Coats PLC

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Coats plc
Type Private
Founded 1755
Headquarters Uxbridge, Middlesex (UK)
Key people Michael Smithyman, CEO & Director
Industry Consumer and intermediate goods
Products Textile arts related
Revenue ▲$1.6 billion (est.)
Employees 25,000
Website www.coatsplc.co.uk

Coats plc is the world's largest sewing thread and needlecraft supplies manufacturer, processor, and distributor, with 25,000 employees and plants in more than 65 countries while the company's products are sold in 150 countries.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1755 James and Patrick Clark began a loom equipment and silk thread business in Paisley, Scotland.[1] In 1806 Patrick Clark invented a way of twisting cotton threads together to substitute for silk threads which were unavailable due to France's blockade of Great Britain and opened the first plant for manufacturing the cotton thread in 1812.[2]

In 1826 James Coats, a weaver from Renfrewshire opened a cotton mill at Ferguslie to produce his own thread[3] and, when he retired, his sons, James & Peter, took up the business under the name of J. & P. Coats.[2] In 1864 the Clark family began manufacturing in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. as the Clark Thread Co.[1] In 1890 Coats listed on the London Stock Exchange.[1]

In 1952 J. & P. Coats and the Clark Thread Co. merged.[2] In 1961 a merger with Patons and Baldwins created Coats Patons.[1] In 1986 a merger with Vantona Viyella created Coates Viyella.[1] In 2003 the Guinness Peat Group plc took Coats Ltd private and it is now registered as "Coats plc".[1]

[edit] Companies

Coats plc does business under different names in different countries but most variations include "Coats". For example, in the U.S., it does business as "Coats & Clark, Inc." (consumer) and "Coats American, Inc." (industrial). In the UK and Ireland, it does business as "Coats (UK) Ltd", in Canada as "Coats Canada Inc" (and has an industrial subsidiary "Coats Bell"), and as "Coats Australian Pty Ltd" in Australia. Coats in Egypt does business as "Coats Egypt".

[edit] Products

Coats makes and sells thread, yarn, filters, specialty textiles and related goods.

[edit] Brands

  • Dual Duty Plus
  • Red Heart
  • TLC
  • Anchor
  • J & P Coats
  • South Maid
  • Susan Bates
  • Aunt Lydia
  • Fiskars
  • Velcro
  • Milward
  • Prym
  • Sylko

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Coats history
  2. ^ a b c Coats & Clark history
  3. ^ Archives hub

[edit] External links

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