Fogarty boasts a long and glorious Heritage

The History of Fogarty has its roots in 1877 when the business was established in Boston, Lincolnshire.

Boston is rich in history and our present factory is close to where King John lost the Crown Jewels of England and the Pilgrim Fathers set out to colonise the New World.

The surrounding towns and villages offered a ready supply of materials and labour. Under Edward Fogarty's guidance the company prospered and established a reputation for finest quality feather pillows and mattresses.

Fogarty has remained true to the guiding principles of Edward Fogarty and continues to manufacture quilts and pillows using an unbeatable combination of quality materials, traditional craftsmanship and modern technology.

The Early Years
The origins of Fogarty began in 1877 as a feather processing company located in Boston, Lincolnshire, England’s major poultry rearing area.

It took its present name and established a reputation for quality products in 1901 when Edward Fogarty, a local entrepreneur, acquired the company.

In the early years stiff competition meant that growth was slow. Despite this, by 1933, when Edward Fogarty retired, his company had managed to survive where others had failed.

The War Years
In the years leading up to and beyond the Second World War, Fogarty remained a small company in a niche market. Materials were rationed and opportunities for "luxury" products in an economy orientated to manufacturing for the war effort were slight. Being the tenacious company that it was, Fogarty survived. In fact it acquired a second, larger production site at Mount Bridge on the outskirts of Boston. By the early 1950's, when rationing ended and everyone in Britain was concentrating on building a better, more comfortable life for themselves, Fogarty was not only well placed, but also ready and waiting to take advantage of the imminent consumer boom.

The Boom Years
In a hungry market it is important to maintain a steady flow of quality products at the right price. Over the previous years Fogarty had developed the expertise to do what it did well and the management was keen to profit from this ability and to develop expertise in new areas.

As well as continuing to manufacture the filled products on which the company's reputation was founded, innovative new products were launched. These included nylon sheets in 1956 and Fogarty's first
man-made fillings in 1958.

The company has taken every opportunity to develop products associated with core activities. The boom years in particular saw a marked broadening of product offerings. In 1966 a new fibre plant was built at a third much larger site at Havenside, outside Boston centre, which by this time was Fogarty's main operational base, and as well as meeting the company's own needs it sold man-made wadding to manufacturers of sleeping bags and clothing. In 1968 deep pile nylon rugs were added to an expanding product range and in 1969 a dyehouse for warp knitted fabrics and rugs was opened. By this time Fogarty's success was vital to the economy in and around Boston, the company employed almost 700 people, had its own fleet of 65 delivery vehicles and was truly a major force in the filled products and household textiles industry.

The Takeover Years
Fogarty prospered throughout the 1970's and early 1980's. But as with so many successful independent companies it eventually came to the attention of a large company looking for growth by acquisition. In 1987, Fogarty was taken over by Coloroll and its name changed to Coloroll Home Furnishings.

For many it seemed that Fogarty had disappeared for good but in 1990 the parent company experienced liquidity problems and went into Receivership. The assets of Coloroll Home Furnishings were then sold to a Management Buy-Out Team and the name was changed to Fogarty once again.

The Millennium and Beyond
Since regaining independence Fogarty has committed itself to
re-establishing the pre-eminence of its brand and has aggressively sought new markets and has launched dozens of new products that confirm the company's place at the forefront of the filled products industry. Export markets have been developed, new technology put in place and everyone working for Fogarty has been instilled with an appreciation of the history, heritage and dedication to leading the way in quality comfort products that are the Fogarty hallmark.