Cleversocks re-invents itself as an online retailer

A SOCKS firm based in Birmingham has restructured itself as an online business in time for the Christmas sales rush.

Cleversocks, a family-run business based in Highgate employing 20 people, currently supplies one million pairs of socks each month to a number of major High Street retailers, making it one of the biggest players in the UK market. Cleversocks also produces branded socks under names such as JCB and Pierre Cardin.

But after almost 40 years in business, first as a manufacturer and then as an importer, it has now invested more than £50,000 in launching its own online consumer venture.

The target is to achieve £3m in online sock sales.

Managing director Rajinder Rai said: “Our strength is at the everyday end of the market, and we sell a lot of simple, popular designs which are the mainstay of Christmas gift purchases.

“We think our socks will be perfect for this market and have worked hard to develop a consumer website to help increase consumer sales substantially over the next three years.”

“We think there will be some decline on the High Street for regular purchases such as socks and an increase in sales online. So the long-term emphasis for us will be on growing the website and increasing the market share of our branded sales.”

Cleversocks is run by Rai, his brother Sukhdev and their wives. It was established by their father JS Rai in 1974.