Damart

Damartex
Public
Industry Mail Order, Retail
Founded 1953
Key people
 Paul Georges Despature, Board Chairman
Website http://www.damart.com

Damart is a French company which specialises in clothing. Established in 1953 the brand became a household name in France and the UK. Although the brand specialises in a material called Thermolactyl, known for its insulation qualities, the label has expanded to include fashion items for the senior's market.

Damart brand

Damart is the most well known brand of a company, now called Damartex, which originated in France in 1953.[1] It was founded by the Despature brothers and primarily manufactured thermal clothing using Thermolactyl fibre. Today the Damartex group employs around 4,000 people worldwide, with around 650 of these in the UK.[2] In 1976, Damart went public being listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. In 2003 Damart celebrated its 50th anniversary, with 130 stores across Europe and an active customer base of 10 million.

Damart buildings, Bingley, UK

In the UK

In the UK, Damart has three offices. Two of these are located in West Yorkshire, one in Bingley (HQ), and one in Steeton (warehouse). There is also one located in Earby (mailings distribution centre). Earby shut in 2009 and all mailings are done from Steeton.

Damart has closed its physical UK retail stores, with the exception of its store in Bingley,[3] and now operates as a mail order, telephone order and online retailer.

Coronation Street

Many of Coronation Street's stars wear items from Damart's range when filming in order to keep out the cold conditions presented by the streets of Weatherfield.[4] Damart has also provided items for the wardrobe of some of the soap's characters over the years including Maggie Jones (Blanche Hunt) and Anne Kirkbride (Deirdre Barlow).

Breast cancer awareness

In 2002, Damart entered into partnership with the Breast Cancer Campaign and has since raised £82,000 for breast cancer awareness through sales of its limited edition pink vest.[5] The Pink Vest campaign has seen a publicity contribution from a number of stars over the years, the most recent being Alison King, Coronation Street's Carla Connor.[6]

Controversy

In 2005 Damart caused a stir by sending a promotional offer to many of its elderly customers, disguised as a red final reminder letter. The letter was entitled 'Final reminder from Damart's financial director' and had 'Account Settlement' pasted across the page.[7]

Worldwide

Damartex headquarters is in France. The company also has a presence in the USA, Japan, Australia, Belgium and Switzerland.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "About Damart". Damart UK. 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "More than thermals!". About Us. Damart. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  3. ↑ "Stroll around Bingley, the 'throstle's nest of England.'". BBC Local: Bradford. BBC. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  4. ↑ Evans, Fiona (2006-12-18). "Street stars in-vest in Bingley thermals!". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  5. ↑ Bottomley, John. "Breast Cancer Campaign". Cause. Breast Cancer Campaign. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  6. ↑ Tither, Helen (2007-11-06). "Fighting talk with Corrie's Alison King". Health and beauty features. Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  7. ↑ Bignall, Miles (2005-04-30). "Damart letter upsets elderly customers". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
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