our reading of the facts rather than a statement from the company. For a current picture of its working culture, look at the company's own website and staff reviews.
A retailer of this size employs people in several kinds of job. In shops there are sales assistants, supervisors and store managers. At head office there are buyers, who choose and order the clothes, designers and product developers, merchandisers who plan how much stock goes to each shop, marketing and e-commerce staff, and finance, human resources and technology teams. Distribution and logistics roles keep goods moving to stores and online customers. If you like fashion, numbers or organising things, there is a route in. Check the company's own website for current vacancies.
Website: www.matalan.co.uk
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