One of the oldest family-owned businesses in Inverurie has changed its name.

Celebrating 40 years in business, Gibbs of Inverurie has rebranded as Mitchell Scott in a move that will see the family-owned retailer shift its focus to kilt hire while continuing to build on its own bespoke Highland wear business.

For owners Barry and Janice Gibb, it’s business as usual as they have been using the name Mitchell Scott for several years within their tailored branding division – it is derived from both their families through the generations.

Barry explains: “The name has been used to identify our bespoke tailored brand for years, but that side of the business has grown enormously recently. Therefore, we’ve decided to focus on Highland wear and tailoring as the core of the business, hence shifting away from stocking other menswear.”

While the last two years have been the most difficult and disruptive the company has ever experienced as the wedding side of the business took a big hit, Mitchell Scott has seen a huge return from customers and is looking to the year ahead with great confidence.

Mitchell Scott’s extensive range of Highland wear showcases more than 100 outfit combinations and it expects to expand the tailoring side of the business by least 75%.

As one of Aberdeenshire’s leading retailers and kilt hire businesses, the company was originally an outdoor and workwear shop, set up in 1982 in West High Street by Barry’s parents, Robert and Jennifer Gibb. When he joined the family business in 1993, he took the it in a different direction, diversifying into Highland wear.

“The Gibbs name has become renowned as a men’s retailer and it continues to be a family-run business,” Barry adds; “However, we’ve evolved over the years and are now shifting the focus due to the demand for bespoke tailoring and Highland wear.

“I started out with just 40 kilts and jackets back in the early 1990s and we now average about 150 kilt hires a week in the height of season. We’ve started 2022 with over 50 appointments for our tailoring service and envisage this to grow considerably throughout the year with people travelling from as far afield as Edinburgh and Glasgow for the experience.

“We have lots of plans but fundamentally for our customers the face of the business won’t change apart from the name above the door.”
www.gibbsmenswear.co.uk