much on references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . may 2008 learn how and when to remove this template message moss bros type public limited company plc genre clothing retail founded 1851 founder moses moss headquarters london united kingdom number of locations 150 key people debbie hewitt chairman brian brick chief executive robin piggott finance director & company secretary revenue 130.2 million operating income 1.8 million net income 1.4 million website http www.mossbros.co.uk the moss bros. branch in covent garden moss bros king street hammersmith london.jpg moss bros oxford street london 2016 moss bros group plc is a public limited company set up in 1851 by moses moss in covent garden london uk . 1 one of the uk s top menswear stores specialising in dress wear for formal occasions moss bros has over 150 stores throughout the united kingdom . 2 it is listed on the london stock exchange and is a constituent of the ftse fledgling index . contents 1 divisions 2 company history 2.1 1851 1909 2.2 1910 1952 2.3 1953 2000 2.4 2000 2011 3 references 4 external links divisions edit until 2011 the company was divided into two trading divisions . the mainstream division 116 stores included moss moss bros hire moss bros savoy taylors guild and factory outlet stores . the fashion division 35 stores included cecil gee hugo boss canali and beale & inman . in autumn 2005 moss direct a mail order and internet shopping division was launched . with the closure of the beale & inman store in 2006 the disposal of the canali and hugo boss franchise businesses and the sale of the majority of the cecil gee stores in 2011 the company now operates one division which incorporates the moss moss bros hire moss tailor me moss bros suit company and savoy taylors guild brands . company history edit this article contains embedded lists that may be better presented using prose . you can help by converting the list or lists to prose if appropriate . editing help is available . october 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message 1851 1909 edit 1851 company founder moses moss opens the first two shops in london s covent garden . he sold second hand clothing with the motto sell only the best stuff give only the best service . 1881 the company moves into the original king street store in covent garden . 1894 moses dies leaving the business to two of his five sons alfred and george . 1897 the hire department is established with alfred charging for suits loaned to his friend charles pond who needed them to perform at musical evenings in large private houses . 1898 the covent garden store is rebuilt and the name moss bros goes up over the door for the first time . 1909 harry moss george s son joins the firm at the age of 13 . he is destined to follow alfred as the next guvnor . 3 1910 1952 edit 1910 the military department is opened following the successful kitting out of officers from a cupboard of military paraphernalia left over from the boer war . 1914 outbreak of world war one . staff sleep in the shop to keep up with the demand for uniforms . 1917 monty moss another of george s sons and a member of the business dies at the battle of passchendaele . 1918 the saddlery department is established in the basement at king street with the purchase of the highly respected saddlers parker s. 1921 harry moss becomes a director at 25 and sets about developing the ready to wear business . 1924 king george v s private secretary recommends moss bros to the first labour government for the correct levee dress to wear at court . 1934 harry moss becomes managing director . the depression spawns the first of the famous frivolous booklets all at sea designed to put a smile on customers faces . 1937 alfred moss dies leaving a legacy of quality and innovation . 1939 world war two and most of the hire department goes into storage . moss bros opens branches in strategic locations to serve the needs of the armed forces . 1947 moss bros becomes a public company and opens a women s department and hire service for evening wear and wedding outfits . 1952 death from polio of graham moss alfred s younger son . graham who won the military cross in sicily was said to be another alfred in the making . 4 1953 2000 edit 1953 the coronation of queen elizabeth ii brings to moss bros the highest in the land among them the duke of norfolk for the correct dress for the royal event . 1955 basil moss alfred s elder son becomes a director . 1957 monty moss harry s son also joins the board . 1960s a time of major growth . moss bros nears its 100th store . 1972 moss bros takes part in the ideal home exhibition in london in a feature entitled invitation to a wedding . 1980 manny silverman becomes chief executive . 1982 the company acquires the cloth and clothing company fairdale . the suit company opens . 1988 both the savoy taylors guild and the prestigious beale & inman in london s new bond street are acquired . rowland gee cecil gee s son is appointed group managing director . 1989 closure of large king street site in february and transfer of head office to clapham its current location . 1991 moss bros returns to king street covent garden opening a traditional moss bros store complete with barber s shop and large hire department opposite the original site . 1992 acquired dormie . 1996 moss bros buys the blazer chain from storehouse and sets up franchise agreements with hugo boss and canali enabling the company to run stand alone stores for them in the uk . 2000 the first canali boutique is opened in new bond street . 5 2000 2011 edit 2001 the group launches the code brand in response to the dress down trend of the time . forty established moss bros or savoy taylors guild outlets are converted to code stores . these prove only partially successful . 2002 adrian wright leaves bluewater europe s largest retail destination to become chief executive of the moss bros group . he strengthens the management team axes the code brand leads a period of consolidation and sets a new strategic direction . 2003 moss bros hire opens its first concession on cunard s qe2 cruise liner . 2003 moss bros group announces partnership with ascot racecourse limited to produce the royal ascot collection formal wear to buy or hire for extra special occasions . 2004 philip mountford is appointed chief executive taking over from adrian wright who stands down to pursue other interests . the company announces that it has returned to profit for the financial year ended 31 january 2004 for the first time in four years . 6 2008 keith hamill non executive chairman steps down and is replaced by david adams who is also executive chairman of camera retailer jessop s and non executive director at whittard s of chelsea and the british retail consortium . moss bros also appoints former srg boss brian brick as non executive director while founding family member rowland gee steps down from the moss bros board in a management rejig at the menswear chain . moss bros reveals that non executive director robert marsh is retiring from the board . 2009 philip mountford resigns as ceo and is replaced by brian brick as ceo . 2010 moss bros relinquishes the canali franchise and re brands its new bond street store as hugo boss . it re brands the smaller eldon street store as savoy taylors guild . 2010 the first moss bespoke concept store launches in london s blomfield street . 2011 april moss bros sells all of its hugo boss stores back to hugo boss uk for 17m . 2011 may moss opens its first new concept store in canary wharf . 2011 june moss bros sells 8 of its 9 cecil gee stores to jd fashion group plc for 1.7 m. the remaining cecil gee store in glasgow is re branded as a moss store . references edit moss bros history stores of moss bros group moss bros history introduction pdf . moss bros group plc. retrieved jan 21 2015 . company history since 1910 at moss bros group plc company history since 1952 at moss bros group plc company history since 2001 at moss bros group plc external links edit official website media related to moss bros at wikimedia commons retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title moss bros group & oldid 744395233 categories clothing retailers of the united kingdomcompanies listed on the london stock exchangecompanies established in 18511851 establishments in englandhidden categories articles lacking reliable references from may 2008all articles lacking reliable referencesarticles needing cleanup from october 2011all pages needing cleanuparticles with sections that need to be turned into prose from october 2011commons category without a link on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout 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