Five generations of Timpsons have been involved in the business that bears their name. Chief Executive John Timpson is the great grandson of the Founder, William Timpson, who at the age of 16 opened his first shop in Butler Street, Manchester in 1865. William learned his boot and shoe making craft in his native Northamptonshire, but he soon realised that it took a week to make a pair of boots, but only a few minutes to sell them. By 1869 William started trading at 97 Oldham Street, which he rented for £200 a year.
This was the foundation of the multiple shoe business. He would personally sell 100 pairs of boots on a busy Saturday. He established a tradition of striking displays. Days were spent painstakingly polishing and arranging shoes for the windows until 97 Oldham Street became a magnet for window gazers, that William would do his best to turn into customers. Expansion followed profits, cautiously at first, but with increasing speed, shops were opened in other areas of Manchester, Kettering and Liverpool, followed by the first Timpson Boot factory (a shed at the bottom of the garden at the family home in Kettering).

The Company grew rapidly in the 1930’s opening at least 10 shops each year. By the start of the Second World War, the business had 189 shops and 11 shoe repair factories with a large manufacturing plant making 17,000 pairs of shoes a week. During the war, as a result of enemy action, the mens warehouse was destroyed and the Company completely lost 9 shops and had severe disruption to 100 others. In 1946 the Company renewed its vigorous development. Mr Will (now 66), and his younger brother Noel, still had the enthusiasm and vision to create a rapidly growing business. They were the entrepreneurs that established Timpson as the name for shoes throughout the North of England and Scotland. In 1960, Mr Will retired as chairman at the age of 80 - he was succeeded by his younger brother Noel, who tragically died within weeks of his appointment.
 

When Mr Will’s son Anthony took over the Chairmanship, shoe retailing was in a state of dramatic change. Charles Clore was building up the British Shoe Corporation through the acquisition of Saxone, Lilly & Skinner, Curtess, Trueform, Manfield and Freeman Hardy Willis. Despite the new wave of competitiveness, Timpson continued to have a special reputation based on good styling, value for money and good customer care. But throughout the 1960’s, Britain’s industrial base declined and Timpson’s strong emphasis on the North of England became a weakness. Competition from Charles Clore was undoubtedly a setback to Timpson, but it did not stop the opening of new shops and the improvement of existing branches. 

The biggest impact on Timpson shoes was the introduction of cheap shoes by Marks & Spencer, B.H.S., Littlewoods etc., and the trend away from conventional footwear to trainers. This change in fashion and styling was largely responsible for the closing of the North Park Factory. The debate about future development led to disagreement in the Board Room and as a result, Timpson was taken over by a retail conglomerate called United Drapery Stores (UDS). Two years after the acquisition, Anthony’s son John was appointed by UDS to run their Timpson subsidiary. He, following in his family’s footsteps, toured the 250 shoe shops and 170 shoe repair factories using the same basic principle that had guided his Great Grandfather 100 years before. 

John Timpson put his shoe shops back on the retail map by taking up the cause of the customer and introducing a Code of Practice that ensured everyone shopping at Timpson got a fair deal. The customer care approach was a great success and helped to substantially increase sales and modernise the shops. In 1983, UDS was acquired by Hanson Trust and John Timpson led a buyout team that acquired the Timpson business. Almost as soon as he had achieved his ambition of buying back the family business, John Timpson foresaw the problems that were in store for shoe shops. Increased competition, cheap imports and escalating High Street rents were all bad news for footwear retailing. 

In 1987, John Timpson took the hardest decision of his life and sold the shoe shops to Oliver of Leicester, but retained the shoe repair business. Since 1987 the business has changed from a chain of heel bars to Britain’s Quality Service People. The number of shoe repair shops has grown from 150 to 315 and the turnover has expanded from £12.5m to £40m. Then in 2003 Timpson bought The Minit Group which included Mister Minit, Supasnaps and Sketchley. Over the past two years Timpson have looked at the business and the way the High Street is altering and have sold on Supasnaps and Sketchley and now have over 550 outlets in the UK and Ireland, we have retained some of the Dry Cleaning units. We are currently developing new service areas such as locksmiths, jewellery repair and repair and alterations on clothing.