Company History

Cotton Traders was founded in 1987 by former England rugby captains Fran Cotton and Steve Smith. They began working from a single small room next to Altrincham Railway Station, supplying quality rugby shirts via mail order using adverts in the Sunday papers. Using the same standards and commitment they had applied to their playing careers, they soon grew the business to £2million turnover in just two years.

Today, 21 years on, the business has grown to achieve a turnover in excess of £50 million a year, with over 700 employees across the UK and many more employed worldwide by its suppliers. Cotton Traders Mail Order business, now has over 2 million customers on its database, and produces 25 different editions of the catalogue each year, resulting in the despatch of over 100,000 parcels a month.

The range too has expanded somewhat from those original rugby shirts. It now covers quality leisurewear and casual clothes for both men and women, plus footwear, household textiles, accessories and more - all created to the same high quality and unbeatable value as those first few shirts.

As for Fran and Steve, they still play a prominent role in the day to day operations of the company, with Fran handling the mail order operation and Steve covering the wholesale division. But they haven’t lost touch with their rugby roots, with Steve appearing regularly as a commentator on TV, radio and in the press.