1982 was a very significant year in the history of the Company and I am very greatful to Brian Mackey and Eric Lowry for supplying a pen-sketch of the following years.               
In the Autumn of 1981 Eric Lowry met Robert Andrews, Vice President of VF Corporation and put forward a Management Buy Out proposal for hosiery and socks for U.S.consideration. It was clear by that stage that hosiery was no longer part of the main thrust of VF Corporation activity. Mr Andrews undertook to consider the proposal. He subsequently confirmed agreement and a financial package was put together with assistance from the Industrial Development Board, Ulster Investment Bank and County Bank (part of the Nat.West Group). The company later refinanced with the Northern Bank Group.
At a meeting of the parties in March 1982 two US executives, Larry Weidenheimer and Frank Urban signed the sale/purchase agreement and a newly formed company, Berkshire Hosiery (UK) Ltd acquired the hosiery business including the factory and land at Donaghadee Road, Newtownards, on a going concern basis along with all employee and other liabilities.

1981 The hosiery range was relaunched with new heavy denier products added to widen the appeal of the collection. Berkshire Ladies socks and heavy knit tights, and children’s tights under the Poodle Bunny Hugs label were introduced.

The first months following the buy out proved to be eventful, even traumatic when sales of ladies hosiery fell seriously short of target and the outside financiers insisted on changes with the result that Reg. resigned from the venture in the Autumn of 1982. Margaret decided to leave at the same time. Both however opted to retain their shareholdings indicating a continuing confidence in the ultimate success of the venture.

Meanwhile the sock business met and exceeded sales and profit targets greatly compensating for the early difficulties. The Falkland conflict brought in substantial additional business as the Department of Defence rebuilt stocks of military socks. Also an excellent relationship with customers such as Damart and Umbro was maintained.

Another critical but positive factor, throughout almost all of the buy out years from March 1982 to September 1989, was the achievment of cash flow budgets, the result of conservative planning and careful financial management.

Mr Peter Brand accepted the appointment of Non Executive Chairman and for more than four years gave generously of his time and retail market experience. His wholehearted support was appreciatively acknowledged by the Board upon his retirement in 1986.

At the end of 1982 and early 1983, new sales and marketing management was quickly recruited with Rick Wildgust (formerly with Playtex ) becoming Ladies Hosiery Sales Director and Judy Rogers (formerly with Johnson & Johnson) Marketing Manager.

1983/4 Berkshire strengthened its marketing when Linda Beers was first involved to support with marketing and promotion.
By the mid 80’s Marks & Spencer commanded a sizeable % share of the UK ladies hosiery market, followed by BHS and Littlewoods.
M&S was the market leader in retail clothing with their St Michael label, but other multiple retailers, better known as grocers, were beginning to realise that shopping patterns were changing and they set about persuading female customers to purchase hosiery in their stores. Very competively priced ranges of hosiery, especially ‘multi-packs’, became available in stores like Sainsbury, Tesco, and Safeway. In Ireland Dunnes Stores and Primark entered the market, and Boots the Chemists targeted many of their cosmetics, and toiletries customers to also buy hosiery. Berkshire continued to focus primarily on the branded market sector, offering its expertise in design and the service of a sales team, to provide a quality product supported by prompt delivery from the factory. However, the company also supplied some of the pioneers in the ‘customer label’ market.

One 80’s landmark in development of hosiery sales in which Berkshire played a key part was the development of Sock Shop, under the dynamic leadership of Sophie Mirman, which quickly became an international company, but even they could not resist the move, to multi-packs as they sought to compete and maximise margins, and importing own label branded hosiery rangesto build the asset value of SOCK SHOP.

With considerable input from Geddes Irvine and the whole design, development and marketing teams, the Berkshire range underwent a major makeover with new and more up to date products and packaging including the highly successful Finesse 15 denier range, the famous ‘Folies’ hold up stocking with pretty bow and of course the new seasonal collections of fashion stockings and tights featuring patterning, diamante etc. In addition new heavy gauge tights produced from the sock machinery were added to the branded range. This development breathed new life into the Berkshire brand. Unfortunately the company was unable to capitalise fully because of production and planning difficulties in meeting the demands for sales of more complicated products.

At the same time, a design link with Cornelia James (about 1985) led to renewed access to top London stores and a highly successful Berkshire Promotion Week took place in Harrods along with brisk sales to other major independent retailers such as Sock Shop and House of Fraser.

As a result of this renewed impact in the branded hosiery market, the company again presented a very positive image in that sector. The company - represented by Eric Lowry -was invited to take over the chair of the British Branded Hosiery Group (with regular meetings in Nottingham and impressive bi-annual customer events in venues such as Claridges and the House of Commons). It therefore represented all the major players in that market from 1987 to 1989.

Unfortunately Harry Keenan had become ill and was unable to continue as Production Director. He was succeeded by Martin Campbell and subsequently by Dave McCloskey.

The runaway inflation of the nineteen seventies had begun to slow down but remained a significant factor. The company had two main trades unions, A.S.T.M.S. with Sammy Stevenson representing staff and Tommy Cook jnr. with Tailor and Garment Workers representing the larger group of shop floor employees. It was faced with the dilemma of understandable annual claims and the unaffordablity of increased cost in a marketplace now subjected to high volumes of imports from low cost countries. Any serious stoppage would almost certainly have led to an immediate withdrawal of support from the bankers and the inevitable collapse of the company. However management and Unions mostly managed to compromise but at levels which customers proved unwilling to absorb and with an inevitable effect of turning potential profit to loss

At the end of 1985 an attempt was made to form a partnership with a Finnish sock company, Kymen Sukka. The outcome was not successful and, following disagreement, MrKaukianan ceased to be a member of the Board. Mr Ralph Bauer acted for a period (co-inciding largely with the Kymen Sukka era) as non executive chairman and was succeeded by Mr Henry Mercer O.B.E. who remained committed and supportive until the takeover by Glamar/Hartstone in September 1989.

About the end of 1987 Geddes Irvine became director for all ladies hosiery sales.

In 1986/87 Eric Lowry and Bertie Martin visited knitting machine manufacturers in Italy and attended an international hosiery and sock machinery exhibition in Charlotte, North Caroina, at which time there were two important developments – a commitment to the purchase of some of the latest heavy gauge sock knitting machinery and, equally importantly, the purchase of a highly developed U.S. computerised production planning system believed essential to meeting customer deliveries on time.

The company incurred losses in the deteriorating ladies hosiery markets of 1988 and 1989 and it became essential to seek a takeover which would provide the necessary financial injection to permit future production at Newtownards. Glamar / Hartstone was introduced by IDB and a takeover was completed in September 1989.

By 1988, a large percentage of females had taken to wearing trousers or decided to go barelegged during the summer months. The result was consumers buying fewer tights and stockings and with shrinking sales of hosiery right across Europe, there was rationalisation of the manufacturing base. Italian, Portugese, and Turkish manufacturers also started to penetrate the UK market, a sign of things to come from countries with lower manufacturing costs.