Blacks Outdoor Retail Ltd. is a British retailer, headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester the United Kingdom which owns the British outdoor retailers Blacks, Millets and Ultimate Outdoors. Blacks is the largest outdoor retailer in the UK with stores nationwide. As of September 2026 only 18 Blacks Outdoors (3 currently holding closing down sales September 2026) and 23 Millets stores (9 currently holding closing down sales September 2026 ) remain open with most having converted to Go Outdoors.
History In 1931, Blacks of Greenock published the first Good Companions catalogue. In the Second World War, Blacks made tents for the Army and Navy and made fenders for boats on D-Day. During the early part of the war, the workshops in Greenock were destroyed by a parachute mine on 8 May 1941. They had a number of retail stores throughout the UK selling and renting camping equipment, climbing and mountaineering supplies. The company was run from Greenock by Robin Duthie in the 1970s.
A Canadian retail subsidiary opened in 1958. Throughout the 1960s, it bought smaller companies including Jackson Camping. Then in 1967, it bought Benjamin Edgington Ltd, a long established independent tent, flag and marquee maker, creating a new southern base with another manufacturing facility and offices from where it ran its sales and Marketing team led by John Jackson. In 1970, it engineered a reverse takeover of the public company retailer Milletts Stores (1928) Limited that had 28 stores under the management of Anthony Millett, who had taken over after his father's death. The Group then became known as Blacks Camping and Leisure.Philip Rose, Marketing Manager 1970–1979 There was another reverse takeover of retailer Greenfield Leisure in October 1984, and the Group become Blacks Camping and Leisure plc. The Greenfield Leisure stores turned out to be loss making and Blacks were forced to sell 62 of the 66 Greenfield Leisure stores.
The Blacks Leisure Group formed in 1985, is now defunct as a company. In 1986, the company and its 280 employees and 44 stores almost went into receivership. A £3.3 million offer came from the Sears Group who owned Millets, but this transaction was not completed. It received a cash injection from investors to keep it afloat the following month. It bought Miss Sam Holdings, a childrenswear company, in July 1987 for £45 million. At this time, it was headed by Bernard Garbacz. In 1989 it moved its operations to Washington, Tyne & Wear. In 1994, Blacks Camping became Blacks Outdoors.
It bought the Outdoor Group, which included Millets and Free Spirit, in November 1999 for £51 million, having first offered £55 million. At the time, Blacks had 42 stores and a 40% share in the Fila UK Ltd sportswear firm; it sold this share to the parent company in July 2000 for £12 million. In May 2002 it sold its sports division, 187 First Sport outlets, to JD Sports for £53.2 million and bought 47 outlets of Famous Army Stores in February 2002. In July 2003 it bought the Just Add Water chain of 10 shops for £4.3 million. In November 2004 it bought 27 Outdoor outlets for £2.6 million from The Scout Association. Until 2006, it engaged in an expansion of its business by opening many new stores, especially on retail parks. This expansion was short-lived.
Financial troubles In 2008/9 it made a loss of £6.8 million, which was a pre-tax loss of £14.4 million. Freespirit and O'Neill were not selling well, but the more well known stores were better. In early 2009 it had 12 O'Neill surf shops, but later that year Blacks is thought to have entered talks with Ronald De Waal (owner of the O'Neill brand name) to try to arrange a deal with O'Neill and Logo Group International, based in the Netherlands, to offload the stores. A deal never materialised, and the stores faced closure when Sandcity, the company who held the licence to sell and distribute O'Neill in the UK, was put into administration. Sandcity had been based in Washington, Tyne and Wear, which itself closed in May 2008, moving to the Northampton headquarters. The first UK-based O'Neill store opened in December 1997 in Covent Garden. Sandcity went into administration on 23 September 2009. This had to happen when the bank (Lloyds) refused Blacks' offer to convert them into Blacks and Millets stores. The wholesale licence of O'Neill in the UK was handed back to Logo Group International, based in the Netherlands at the same time.
In October 2009, 89 stores where closed as part of a restructuring, after the company went through a CVA which was supported by a huge majority of creditors. Before the closure it had 256 Millets, 116 Blacks and 32 Freespirit. By February 2010 it had 208 Millets, 92 Blacks and 13 Freespirit. The CVA was executed and Blacks exited a number of loss-making stores, but not before a number of the stores classed as "loss making" underwent an extensive refurbishment program using around £6 million of capital. The most costly of these stores was the Air Land and Sea store at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. After a costing an estimated £3m and branded "the first of many to open in the UK", the store was in operation for less than 12 months, and closed as part of a CVA. Of all the stores refurbished, they were originally reported to be trading ahead of the rest of the estate. Several of the newly refurbished stores remained loss-making, and were closed when a CVA was agreed. Of the refurbished stores, the newly refurbished Blacks store at the ex-Freespirit site in Northampton was also closed.
On 23 November 2009, it reached an agreement with its creditors, landlords of its stores, which needed 75% backing. This saved the company from liquidation, with a period of great uncertainty from September to November
In early 2010, the company received a £26 million takeover offer from Sports Direct, which it fought off. Sports Direct owned around 30% of Blacks' shares. It was at this time that Blacks sold off its Mambo boardwear arm for an estimated £800,000 to New Zealand born Andrew Gerrie (CEO of Lush cosmetics).
