IN THE SPOTLIGHT: FOOTWEAR & LEATHER ANNIVERSARY FOR ICONIC BRAND


An iconic Northampton-based shoemaker has celebrated a landmark anniversary this year. 140 years have passed since Charles Jones and Sir James Crockett


joined forces to create what is now regarded as one of the finest shoemakers in the world - Crockett & Jones. The story of Jones, a shoemaker, and Crockett, a businessman,


unfolded and resulted in an incredibly successful shoe manufacturing firm that has remained in the hands of a Jones ever since. Brand director James Fox said: “Turn through 140 pages of production


records and you will still find Crockett & Jones working to the hum of skilled craftsmen and women in the same factory the company built in 1890. Towering above the surrounding terraces of Perry Street, Magee


Street and Turner Street, where Crockett & Jones stands proudly as an icon of British shoe manufacturing.” During the firm’s history it has been visited several times by Royalty,


made boots for the British Army during the First and Second World Wars and supplied a selection of styles for James Bond movies. More recently the business was awarded a Royal Warrant by HRH The Prince of Wales and has opened shops in London, Brussels and Paris. To mark its historic anniversary this year it released its 140th Collection


for which it specially developed a new wooden form which features a hollowed out neck, narrow waist, and an English round toe profile.


Visit: www.crockettandjones.com LEATHER CENTRE OPEN


The University of Northampton’s global reputation as a leader in leather education and research has been given a significant boost with the opening of a multi-million pound centre of excellence. Last September saw the


WIN PUTS A SPRING IN BARKER’S STEP


Barker Shoes Ltd’s newly launched website has gained acknowledgement in the Northamptonshire Business Awards for the second year in a row. Barker Shoes walked away with


the Northamptonshire Business Awards E-Commerce Business of the Year title and went on to win the same award at the regional finals of the Chamber Business Awards. The firm is now looking forward


to representing the East Midlands in the national finals of the Chamber Business Awards which will take place in London at the end of November. Managing director Alan Pringle


said: “This award is extremely important to Barker Shoes – because as a business we recognise that our customers are king and we strive to give them the very best in customer service.


“To be recognised as the ‘best of


the best’ in the E-Commerce Business of the Year category is something we hold close to our hearts as it means so much. This award is in part thanks to our ongoing partnership with our talented digital team, Visual Identify Creative Ltd. “Looking ahead the challenge for


Barker Shoes over the coming three years will be about adaptation and change. “We will continue to evolve and


make informed decisions and be able to react to them.” To find out more about the


winners of the 2019 Northamptonshire Business Awards see our commemorative supplement in this edition of inbusiness.


Visit: www.barkershoes.com 28 inbusiness DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020


official opening of the new home of the university’s Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) at Waterside Campus. The new £5.5m facility will


allow the ICLT to bolster its worldwide reputation for delivering technical excellence in education, training and research. ICLT director Rachel Garwood


said: “The ICLT’s new home is a fantastic asset for students and staff and the industry as a whole. These new facilities enhance our


teaching, training and research, all of which are crucial in supporting the global leather industry.” University vice chancellor,


Professor Nick Petford, said: “Northampton has been the home of UK leather manufacturing since the Middle Ages and leather technology has been taught at the university, and its predecessor, Nene College, since 1978. We’re delighted to build on this legacy as the ICLT continues its important global role in improving sustainability and environmental practice across the leather supply chain through research and innovation, as well as training the next generation of leather workers to the highest possible standards.”


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