What is the size of the biggest SR houses today?

[mathew]

Rubinacci is actually opening (a London House?) in London?

[Guest]

Exactly.

[Houndstooth]

This does not really answer the original question but a quick check via UK Companies House does disclose levels of sales turnover for a few SR houses (though the majority seem to elect not to make disclosure).
I assume that figures exclude the value of UK purchase tax, though I don't know how sales through non-UK affiliates are accounted for (eg. Poole in Japan):
Poole £2200k in 2003
Davies £1135k in 2003
Welsh & Jefferies £607k in 2001
Redwood & Feller £353k in 2002

Houndstooth

[TVD]

The problem is that most Savile Row houses qualify as small companies limiting the usefulness of accounts, especially the disclosure on the profit and loss account is devoid of meaningful detail.

Another often ignored point are directors' emoluments. With owner managed businesses these can significantly affect profitability, although from the owners' point of view this is no more than a tax planning issue and should not really concern customers.

[Houndstooth]

I agree, TVD, although to be fair I do believe that stated turnover figures are usually a true/fair representation of sales volume.
Therefore the particular unknown for me is how many suits/overcoats/jackets/accessories/etc lie behind Poole's sales of £2.2m or Davies £1.1m......

Houndstooth

[TVD]

Where turnover is disclosed, this should reliably be sales value excluding VAT. Say an average two thousand pounds per suit ex VAT will give you 500 suits per one million pounds turnover. So Poole would be somewhere around one thousand plus suits in 2003 based on the turnover figures quoted above. Obviously if their customers prefer luxury cloth or a second pair of trousers, this will affect these calculations.

Alternatively, I may ask them next time I am over for a fitting.

[gsw]

I believe that Anderson and Shepard is the one of the biggest establishments on SR but i am not sure if it is the biggest.

[andreyb]

Some new data on three prominent houses from "Parisian Gentleman" blog (http://parisiangentleman.fr/2012/01/07/ ... renouveau/).

Apparently, Norton & Sons produces just 350 suits per year; H Huntsman's output is 700 suits; A&S' is 1500 -- more than Nortons and Huntsman combined.

Andrey

[uppercase]

That's interesting.

What would you guess is the total production of Savile Row?

...at those rates, A&S produces about 5 suits a day and Huntsman about 2. I guess that seems about right.