Last winter when Alfred Sargent declared liquidation, fourth generation family member Paul Sargent immediately announced his plan to relaunch under a different name – Paul Sargent Shoes has officially come back into existence.
As many of my readers were devastated to read my February article regarding Alfred Sargent’s liquidation, they found comfort and hope from my follow-up interview with Paul Sargent who discussed their plans for the future. Alfred Sargent was established in 1899 by its namesake along with two of his sons Harry and Frank. It first located itself in Rushden before eventually staying put at Northampton town itself. As one of Northampton’s old players, they struggled during the turn of the millennium. Following the global financial crisis of 2009, Bowen and Manfield filed for bankruptcy and went into administration before being acquired by French shoe company Manbow in 2012. Since last winter, Alfred Sargent had been run by Paul and Andrew, together with two French brothers from Manbow, Frederic and Nicolas Thierry also assisted. Unfortunately due to financial challenges brought about by pandemic illness Alfred Sargent went bankrupt on January 28, 2021.
Brand and stock of Alfred Sargent was sold to a British shoe webshop (who have, thus far, failed to make use of it), while Paul Sargent obtained help from another London shoemaker to acquire machines, lasts and patterns, Andrew still owned the premises; Paul’s son Alex planned on continuing making what Alfred Sargent fans enjoyed the most: casual boots and shoe offerings plus their exclusive range.
As is often the case, things take more time than anticipated. Recently however, Paul Sargent Shoes launched their Facebook page and new shoes were displayed in various forums, so today they launched their website which includes a webshop. Though still early stages in development they made an excellent decision by getting out their offering early rather than waiting to launch when all is complete, especially since this brand is somewhat established already and it would better remain at the forefront of people’s minds rather than fade into obscurity over time.
Now they have stock of three types of boots that can be ordered as ready-to-wear (RTW), with more coming periodically. They have also produced samples of popular models like their Adelaide Oxford Moore shoe that can now be purchased via email orders until stock runs out and they become part of their online shop. Prices of AS shoes range from EUR330 (PS280) for standard range boots, and up to EUR500 (PS425) for exclusive models (MTOs of existing models that they no longer carry may incur an extra cost of PS50 initially). This pricing structure is quite comparable with how AS shoes were previously priced. Lasted shoe trees aren’t currently available, but the brand plans on offering these in the near future. Handgrade’s range is still uncertain and I expect this decision will depend on consumer demand and how quickly things pick up now. I am curious to see how their new and “old” shoes are received by their target audiences.