Three years ago the Alfred Sargent brand went into liquidation, and from that the Paul Sargent brand emerged with the same factory, models, lasts and so on. Aim was to finally give a Sargent brand the attention it deserved, but sadly, things has not gone as planned. Now the factory in Rushden, Northamptonshire, is once again closed, and all workers have been laid off.
I’ve been writing several articles about the end of Alfred Sargent three years ago and the birth of Paul Sargent. for example this article when the news broke, and this long interview with Paul Sargent where you can read a lot of background and also about the plans he had for the new company. In short, Alfred Sargent under the French owner Bowen had financial troubles, and early 2021 it was liquidated. From the bankruptcy estate the brand Alfred Sargent and all shoes and materials were sold to one part, while the machines, patterns and lasts were sold to a London-based shoe company who bought this for Paul Sargent to use. Paul and his brother Andrew are the fourth generation of Sargents involved in the business, and they also owned the factory premises in the city of Rushden.
Paul Sargent Shoes Ltd. was the name of the new company, and the new brand eventually became Paul Sargent. In autumn 2021 the brand was launched, building on mainly the old Alfred Sargent Exclusive line together with some country style footwear at first. Customers who got the new shoes were very pleased with the quality, and all seemed promising. Then of course it would always be challenging to get things up and running and making a sustainable business out of it again. And in this case, some things made it extra challenging.
An old photo from the Sargent factory. Pictures: With Love Project
The London-based company that bought the machines and rest of the equipment, was George Cleverley. The Alfred Sargent factory was an important producer of Ready to Wear shoes for Cleverley, so it made sense that they wanted to keep it alive. And to be frank, without the support from Cleverley and their owners there would never have been a Paul Sargent brand. However, it also made things extra complicated going forward.
The past few years I’ve been in touch occasionally with Paul Sargent himself, but also with people working at the factory and others involved in the company. And according to info I’ve been given by the latter parties, Paul Sargent has never really gotten the chance to focus on their own brand, but have been bound by relationship with the Cleverley owners and obligations towards them. In cases, they’ve been directly hindered on projects they’ve wanted to take on with the Paul Sargent brand. And for sure, a lot of the troubles also comes from the Paul Sargent company management. The more I hear about things from those who knows best, this becomes highly evident. I’m not going to go into details, partly since I haven’t had the chance to hear all parties versions of it yet, so I’ll leave it at this.
Paul Sargent shoes. Picture (also top image): A Fine Pair of Shoes
Lately I’ve had more concerning reports of the status of the company, and apparently, this week it reached its halt. This Tuesday, the whole staff at Paul Sargent was made redundant, and the factory was closed. There’s no info on Companies House that the company, Paul Sargent Shoes Ltd, is liquidated yet though. But sadly, much point to the fact that the Sargent saga has come to an end, if no miracle appears.
NOTE: I’ve reached out to Paul Sargent and the company in several ways, but have not received a response yet.
A sad situation 🙁 I’ve been a fan of Alfred Sargent shoes but had yep to dip my toe into Paul Sargent….
I hope the factory workers get jobs elsewhere.
Best
Tony
Very sad situation indeed. I was lucky enough to chat with the lovely team at Paul Sargent and was hoping for a better outcome.
Sincerely hope that the staff will find working other factories.
Sad news, I really liked their shoes and their lasts especially their chisel toe last (724). I would have thought having the order book with GC would have kept them alive, such a shame.
Tony, Andre and Rey: Thanks for your comments. Yeah it’s a shame it came to this. But few factories have managed to survive as much turmoil as the Sargent has and still be around, so maybe some solution will come up. Fingers crossed for it!
That’s very sad. I have 7 of their shoes and love them. The 87 and the almond handgrade lasts were my favorites. My Miller boots and Carrol loafers (w/o tassels) are my favorites, along with some made-for-BB desert boots.
I am certainly gutted, to say the least, as they are my favourite brand by far. Not because it comes as a surprise, but rather that the writing had been on the wall and yet it was unavoidable. I was hoping for a commission of kudu/cordovan boots on the 104 but alas it was not meant to be. More than that, I am truly sorry for the team, who I’ve had pleasure to meet and chat to on several occasions when I was picking up my MTOs.
Another era has come to an end but this time the prospects seem bleak to me, I must admit. It will take loads of courage and insight from the owners of the brand to turn it around one more time. Needless to say, though, I keep my fingers crossed for them. And best of luck to the team, wherever they end up – they deserve only the best.