John Smedley

John Smedley is a knitwear manufacturer and brand that has been in business since 1784. Still family owned, John Smedley is the oldest manufacturing factory in the world, still operating from its original Lea Mills factory near Matlock in Derbyshire.

John Smedley employs around 300 people and manufactures around 300,000 knitwear garments each year. We have two Royal Warrants from Her Majesty Queen (2013) and HRH The Prince of Wales (2021), having supplied the Royal Family with knitwear since at least the 1930s and possibly before.

Originally spinners and knitted underwear suppliers, today our jumpers, cardigans, T- and polo shirts are exported around the world to many countries.

Our brand can be experience through our Web site at www.johnsmedley.com or in our shops in London’s West End. Our biggest single export market is Japan where we have been doing business for over 100 years.

We are proud of being part of Derbyshire’s economic community and we are happy to promote the benefits of working and living in Derbyshire, along with the other great companies like Rolls Royce and Toyota who have chosen to invest here. We think we will meet many like-minded business people among the Bondholders, and we look forward to that.