Gloving: Pittards under administration, seeks buyer

Main tannery, leather goods factory in Ethiopia
Yeovil, Somerset, UK – Vertically integrated leather and leather goods manufacturer Pittards, which has operations in the UK and Ethiopia, has “filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators” according to a report on the BBC on 14 August.

It said Pittards was seeking a buyer having previously unsuccessfully trying to raise £1.16m in capital through corporate investors and millions more in overdraft funds over the next 2 years. It raised just over £300,000, which will now be returned.

According to its website, Pittards was founded in Yeovil in 1826, and the UK factory remains “the R&D hub of the business, complete with on-site test facilities”. It also still manufactures some leather goods there, and offers third party work there.

It has had a tannery in Edjersa, Ethiopia, since 2005, making leather for gloves, footwear uppers and footwear linings. Pittards Ethiopia also makes and exports a range of gloves from rugged work styles to fashion dress gloves for third party brands.

CEO Reg Hanky, who took over in 2007, didn’t respond to a request for information on the effect of the move on the Ethiopian operations. According to the BBC report, Pittards is currently operating.

Pittards makes gloves for the British Royal Family. It is also well known for high performance sports gloves and it took over the accessory brand Daines & Hathaway, making luxury leather goods. It also makes automotive and aviation leathers.