The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister visited Finchley to see the success of local clothing business Pentland, which has recently won the coveted award for Europe’s Best Family Business. Pentland, based on Squires Lane, are one of Barnet’s largest employers with over 19,000 employees worldwide. Mike Freer invited the Prime Minister to visit the Finchley-based business during a recent Prime Minister’s Question Time. The exchange is copied below:
Addressing the House, Mike Freer said:
“Pentland, a company in my constituency, increased their turnover by over 10% to over £2bn last year and increased their workforce significantly, contributing to the 2 million private sector jobs created under this Government.
On top of that, they’ve just been voted European Family Business of the Year. Will my Right Hon. Friend join me in congratulating Pentland and agree to visit this British Success Story?
The Prime Minister responded by saying:
“I’m sure I’ll be visiting my Hon. Friend’s constituency before long, but I will join him in congratulating this great British company. I believe they came with me on my visit to China, where we were pushing Speedos as hard as we could, including getting them on the vital Chinese equivalent to Amazon, to make sure that they would be sold. Very happy to come and visit them as part of the economic success story, and export success story of our country”.
Pentland, which was founded in the 1930s, is one of the UK’s largest family businesses, currently run by CEO Andy Rubin. It has won numerous awards including European Family Business of the Year and has been voted as one of the best workplaces in the UK. Export markets account for over 80% of Pentland’s sales with the Far East being a sizable market.