Cotton On Group#Cotton On
{{Short description|Australian multinational retail company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2022}}
{{primary sources|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Cotton On Group
| type = Private
| logo = Cottonon group logo.png
| logo_size = 120
| industry = Textile
Homeware
Stationery
| location = Geelong, Australia
| foundation = {{start date and age|1991}}
| locations = 1,298 (2025)
| image = Cotton On, Westfield Carousel.jpg
| image_caption = Cotton On store in Westfield Carousel
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = Nigel Austin (Managing Director and Founder)
Peter Johnson (CEO - Cotton On (Cotton On Adults, Cotton On Kids, Cotton On Body, Rubi)
Natalie McLean (CEO - Emerging Brands (Factorie, Supré, Typo, Ceres)
Stuart Higgins (CEO - Community Projects)
Michael Hardwick (CFO)
| products = Clothing, decorative arts, sportswear
| revenue = A$4.2 billion (2023){{cite news|title=Cotton On: The inside story of the retailer's rise to $1.5b in revenue |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/retail/cotton-on-the-inside-story-of-the-retailers-rise-to-1-5b-in-revenue-20150326-1m8e67 |date=April 2, 2015|access-date=October 26, 2023}}
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| num_employees = 22,000 (2023)
| brands = {{collapsible list|
- Cotton On
- Cotton On Kids
- Cotton On Body
- Factorie
- Typo
- Rubi
- Supré
- Ceres
- Cotton On Foundation
}}
| divisions =
| subsid =
| homepage = {{URL|https://cottonongroup.com.au/|cottonongroup.com.au}}
}}
Cotton On Group is an Australian retail company known for its fashion, clothing and stationery brands. As of 2020, it has over 1,500 stores in 18 countries employing 22,000 people across eight brands: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton On Body, Factorie, Typo, Rubi, Supré, Ceres and Cotton On Foundation.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-workplaces/|title=OUR WORKPLACES - Cotton on Group}}
The design team in the company's Australian office, control the steps of production from merchandise planning to establishing specifications, and production is outsourced to approximately 850 suppliers and factories globally. Cotton On Group sources its materials and products from a number of locations worldwide with the majority of its suppliers being located in China, Bangladesh, India and Australia. It also works with suppliers in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, the United States and other parts of Asia. These facilities are used for horizontal division of labour, rather than being integrated.[http://cottonongroup.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/0003504-COG-SUPPLIER-DISCLOSURE-LIST-FEB-2019.pdf Cotton On Group SUPPLIER LIST FEB 2019]
Cotton On is a main sponsor of the Geelong Football Club in the Australian rules football as well as the AFL Women's league for female players.
History
=1990s=
Cotton On was founded by Nigel Austin in 1991, with the first store being opened in Geelong, Australia.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-story/|title=OUR HISTORY - Cotton on Group}}
=2000s=
Cotton On Kids launched in 2004. It was followed by Cotton On Body, Factorie and Typo in 2007, and Rubi in 2008. In 2013, Cotton On acquired Australian female youth brand Supré.{{cite web|last=Oliver|first=Melinda|title=Cotton On snaps up fast-fashion brand Supré amid influx of overseas retailers|date=2 October 2013|url=http://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/economy/33981-cotton-on-snaps-up-fast-fashion-brand-supr--amid-influx-of-overseas-retailers.html|publisher=Smart Company|accessdate=14 November 2013}}
Cotton On expanded internationally in 2006, with the opening of its first New Zealand store at Queensgate Shopping Centre, Lower Hutt. It now operates in 19 countries.{{Cite web|title=Cotton On Group fashions a new approach to customer loyalty|url=https://www.salesforce.com/au/customer-success-stories/cotton-on/|access-date=2020-09-15|website=Salesforce.com|language=en}}
=2010s=
