BUSINESS is booming for fashionwear firm Tulchan, which has turned around the fortunes of the once-flagging Sock Shop chain.

Tulchan Holdings, whose head office is based at Cowan Bridge, near Kirkby Lonsdale, has steered the nationwide chain away from deep water over the past 18 months, and is now planning overseas expansion.

Managing director Peter Ridsdale takes up the story: "When we bought the Sock Shop, it was tired and in need of modernising. The product was not of an acceptable quality. It took from June, 1996, to Easter last year to develop a new shop fitting and put new packaging in place for the hosiery."The acquisition has been a significant boost for Tulchan Holdings, which also owns the Jumper shops and the Tulchan wholesale arm.

"From a business that had a turnover of £19 million for Jumper and Tulchan, we are now expecting to do £50 million, with the Sock Shop accounting for £20 million," said Mr Ridsdale.

"We are growing fast. We are looking to double the number of Sock Shops in the UK over the next two or three years. We want to get 150 shops. We have started to expand the overseas franchise - opening in Turkey, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece, and the Middle East."So what is the secret of Sock Shop's new-found success? Mr Ridsdale explains: "We have created an environment that is attractive at Sock Shops, and which has introduced people back to the products. Before, it looked awful and people were not coming in. We also have a new exciting children's range of socks - it's the fastest-growing part of our business. We have a breadth of choice in hosiery that you can't get anywhere else."The Tulchan retail empire is run from Cowan Bridge, where the workforce has risen from 55 to 135 during the past three years, while the company employs some 1,200 people nationwide. Design, buying, merchandising, retail sales, wholesale and finance departments are all based at the head office, while the Jumper factory shop on the site - its most profitable outlet in the country - has recently been expanded.

The company is easily the biggest employer in the area, and Mr Ridsdale says it takes very seriously what it sees as its role in the community. A number of local causes receive support - one example was the purchase of a football strip for the local school.

Mr Ridsdale's own sporting interests extend beyond Cowan Bridge. Having sat on the board of directors at Leeds United for 11 years, he became chairman of the Elland Road club this season - an appointment he describes as a "boyhood dream come true."With the Tulchan Group expecting to post a record turnover and best-ever profits this year, and his football team riding high in the Premier League, Mr Ridsdale has every reason to look forward to 1998.

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