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Lawrence suit maker moving to Haverhill: Brooks Brothers parent company buys Southwick Clothing(The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 13--Southwick Clothing, a fixture in Lawrence for 75 years, has been bought by the company that owns Brooks Brothers and plans to move its operations to Haverhill by the end of this year. The high-end suit manufacturer had been mulling a move to Haverhill even prior to its purchase last week by Retail Brand Alliance Inc., which has owned Brooks Brothers since 2001. The sale price has not been disclosed. Southwick will relocate its equipment and 200 to 250 jobs from its current home in a five-story riverfront mill near the Duck Bridge off Union Street to a vacant portion of a building off Route 97 now partially occupied by Magellan Aerospace. That area is being marketed by the city as a business and office park. Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini was thrilled by the news of the purchase and the pending move to the site near the new Lowe's and Target off Interstate 495. He said it took a lot of work on the part of the city and state officials to make sure the company didn't move overseas. "We worked with the state to put together the most aggressive economic incentive package we've ever put together by far," he said, noting that Greg Bialecki, the state's undersecretary of economic development, sat at the table with Southwick and Retail Brand Alliance to make sure they didn't move the company out of the country. Fiorentini said he knew Southwick had been interested in moving to Haverhill for some time, in part because the mill building the company now occupies is inefficient -- located on five floors in an aging structure with older equipment. The new location will all be on one level, and much of the equipment will be new. The mayor said he became concerned when he learned that Retail Brand Alliance was going to buy the company. "We thought the deal was off," he said. "We were concerned about them moving overseas. It came down to a choice between Haverhill and the Far East." Fiorentini said not only will Southwick bring an estimated 200 to 250 jobs to the city, but the company is expected to expand, which could help provide jobs to some of the 130 full-time employees due to be laid off by Haverhill Paperboard Co., which recently announced it will close in August. "We are hoping for an increase of 100 jobs -- all union jobs with health benefits," he said. "These are good jobs, and we are thrilled to have them." But Haverhill's gain is Lawrence's loss. Tom Schiavone, the city's economic development director, said that while it's never good to lose a strong employer, in this case it's not as serious because the mill building will be taken up by Union Crossing, a mixed-use housing, retail and commercial project. "The blessing is, we're not left with an empty, vacant building," he said. "The bad side is, we're losing almost 300 jobs." But he said the move helps the regional economy because it keeps the jobs in the Merrimack Valley. Claudio Del Vecchio, chairman and CEO of Retail Brand Alliance Inc., said the purchase of Southwick "is a natural progression in the growth of Brooks Brothers. When we acquired the company in 2001, our immediate goal was to focus our efforts on improving and enhancing our core products. The first step was to become the industry leader in shirts and ties. Now, having accomplished that, we are fully committed to becoming the leader in tailored clothing." Established in 1929, Southwick and Brooks Brothers have been doing business with each other for nearly 60 years. Together, the two firms revolutionized men's tailoring by popularizing the soft-shouldered jacket in the 1950s. Brooks Brothers continues to be Southwick's largest client. "We share not only a passion for quality and craftsmanship, but also a rich heritage," Del Vecchio said. In addition to manufacturing for Brooks Brothers, Southwick produces a tailored-clothing collection, as well as a custom business under its own label that is sold through better department and specialty stores. That label will continue and be an opportunity for further growth. "The acquisition of Southwick's assets ensures the future of this great company, and we believe there is an opportunity to build on the Southwick brand and also create a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in America," Del Vecchio said. Rep. Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, lauded the efforts of the company and local and state officials and pledged to make sure that the company will get the incentives it has been promised. "We're very pleased and excited," he said. "I will work with the city and Southwick to have the incentives in place to help them continue to expand and grow." Jim Jajuga, executive director of the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, called the news about the move "fantastic." "I think wonderful things are happening in Haverhill, and it's because everyone's working together," he said. To see more of The Eagle-Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.eagletribune.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |