Timeline

The Liverpool shoe company takes its first steps

We take our first steps into selling shoes

We start to source shoes from Asia

We’re one of the first European companies to source shoes in Asia, which allows us to grow faster.
We open an office in Hong Kong, which remains at the heart of our sourcing business today.

We expand our offering

We start selling skateboards, shoes, handbags, luggage and sportswear

We buy a majority stake in Reebok

We buy a majority stake in a small athletic footwear brand called Reebok for $77,500.
Reebok launches the world’s first shoe designed for aerobic exercise. A turning point for Reebok is the introduction of coloured running shoes.
We’re appointed UK distributor for Italian tennis and ski brand ellesse and fashion footwear brand Kickers.

We continue to buy other exciting brands

We buy leading performance swimwear brand Speedo.
We sell our share in Reebok for $770 million.
We become the worldwide footwear licensee for the French tennis fashion brand, Lacoste Chaussures.
We add outdoor brand Berghaus and ellesse to our family of owned brands.
The original football brand, Mitre International, joins the family.
We buy London fashion label Red or Dead and athletic fashion footwear brand KangaROOS.

We become the licensee for Ted Baker

We become the worldwide licensee for London fashion brand Ted Baker footwear and we buy the London fashion brand Boxfresh.
We buy rugby brand Canterbury of New Zealand and the Californian casual lifestyle sneaker brand, SeaVees

We buy Endura

We buy the Scottish cycling apparel brand, Endura.
We’re appointed the global footwear licensee for Karen Millen.

We move from Liverpool to London

We take an interest in a shoe factory called Merrywell

Stephen Rubin runs for general election and is on the same ballot as Winston Churchill

Stephen Rubin joins the business

We buy the rights to the twinkle heel

We also come up with the stiletto heel

The company is floated, it is called Beatle Boots due to its Liverpool roots

We float the company on the London Stock Exchange

We change the company name to Pentland Industries Ltd

We set up the Airborne brand, selling skateboards, shoes, handbags, luggage and sportswear

We buy a 55% stake in a small athletic footwear brand called Reebok USA for $77,500

We are appointed UK distributor for Ellesse

We are appointed UK distributor for Kickers

We change from Pentland Industries to Pentland Group

We acquire Speedo International

We become the global footwear licensee for Lacoste

Andy Rubin joins the business
We sell our share in Reebok

We acquire 100% of KangaROOS

We acquire Berghaus, Brasher and Ellesse

Mitre, Red or Dead and Franco Sarto join the Pentland family

Pentland Group takes an office in Manchester Sq. and Lakeside becomes the Global HQ for Pentland Brands

We privatise the company and return to being a fully-owned family business again

We become the global footwear licensee for Ted Baker

We buy 57% of JD Sports Fashion plc

We buy Boxfresh and a share of Hunter Boot Ltd

We buy Prostar

We buy Canterbury and a share of Heidi Klein and Butterfly Twists

We rank 16th in Great Place to Work
Speedo sponsored Michael Phelps becomes greatest Olympian of all time

We rank 19th for Best place to work in Europe

We win European Family Business Award
UK Prime Minister visits Global HQ
Andy Long becomes CEO, the first non-family member

We invest in premium running brand Tracksmith

Pentland Centre for Sustainability opens at Lancaster University

We acquire the Californian casual footwear brand SeaVees

Pentland wins IMD Global Family Business Award

We are appointed the global footwear licensee for Karen Millen

We acquire the cycling apparel brand Endura

Celebrating 100 years of Pentland