We aim to showcase stylish, leading brands including Vivienne Westwood, UGG Slippers, Hunter Wellies/Boots, Ted Baker and Barbour amongst many more, which have been carefully selected by our buyers. Online our website experience is as exceptional as our store, offering accessible designer fashion for all ages.

Our hard work and commitment to our customers was rewarded when in 2010 we won the Draper’s Award for ‘Young Fashion Retailer of the Year’.

We still maintain the same family values the store was founded on. Our unique 'Hurley Loyalty Scheme' has over 65,000 members and stands testament to our long and valued customer relations.

Due to the success of their business venture, Ron and Eileen were able to purchase their first home in Swinton. Their homes have always served as the head office for Hurley’s, with Eileen in charge of the accounts for the business; a role she was responsible for all her life.

Mosley Street Sports Store

In 1961, Ron and Eileen opened a sports store on Mosley street, Central Manchester. The shop was located in the basement below the Halifax Building. A few years down the line, the lift broke and smashed through to the store, setting it alight and destroying it entirely. As a result, the store was lost and never re-opened.  Luckily, the business was able to bounce back from this disaster due to its strong name recognition and long-standing relationships with high-end sporting brands. Ron and Eileen decided to seek new premises in other prime locations in Manchester and beyond.

The golf store was moved from Fountain Street, to the even more central location of 83 Piccadilly. The store began with a focus on golf and high-end sporting equipment and apparel, but it was here that the beginning of their fashion business was born. Ron and Eileen were also selling designer clothing in this store and customers travelled from near and far to view and purchase these branded items. After much effort, they acquired a contract with Lacoste, and this resulted in a strong relationship between Hurley’s and the well-known label. It was at the 83 Piccadilly location that the first Lacoste shop-within-a-shop was created. To this day, Hurley’s still stocks Lacoste products in-store and online; the result of a business relationship that has lasted decades.

Sadly, founder Ron Hurley passed away in 1980, leaving wife Eileen Hurley, son Mark and daughter Kim to run the company. Mark and Kim already had active roles within the business, and had inherited their parents entrepreneurial spirit. They were determined to maintain the family legacy by continuing the success of the Hurley’s brand. The whole family rose to this challenge successfully by making the necessary changes to keep up with the times, further cementing the Hurley’s brand as a highly popular and well-respected retailer.

38 Handkinson Way, Salford

With the younger generation of the Hurley’s family now in a position to make more business decisions, Mark decided to open his own branch of Hurley’s on Salford Precinct. This store sold high-quality sportswear and equipment and again was a great success. This helped to further establish the Hurley’s brand throughout the North West, with stores now situated in Central Manchester, Salford, Eccles, Leeds, and beyond. The family had ideas for increased expansion; with plans for additional stores throughout the North of England.

As a thank-you to all Hurley’s customers, Mark and Kim developed the Hurley’s Loyalty Scheme. This was a unique programme that offers customers 5% of all purchases back on to the loyalty card/account to spend whenever they like. The loyalty scheme also includes regular points promotions such as double (10%), triple (15%), and even quadruple (20%) points, as well as early sales access and special offers for loyalty customers only – further increasing the benefits of shopping with Hurley’s. This scheme is still going strong today; it is loved by its members as a highly rewarding programme. The loyalty database has over 65,000 members to date, with the number increasing every day.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

The whole Hurley’s team celebrated their 50th year of successful trading on the 10th November 2005, at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in Manchester. This special occasion was attended by 180 guests including suppliers, business associates, and key management. The party featured a champagne reception, gourmet dinner, and large screen visuals documenting the 50 years of Hurley’s History. The event was an opportunity to reflect on the successes of the business and how far the Hurley family had come. There was also a charity appeal that raised £2000 for cancer charities, as well as singing, dancing, and the usual festivities. Kim, Mark and Eileen received the Gold Disk commemorating 50 years in business; a milestone event that is still reflected on positively today.

Trafford Centre

The business further expanded to the Trafford Centre, the Hurley’s store was the smallest unit available, but they quickly progressed to a much larger unit. The Trafford centre store sold the Lacoste brand only, becoming a high-end boutique for Lacoste fans in the North West and beyond. It was the first Lacoste boutique outside of London, another huge milestone for the Hurley’s business.

Leeds & Manchester

The next store was based in Victoria Arcade in Leeds, this was also a Lacoste boutique to begin with. Another opportunity arose for a Manchester City Centre store, which led to the opening of another Lacoste boutique on what was then known as “The Shambles,” aka New Cathedral Street. At this point in Hurley’s history, the business had very strong brand recognition, with high-end brands contacting the family, hoping for the opportunity to be sold in the many stores that made up the Hurley’s empire. The family developed a strong relationship with the Henri Lloyd brand, and opened a store selling Henri Lloyd only, right next to the Lacoste Boutique in Manchester. Both of these stores did great business and further strengthened the company’s position as a high-end retailer.

Wigan Grand Arcade and Beyond

The business was then expanded further into the North West by opening a store in Wigan. Situated in the Grand Arcade, this store had a similar set up to the popular Bolton store; selling designer men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and footwear in departments. The next generation of the Hurley’s family were eager to get involved with the business, with Mark’s daughters Jess and Tara both working at this store. Both girls were highly ambitious and worked their way up to management overtime, with Jess now working as the Merchandiser for the business at head office and Tara managing the Wigan store. As the years went by, the Wigan store was somewhat downsized to cater to the high-end boutique feel that better suited the Wigan customer, increasing profits for the Hurley’s business. Plans were made to create a similar store in Liverpool and one in Bury. These plans were successful and soon after the Hurley empire got bigger and opened a store in the new Bury 'The Rock' complex.

Despite the hardships they have faced over the years, the Hurley family has always been able to recover the business and come back even stronger. Establishing and maintaining a brand can be very unpredictable at times, but they have been able to weather this storm to great success. Fires and financial crashes couldn’t stop them, and in 2015 they got together again to celebrate how far they had come. A Jazz-themed loyalty event was held at the Middlebrook store, Bolton, with champagne, cake, goody bags and gifts galore; including a £1000 Gift card for one lucky customer!

Achievements

Over the course of their 60+ years of trading, Hurley’s has been awarded a number of accolades to be proud of. The business has been honoured by Drapers several times; winning The Young Fashion Retailer of the Year award in 2010 and being finalists for The Lifestyle Independent of the Year, and The Best Independent Multi-channel Operator in 2014. The company has also been awarded the Pure London Best of British Independent Retailer Award for Best Independent Retailer in 2015. The family received these honours with pride, as it was nice to see that their hard work and recovery following the recession was noticed. Another thing that makes the Hurley’s team proud is their commitment to charitable causes. The business and the stores often take part in raising money for several charities through fund raising activities for The Christie, Down Syndrome Association, Children In Need and many more; never missing the opportunity to dress up and raise money when they can.

Despite their decades of retail experience, the business has never been afraid to try new things and pursue new markets. The Hurley’s family recognised the growing popularity of fashion e-commerce, and began developing an online business alongside their successful bricks-and-mortar store. All of the family have added a helping hand in some capacity over the years; from running stores, to doing the deliveries. As the brand develops, Hurley’s has been increasing focus on online sales, with a full studio department, digital marketing, and regular online promotions. The Hurley’s team understands the importance of Social Media, and have been strengthening the brand’s voice on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as a way to communicate with customers on a deeper level. Hurley’s has come a long way from a small sports store on Eccles Road, and everyone here is excited to see what the future will hold.

*All photos are originals and Merepress LTD trading as Hurley owns the rights to them.