Iconic clothing chain Stolen from Ivor’s last shop has been saved - thanks to the M.E.N. Founder Ivor Hazan, 67, opened his first boutique on the King Street West in Manchester city centre in 1965 and his 40 stores became a Mecca for fashion hipsters across the region. He announced last month he was to shut the doors on his last remaining shop in Stockport, which opened in 1974, due to declining sales. However after the story was featured in the pages of the M.E.N and on our website, the brand has undergone a revival. Ivor says he has been inundated with people coming into the shop and sharing their stories of the off-the-wall clobber they bought from him in their youth. One man even broke down in tears whilst other wanted to buy his distinctive yellow carrier bags and sell them online. And after seeing a spike in sales Ivor says he will keep the shop open - for now at least. His first store opened at the height of the ‘swinging’ Sixties. It was close to a boutique owned by United hero George Best and he had a gentleman’s agreement that he would not sell suits if the United ace didn’t sell jeans. In 1966 it became the first store in the north of England to stock Levis jeans, which then cost £2.37 a pair. The brand grew and at its peak it had 43 stores across the north west, including Stockport, Altrincham, Bolton and Bury. However all but seven of them were forced to close in 2002 after the company went into administration. And Ivor said stores such as Primark were ‘killing’ independent stores like his. But due to the phenomenal response after we featured their plight he has shelved plans to take his operation solely online and he will keep the doors open of the shop on Prince’s Street in Stockport town centre. The Didsbury entrepreneur said: “It’s just been absolutely amazing. “Since the M.E.N ran our story we’ve had so many people coming in and telling us about things they bought 20 years ago. “Telling us that their mums used to bring them as kids.
