Douglas & Grahame at 100: longevity through innovation

Remus Uomo

From selling fabrics to the bespoke tailors of Belfast in the 1920s to the production of the first ready-made garments in the 1940s, through to the building of successful modern-day brands with record turnover levels last year of more than £30m, Douglas & Grahame, which is owned and run by the Finlay family, has smartly navigated 100 years of transformation in the fashion and retail industries.

Along the way, it has nurtured fruitful partnerships across the independent retail sector that are buoyed by excellent service, driven by innovation across design and technology, and anchored by a portfolio of brands that have evolved to sustain Douglas & Grahame’s relevance among consumers for 10 decades.

Through times of change – including recessions, the digital revolution and a global pandemic – the third-generation family-owned and -managed business has honed its craft, building timeless brands and developing successful retail models.

As a business, Douglas & Grahame believes its longevity is, in part, a result of how it embraces the power of shared success by cultivating long-term partnerships for mutual growth with its retail customers.

More than 400 stores stock its range of nine tailoring, lifestyle and schoolwear brands, including Ireland’s Galvin Tullamore in Offaly, Moran’s Menswear in Thurles and Arnott’s department store in Dublin, Sheffield’s Sandersons Boutique Store and Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Leaf Clothing.

From its headquarters and distribution centre in Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Douglas & Grahame manages up to 1 million products across its hanging and flat garment systems.

For partners of the business, this expansive range of stocked garments is available for immediate dispatch to any part of the UK and Ireland in two working days.

Douglas & Grahame believes that this commitment in stock holding is a shared investment in its wholesale customers’ businesses, enabling the management of risk and freeing up capital to provide them with as much opportunity as possible for growth.

Douglas & Grahame headquarters and distribution centre

“Throughout our long history we have operated this stock model, giving our retail partners the opportunity to manage their risk in their forward buys, with the opportunity to come back in season to replenish their stocks on lines that sell through well,” says managing director Adam Finlay, the third generation of the family leading the business alongside his brother, brand director Michael Finlay. “We are as committed as ever to this model and are only looking for ways to operate it more effectively to maximise the commercial opportunities.”

Douglas & Grahame’s 110,000 sq ft headquarters is also home to many of the 120-strong team, whose international experience and expertise span design, distribution, sales, finance and IT.

While the stock model has always been central to its success, the business has evolved, working closely with retail partners across several initiatives beyond the traditional wholesale set-up, including shop-in-shop concepts for the Remus Uomo and DG’s Drifter brands, as well as flexible concession models with dedicated management.

The next step is investing in its omnichannel presence on the shop floor of Douglas & Grahame’s four own-brand stores, as well as stockists’ stores via its digital “Infinite Aisle” technology. This is an interactive in-store digital experience accessed through a screen that enables shoppers to explore full collections – beyond what is physically available on the shop floor – and order online.

This year the group will also roll out its new online B2B (business-to-business) trade portal, which promises a more intuitive user experience to better support retailers. Integrating online and offline sales channels to create a seamless experience is also embodied by the company’s adoption of retail’s latest evolution, the drop-ship model, which Finlay describes as “the next frontier” for Douglas & Grahame: “For all our retail partners that operate their own ecommerce, we hope to make available the opportunity to expand the offering of our products they can list on their websites, with the orders from their websites to be fulfilled to their customers directly from our distribution centre.”

Remus Uomo shop-in-shop

One of Douglas & Grahame’s long-standing customers is McElhinneys of Ballybofey, County Donegal. From its first shop on Glenfin Street in 1971 to the three-storey department store it operates today, the family-owned business has stocked Douglas & Grahame’s menswear brands for more than half a century.

“People buy people,” says the store’s menswear buyer Brian Kelly. “The Douglas & Grahame team delivers a hugely personal service. They’re really focused on our success and continually invest for the benefit of businesses like ours.” He adds that the scope of brands provides something for every shopper.

“We have customers coming through our doors who have worn 1880 Club to school, and are now buying Remus Uomo and Daniel Grahame for weddings and formalwear. There’s something to cater for everyone, at every stage.”

Last year, the two businesses partnered on a new Remus Uomo shop-in-shop, which Kelly says has enhanced sales by 18%: “It’s been hugely successful. The introduction of the Infinite Aisle has been a big part of that growth. Every week, Remus Uomo is consistently one of our three top-performing brands.”

As it turns 100, Douglas & Grahame exemplifies the formula for retail success: finding a balance between respecting a business’s history and heritage, investing and innovating with the changing times, but always keeping your customers at the core of what you do.

Brand highlights

Daniel Grahame

Sales of Daniel Grahame have more than doubled in the last five years, making it the business’s fastest-growing brand.

It offers more affordable tailoring in accessible styles, as well as a NOS (never out of stock) offer of essentials.

DG’s Drifter

Built around well-priced classic shirts and co-ordinating knitwear, DG’s Drifter sales have also doubled in the last five years. Recently it has been developing further categories to build a complete casual look, including jersey tops, chinos, blazers and outerwear.

Remus Uomo

Douglas & Grahame’s biggest brand, Remus Uomo, accounts for 50% of its turnover. A long-term realignment project has been setting a new direction, while expanding its formalwear offer with new, casual pieces for a total lifestyle look. This is bearing fruit: sales are up 35% in the past five years.

1880 Club

1880 Club is a range of boys’ and girls’ school uniforms, with the flexibility for school-specific designs in small or large quantities. Keeping up with evolving demands, the business is prioritising the development of new categories, such as soft-shell outerwear.