How an 80s fashion revival created a 20-year British business success story

Bedford-based 80s Casual Classics has grown from a shop taking orders by phone into a 20-year-old retailer with four stores and around 60 employees. It is set to become the first business to launch on ShopGB, a UK-focused online marketplace, as it looks for new ways to reach customers.

Managing director Neil Primett said the 2005 film *The Business* helped revive interest in 1980s sportswear and brought the shop valuable exposure as one of just three stockists listed with the film’s number-one DVD release. The company later expanded through eBay and its own website, works with heritage brands on exclusive and updated designs, and has supplied wardrobe for television productions. Primett also points to music nostalgia, including the Oasis revival, and demand for more comfortable retro trainers as factors sustaining interest.