In December 2012 Cotton On was fined $1 million for selling highly flammable children's sleepwear misleadingly labeled as low fire danger.{{Cite web|date=2012-12-18|title=Cotton On fined for selling flammable kids pyjamas|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-18/cotton-on-fined-for-unsafe-childrens-clothing/4434462|access-date=2020-09-15|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}} The discount clothing retailer, which has more than 900 outlets across the country, was fined $400,000 for selling more than 1000 nightdresses that breached Australian fire safety standards, and a further $400,000 for selling more than 1000 unsafe pairs of girls' pajamas, between September and December 2010.{{Cite web|title=Clothing Retailer Cotton On Slapped with $1M Fine for Fire Hazard Children's Nightwear|url=https://www.ibtimes.com.au/clothing-retailer-cotton-slapped-1m-fine-fire-hazard-childrens-nightwear-1303522|access-date=2020-09-15|website=International Business Times AU|date=18 December 2012 |language=en}} It was fined a further $200,000 for false and misleading labels on both sets of clothing items which claimed they were low fire danger.{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-18/cotton-on-fined-for-unsafe-childrens-clothing/4434462 |title=Cotton On fined for selling flammable kids pajamas |author= |date=19 December 2012 |website=ABC News |publisher=ABC |accessdate=27 April 2014}}
In October 2016, Cotton On Group signed a 3-year contract with the AFL Women's League to be the exclusive uniform supplier for all its teams.[https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/cotton_on_in_major_afl_womens_deal#:~:text=Australian%20sportswear%20retailer%20Cotton%20On,rules%20football's%20new%20women's%20league.&text=Currently%2C%20the%20league%20has%20few,ranges%20specifically%20designed%20for%20women. Cotton On in major AFL women’s deal] by Tom Lloyd on Sports Media, 10 Nov 2016[https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/aflw-puts-some-muscle-into-cotton-ons-fight-with-international-brands-20170307-gusosk.html AFLW puts some muscle into Cotton On's fight with international brands] by Katie Low, 7 Mar 2017[https://books.google.com/books?id=hbyZDwAAQBAJ&dq=cotton+on+aflw+deal&pg=PT186 Routledge Handbook of the Business of Women's Sport] edited by Nancy Lough and Andrea N. Geurin on Google Books
In February 2019, Cotton On began selling sex toys on its Australian and New Zealand websites with a content warning.{{cite news |last1=Mcilraith |first1=Brianna |title=Cotton On releases 'self-love' range on its website |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/127174043/cotton-on-releases-selflove-range-on-its-website |work=Stuff |publisher=Stuff |date=9 December 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Paine |first1=Hannah |title=Cotton On's sex toy move sparks bizarre backlash |url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/cotton-ons-sex-toy-move-sparks-bizarre-backlash/news-story/01a29dc20422e5b82c7dd01791cf8e11 |work=News.com.au |publisher=News Corp Australia |date=2 December 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Verity |title=The wellness industry has come for sex, and I'm not here for it |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/128119329/the-wellness-industry-has-come-for-sex-and-im-not-here-for-it |work=Stuff |publisher=Stuff |date=22 March 2022}}
In July 2019, Four Corners reported Cotton On and several other Australian brands sourced cotton from Xinjiang, and that evidence linked the cotton to forced labour camps.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-16 |title=Cotton On and Target stop buying cotton from Xinjiang over human rights concerns |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-17/target-cotton-on-drop-suppliers-after-four-corners-investigation/11607518 |access-date=2020-09-15 |website=www.abc.net.au |language=en-AU}} Cotton On ran an internal investigation, and in October 2019, announced it had stopped buying cotton from Xinjiang over concerns of abuse of human rights.{{Cite web |date=15 July 2019 |title=Cotton on, Target investigate after women speak out about forced labour |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-15/uyghur-forced-labour-xinjiang-china/11298750 |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}{{Cite web |date=16 October 2019 |title=Cotton on and Target stop buying cotton from Xinjiang over human rights concerns |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-17/target-cotton-on-drop-suppliers-after-four-corners-investigation/11607518 |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}
Brands
= Cotton On =
File:HK TST 尖沙咀 Tsim Sha Tsui 加連威老道 Granville Road shop COTTON ON clothing September 2021 SS2 06.jpg
Cotton On is the main brand of the Cotton On Group. It dates its origins back to Nigel Austin's first denim jacket sale in 1988. The first Cotton On branded store opened three years later.
