Member Article

24 year old Leyburn entrepreneur lands Grand National and Cheltenham contracts

A young Yorkshire entrepreneur, who specialises in work wear and promotional clothing, has landed the contract to provide all the uniforms for racecourse staff working at the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National.

24 year-old AJ Swinbank, who runs the Leyburn-based 121 Workwear is making bespoke jackets, fleeces and beanie hats for staff at the Cheltenham Festival this month and the Grand National at Aintree next month.

These racecourse contracts, combined with a new contract to supply work uniforms for Ecolab UK, the leading hygiene services company, will take 121 Workwear’s annual turnover past £1 million.

AJ Swinbank, who founded the company 18 months ago, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be providing staff uniforms at events as prestigious as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National.

“These are iconic sporting events, not just in this country, but around the world, and we are honoured to be part of them.

“These two contracts will also enable me to hire more staff, taking 121 Workwear’s staff into double figures. They are also a resounding endorsement of the quality of our work and the fact that we can provide new staff clothing to order, on time and within budget.”

121Workware has just invested £100,000 to treble the size of its Leyburn production unit and quadruple its production facility. This investment includes state-of-the-art screen printing facilities and a brand-new sale offices.

Mr Swinbank said: “These are tremendously exciting times for the company. I have a dedicated and committed workforce, who are determined to make 121 Workwear a success.

“I also have complete confidence in the clothes we are producing and the client feedback has been amazing.”

Mr Swinbank, who won the North East Local Business Accelerators (LBA) competition when he was only 22, said he was “exceptionally proud of what we have achieved so far” but added that “there is no room for complacency”.

“Our purpose-built, two-storey production department in Leyburn, which is trebling in size, features state-of-the-art embroidery and printing machinery, enabling us to produce up to 2,000 garments a week.

“We also have a large stock holding warehouse, in-house design team and dedicated sales office, all based on site. In addition we offer, as part of our managed accounts department, bespoke design and a dedicated Account Manager,” said Mr Swinbank.

121 Workwear produces all types of clothing, from T-shirts to fleeces, from footwear to hoodies and blazers, for permanent use or one-off promotions. There is no minimum order limit and companies of all sizes, right across the UK, are catered for.

The company now has more than 500 clients including York Racecourse, Wensleydale Creamery and Goal Soccer Centres.

AJ Swinbank, who was educated at Sedburgh and Newcastle University, is the son of leading Yorkshire racehorse trainer Ann Duffield.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .