George Davies

George Davies

In the 1980s he changed the shape of our high streets with his chain Next. In the 1990s he made supermarket clothes fashionable with his George range for Asda and in 2001 he launched his Per Una collection in Marks and Spencer - it's credited with helping the store find renewed financial success.

He was brought up in Liverpool and showed early promise as a footballer - he was talent spotted by the legendary Bill Shankly, but wasn't good enough to play at the highest level. Then he nearly became a dentist but, after dropping out of university, found a job with Littlewoods as stock controller in charge of children's ankle socks. From the day he started he says he never looked back - he knew his future lay in retail.

His trick is knowing his market – and he does that by carefully studying the details of how his clothes sell. Each week he analyses sales figures for every garment, in every store up and down the country – the result, he says, is that he not only knows what women like, he knows what they think.

SOURCE

Sep 28 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

FASHION guru George Davies gazed from the window of Liverpool’s most expensive penthouse apartments yesterday and was full of admiration for the changing face of his home city.

Davies, 66, renowned as the name behind Asda’s George clothing range, was back to drum up publicity for his new GD25 clothing collection for Per Una at Marks and Spencer.

He took a break from his world-wide promotional tour to visit Liverpool’s Unity building, where he hinted he was attracted by the idea of buying a three-level £1.5m penthouse. But Davies knows he needs to be quick if he wants a stake in what has become one of Liverpool’s most successful develop-ments.

Today a string of potential buyers will be viewing the three remaining penthouses, famed as the box-like block on the city skyline.

“The city looks stunning,” said Davies.

His clothing within M & S stores now earns the once troubled company £650m a year in sales. He also has a lucrative deal with Liverpool FC to run club stores at Anfield, Chester and the city centre.

“Its tremendous that Liverpool has become European Capital of Culture. The transformation and the building is staggering,” he said.

“It has been great to be back in Liverpool. This is one of the most fashion-conscious cities anywhere which is why I know that the big fashion departments such as M & S will do well here.”