The UK's only manufacturer of clerical clothing and academic gowns has announced it is to close by the end of the year, after 220 years of trading.
Wippell & Co began in Devon in 1789, as a grocer, but went on to be an academic and clerical outfitter, and supplier of church furnishings. With sites in Exeter, Westminster in London and New Jersey, USA, some 44 employees will be affected, but the company said "support and consultation around the redundancy process is now underway".
The announcement comes after two difficult years trading during the pandemic, with the company "losing hundreds of thousands of pounds" as university graduation ceremonies and other face-to-face events stopped.
