Church’s is a high-end English footwear manufacturer founded in 1873 by Thomas Church and his three sons. During the 1990s the company came under the control of Prada which bought 83% of the company at US$170 million.
Between the two world wars Church’s became actively involved in the development of the footwear industry in general. In 1919 the British Boot, Shoe and Allied Trades Research Association was created with Church’s as a founder-member. As a result of this partnership, the Northampton Technical College was established in 1925. This went on to become the University of Northampton in 2005.
The family business was taken over by Prada in 1999, and has since then expanded its outlets overseas. As of 2014, the company employed 650 people. The same year, Church’s took over adjacent premises in St James Road, formerly a tram and later a bus depot, in anticipation of further expansion which could add up to another 140 jobs.
