George (fashion label)
{{Short description|Clothing brand}}{{Infobox company
| name = George
| logo = George at Asda logo.svg
| industry = Fashion
| founded = 1989
| founder = George Davies (retailer), Asda
| num_locations = 300+
| owner = Asda
}}George is a British mass market fashion label founded by George Davies for Asda. It is the second best-selling label in the United Kingdom.{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Huw |date=2021-04-01 |title=Asda rules out George sale, plans new partnerships |url=https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/asda-rules-out-george-sale-plans-new-partnerships/2021040154756?amp=1 |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=FashionUnited |language=en}}File:Man in Hat - Srimangal - Sylhet Division - Bangladesh (12907514444).jpg man from Sylhet Division sporting a George bucket hat]]
History
The George brand was founded in 1989 as a partnership between English fashion designer George Davies and Asda. The latter had recruited the high-street designer for its grocery store brand to help shoppers avoid high street.
Asda and George were sold to Walmart in 1999, which led to the expansion of the George brand into Walmart stores.{{Cite web |last=King |first=Ian |title=Why Walmart is willing to check out of Asda in £13bn Sainsbury's merger |url=https://news.sky.com/story/why-walmarts-willing-to-check-out-of-asda-11353638 |website=Sky News}}
In February 2022, Asda and George were bought by TDR Capital for £6.8 billion pounds. Plans to spin George off into an independent brand have been leaked, but those plans have been denied by the acquiring firm.
Reception
The brand is a huge success in the UK, but ultimately is considered a failure in Canada and the United States, as the British success could not be replicated across the Atlantic.{{Cite web |title=By George! Buying George at Wal-Mart is a tough sell |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-07-14-0407140010-story.html |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=Chicago Tribune|date=14 July 2004 }}
The brand targeted women aged 30-50 years when it was rolled out at Walmart. This demographic wasn’t as receptive to the brand in North America as it was in the UK.
Walmart attempted to fix the issue by targeting a wider demographic by consolidating other labels under one brand. In Canada, this included popular brands such as 725 Originals, B.U.M., and Pennmans.{{Cite web |title=Wal-Mart pumps up its private clothing brand {{!}} The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/amp/business/2010/08/30/walmart_pumps_up_its_private_clothing_brand.html |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=www.thestar.com|date=30 August 2010 }}
By 2018, weak sales forced the brand to shrink to just a menswear line. This only impacted their Canada and US lines, which had been preparing to sell the brand in advance. It was split up into four separate brands under Walmart.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Charisse |title=Walmart launches four new clothing brands to compete with Amazon, Target |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/02/27/walmart-doubles-down-fashion/374511002/ |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}