Private equity funds, including the owner of rival Cotswold Outdoor, circled Blacks after it confirmed early talks on a possible offer in late October 2010.
On 7 December 2011, the group was put up for sale. On 23 December 2011 the directors stated that the company was likely to enter receivership. The company was effectively insolvent and the shares likely to be worthless. Potential buyers would only be interested after an administration process.
The company entered administration in 2012 and is now owned by JD Sports Fashion plc. JD made a cash offer of £20 million for the majority of the retailer's 300 UK stores and said it will retain the majority of Blacks' 3,500 staff. Since the acquisition by JD Sports, Blacks head offices have been relocated to JD's head offices in Bury.
As a business, despite identified potential for VAT reclaims of over £1 million, Blacks entered a 'pre-pack' administration for only four hours, to allow the new owner JD Sports to take the business forward debt-free.
Back to profit in 2017 and now part of JD Sports Fashion, Blacks and Millets, led by CEO Lee Bagnall, returned to profit for the first time in almost ten years. The results announced as part of JD Sports annual results 11 April 2017 was taken as positive by the city, as JD shares rose to record levels. After 10 years in loss Blacks records a second consecutive year in profit.
Operations
Blacks
Blacks has 21 UK stores, originally specialising in the serious walking and hiking kit. Recently they have diversified to including running clothing and more fashion based lines.
Black's of Greenock Chronological History including Thomas Black and Sons 1848 Thomas Black, aged 12, went off to sea for a few years.
1853 While in Port Phillip, Australia, he left his ship for the goldfields and spent two years gold-digging in the Ballarat District of southern Australia.
1856 Sailed home as a fare-paying passenger. Later, went to Spanish Guinea in West Africa as an agent for the London firm of Laughland & Brown, trading Calico and other goods for ivory. Returned to Glasgow after about eighteen months for a holiday. A second trip to the same place in West Africa was not satisfactory. He suffered badly from dysentery and eventually returned home, where he made a full recovery.
1861 Married and became employed as a sailmaker in Glasgow.
1863 After about two years learning the trade, he started his own sail-making business in Greenock, which prospered from the start. Thomas Black had a son, also named Thomas, who started his working life with his father, but seeing no future in the sail-making business, due to the decline in sailing ships brought about by the rise in steam engines, left with his wife and young family to join relatives ranching in California.
1904 Thomas Black Senior was now an old man and ill, so his son Thomas Junior was called home to wind up the failing business. Whilst journeying across America on his way home, he stopped off in Kansas City and saw a thriving canvas products business making tents, marquees and other large canvas goods. This set him thinking, and on returning home, decided not to close his father's business, but instead, to change the product range, to bell tents, marquees and garden tents for fetes and functions.
1905 Thomas Black Senior, the founder of the business, died. Thomas Junior became head of the firm, with his son, Daniel Crawford Black assisting. Hiring out equipment was begun with one-time sail-makers having to erect tents and marquees.
1914–18 During the First World War, manufactured large hospital marquees, army bell tents, ambulance covers and other canvas goods.
1921 Black's Travel Agency started at 18 Nicholson Street, Greenock, to meet the demand for emigrant passages to North America and Australasia.
1923 Thomas Black and Sons (Greenock) Ltd. incorporated.
1928 A London showroom opened at 15 Bury Street, W.C.1. (near the British Museum).
1930 An order was received from the Icelandic Government for 4,700 tents, as well as marquees, beds and bedding for the 14,000 visitors expected at the Millennial Celebrations of the opening of their Parliament. The tents supplied later became known as the 'Icelandic' tent.
1930 May. Thomas Black, Junior, died and his son, Crawford Black took over as head of the business. Blacks did much to encourage lightweight camping, and in 1931 produced the first 'Good Companions' catalogue.
1931 Thos. Black & Sons (Greenock) Ltd., were at 25, Cathcart Street, Greenock, with branches at: 15 Bury Street, London, W.C.1., and 5, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. Soon larger premises and offices were required in London, and a move was made to 22, Gray's Inn Road in the early thirties. William Nixon, a director of the firm in London, first started his career in the Bury Street premises. Around this time, the 'Good Companions' trade mark was registered.
1933 Lightweight camping gear supplied to Jock Scott, an ex soldier who walked from Greenock to Cape Town. With another set of equipment by Blacks, Jock Scott then walked across North America from San Francisco to New York. These two trips were an important showcase for Black's tents and equipment.
1930s Throughout this period and up to the outbreak of the Second World War, Blacks exhibited at all the various Outdoor and Camping exhibitions held in London.
1939 on the outbreak of war, the directors of Blacks were: D. C. Black; J. H. Black; M. P. Garvie; B. B. Black; W. R. Henderson, with the registered office at: 25 Cathcart Street, Greenock, the Glasgow Showrooms at 98 Mitchell Street, and London Showrooms at Holborn House, 22, Gray's Inn Road, W.C.1. A London warehouse was in use at 43, Marshgate Lane, E.15.
1939–45 Blacks made tents and other canvas goods, as well as down sleeping bags for the armed forces. Blacks also made and supplied hazel rod fenders for the Navy.