Cheshire Farming Family Transforms Wellie Sales into £10 Million Business
Hollands Country Clothing, a family-run retailer in Cheshire, has grown from humble beginnings selling wellington boots to achieving over £10 million in sales.
By Cheshire Live
Hollands Country Clothing, a family-run country clothing retailer based in Cheshire, has seen remarkable growth since its inception. The Holland family has been farming in Disley for approximately 200 years. In 1978, Malcolm Holland began diversifying the family business by selling wellington boots to supplement his income from hay sales at Chelford Agricultural Centre.
Initially, the venture included overalls and wax coats, although there were some missteps, such as ordering a batch of army surplus shirts that turned out to be skirts. Despite these challenges, the clothing business quickly began to outpace the farming side of the operation.
The next generation, including Malcolm's children Mark and Julie, along with grandchildren Matt, Sarah, and Rob, have significantly expanded the business. It grew from processing about 35 orders a day, packed by hand at Grandma Mavis's kitchen table, to over 5,000 orders daily during peak winter months.
A pivotal moment for the company came in 2001 during the foot-and-mouth crisis, which halted country shows and markets. In response, Mark Holland decided to learn web skills at night school, leading to the launch of the Hollands website. The first online order was a pair of pink wellingtons, marking the beginning of a successful transition to e-commerce.
The business has since flourished, with reported sales exceeding £10 million in the past year, establishing Hollands as one of the leading online retailers of country clothing in the UK.
Recently, the family opened their first physical store at Lowe's Farm Shop in Cheshire, marking a significant milestone two decades after launching their website. The farm shop, which has its own rich history, is run by the Lowe family, who have been cultivating the land for six generations.
Inside the new Hollands store, customers can explore a curated selection of bestselling brands, engage with staff who embody the country lifestyle, and order from the full online range. A mural inside the shop illustrates the Hollands' story, featuring a watercolour map of their original farmland and images of the family’s farming heritage.
Matt Holland expressed pride in the new store, stating, "The store encompasses our brand and story perfectly and will hopefully be the first of many Hollands Country Clothing stores across the UK." Sarah Holland, a director of the firm, added, "Our connection to the countryside goes back generations, and there's something really special about being able to welcome people into a physical space that reflects that."
Hollands Country Clothing celebrated the store's opening this week, located at Lowe's Farm Shop, Moss Lane, Byley, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 9NG.