From humble beginnings in the clothing industry in 1918, Murray Uniforms is now a leading uniforms partner to some of the UK’s leading brands.
Like many great success stories, it started back when Arthur Chattel (Managing Director Mark Bass’s great-grandfather) was demobbed from the army in 1918, after many years of service and found himself working for his uncle in a gentleman’s outfitters in Northampton.
He soon saw the opportunity to branch out on his own, offering a bespoke service to local estates and country manors in the local area. He would visit them regularly taking fabric swatches of the latest trends and would measure and fit the outfits.
Murray Uniforms est.1975
Arthur’s son Mike, joined the business in 1965 on a part-time basis and quickly learned the business. It was Mike, in 1975, that saw the opportunity for Murray Uniforms. Taking the name from the street in Rugby where the business was first realised, Mike focused mainly on the supply of uniforms into the security sector and quickly after that into local NHS trusts.
As the business grew, so did the need for additional support, which is when, in 1979, Andy Bass, current Sales Director, joined his father from school and trained in fabric, textiles and the making and tailoring of garments.
The need was such that in 1989 Murray Uniforms began manufacturing their own label uniforms out of their new Warwick Street site in Coventry, and continued to do so until market price pressures forced manufacturing abroad, alongside the market. However, Murray retained control of the manufacturing using its own specifications, fabrics and designs and undertaking independent lab tests on finished products to ensure the consistent level of quality that our clients had come to expect.
Move to Coventry
Due to continuing growth, in 2005 Murray relocated to a large ft warehouse and office premises in Bodmin Road, Coventry, where the business still resides today.
In 2009, Andy’s son Mark Bass joined the business as Managing Director and took over the strategic direction of the business. As part of this next phase of expansion, Murray became a part of the Elmdene group accessing resources to facilitate the planned growth.
“In this, our 100th year, we focus on what is at the core of our business – the wearers. We work extensively to understand the impact of wearing a uniform on an individual and how it makes them feel. We know that happy staff are 12.5%* more productive, so we work closely with our clients to engage their people for feedback and undergo wearer trials to ensure the best possible fit of the garments.”
Mark Bass, Director
To celebrate a century in the clothing industry, we’ve also created a new look for our brand. Our brand refresh marks our commitment to helping clients improve employee well-being, as well as our growth and longevity within the industry. We look forward to seeing what the next 100 years will bring!
Our mission at Murray is to make wearers look smarter and feel smarter. To find out more about how we can work smarter together, visit www.murrayuniforms.com/how-we-do-it/
*Source: Warwick University
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