= Cotton On Kids =
Cotton On Kids was launched in 2004, selling children's clothing, baby clothing, activewear, dress-ups, fashion accessories, swimwear, gifts, shoes and stationery. In March 2013 it launched a Free by Cotton On range for 9 to 14-year-olds.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-brands/cotton-on-kids/|title=COTTON ON KIDS - Cotton on Group}} Free by Cotton On has since been discontinued and was replaced by Cotton On Kids Youth in 2020 which, instead of being an entirely separate range to Cotton On Kids, now offers the same Cotton On Kids items to customers in larger sizes (up to a size 16 in Girls and 20 in Boys).
= Cotton On Body =
Cotton On Body was launched in 2007, selling underwear and sleepwear. It later expanded into swimwear and activewear.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-brands/cotton-on-body/|title=COTTON ON BODY - Cotton on Group}}
= Factorie =
File:Interiors of Wintergarden, Brisbane, 2019, 05.jpg]]
Factorie is a youth fashion brand which was added to the Cotton On Group in 2007. It has since expanded internationally, and now has more than 160 stores across Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-brands/factorie/|title=Factorie - Cotton on Group}}
= Rubi =
Rubi is a footwear and accessories brand launched in 2008.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-brands/rubi/|title=Rubi - Cotton on Group}}
= Typo =
File:Typo, Karrinyup Shopping Centre.jpg]]
Typo is a stationery brand with stores in Australia, Asia, New Zealand, the United States, the UK and South Africa. In the UK, ASOS and WHSmith also stock select Typo products.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-brands/typo/|title=Typo - Cotton on Group}}
= Supré =
Supré was established in 1984, selling clothing for young women. It became part of the Cotton On Group in 2013, and had more than 1,000 workers across more than 100 retail stores in Australia and New Zealand at its peak.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-brands/supre/|title=SUPRE - Cotton on Group}} All Supré stores in NZ had been closed by 2020.{{cite news |last1=Foxcroft |first1=Debrin |title=Here are six brands that couldn't make it in NZ's retail market |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/122292739/here-are-six-brands-that-couldnt-make-it-in-nzs-retail-market |agency=stuff.co.nz |date=31 January 2020}}
= Lost =
Cotton On Lost was launched in late 2018, but has since been phased out. The range included travel luggage and accessories.{{Cite web|url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/news/made-in-transit-the-group-launches-into-travel-category/|title=Made in transit: the Group launches into travel category - Cotton on Group|date=29 January 2019}}
= Ceres Life =
Ceres Life was launched in April 2020. What started out as an R&D project, it has now cemented itself as Cotton On Group's eighth brand which is aimed at 30yo+ women with a major focus on environment and sustainability, where all items in the range are sourced from responsible fabrics including recycled materials, rescued fabrics and organically grown textiles as well as eco-certified or natural fibres.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
Stores
As of January 2025 Cotton On has 1,298 stores globally.{{Cite web |title=Global Store Footprint - January 2025 |url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GLOBAL-STORE-FOOTPRINT-25_JAN.pdf}}
= Oceania =
= Africa and the Middle East =
= Americas =
Cotton On has 210 stores in North America,{{Cite web |title=Global Store Footprint |url=https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-store-footprint/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303194926/https://cottonongroup.com.au/our-store-footprint/ |archive-date=3 March 2021 |access-date=11 April 2025 |website=Cotton On Group}} and 28 stores in South America.
{{colbegin}}
- Brazil (27)
- Canada (1)
- United States (209)
- Venezuela (1)
{{colend}}
= Asia =
= Europe =
= Closed =
Cotton On previously operated stores in Germany,{{Cite web |date=2018-11-07 |title=Cotton On's international losses increase as it expands |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/retail/cotton-ons-international-losses-increase-as-it-expands-20181107-h17mr7 |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}} Jordan, Lebanon,{{Cite web |last=Retail |first=Inside |date=2017-07-06 |title=Cotton On opens Middle East concept store |url=https://insideretail.com.au/news/cotton-on-opens-middle-east-concept-store-201707 |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Inside Retail Australia |language=en-US}} Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand.
Loyalty program
Cotton On's loyalty program, Cotton On Perks, has over 2.4 million members, making it one of the largest retail loyalty programs in Australia.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website}}
- {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Sports equipment brands}}
{{Retailers in New Zealand}}
Category:Australian companies established in 1991
Category:Retail companies established in 1991
Category:Clothing brands of Australia
Category:Clothing retailers of Australia
Category:Companies based in Victoria (state)
Category:Holding companies of Australia