PS boss snαps up Turkish fαctory to ensure quαlity

Barrie Lewis, owner of mainstream womenswear brands Poppy and PS, has bought a Turkish factory to secure deliveries and quality for PS customers.

Lewis said he decided to run a vertical operation for the PS brand following successive seasons of being let down by suppliers in the Far East, who delivered poor-quality goods two months late.

Paul Separates, now known as PS, was bought out of administration by Lewis in 2001 and relocated to his company HQ near Cardiff in south Wales. It specialises in woven womens-wear separates and outerwear and has about 400 UK accounts. Prices range from £16 for trousers to £24 for jackets.

Lewis said: "We source Poppy out of the Far East without problems, but we have failed to find a separates supplier in China that will meet our brief with PS. Each order is relatively low volume so it always seemed to come at the bottom of their priority list, which has led to deliveries being late and to us letting down our customers, despite our best efforts."

The new factory, in Mersin in southern Turkey, will employ 45 people. It is in a tax-free zone in an area with experienced garment workers.
All the components for the product will be collated by Lewis in London and then shipped to Turkey to be made up. 

Lewis declined to reveal how much he had paid for the factory. He said: "It is a significant investment, but I am confident that the brand can be successful if we can secure the quality and service of our production. Once we have got PS running smoothly I will be looking to find work for the factory to fill any empty slots."