Future all sewn up for suit hire shop
A long-running suit hire business in Manawatu¯ was hanging by a thread until it was sold to a prominent tailor. It’s the second time in two years Van Meer Suit Hire, founded by the Wilton family three decades ago, has been sold. Veronica and John Woodhouse found they needed to sell the business after John’s health suddenly deteriorated months after they bought the Palmerston North shop. The couple struggled to find a buyer and were on the point of closing down when a merger deal with The Hussif tailors materialised. Woodhouse said it took a year to find a buyer, largely because of the high value of the suits in stock. They held out in hope so as not to let down their specialised customers. Van Meer has filled a niche for very large and particularly small men, who couldn’t get suits of the right size anywhere else. ‘‘We couldn’t leave them with nowhere to go . . . and Van Meer has helped Palmerston North boys learn how to dress sharply for decades, it would be sad if it closed completely,’’ she said. The Woodhouses offered the business to mother-and-daughter team Vicky Coley and Katrina Plank, who co-own The Hussif tailors. Coley said Van Meer would continue largely as it was, except it would be run alongside their tailoring business on Broadway Ave. ‘‘We’d like to expand Van Meer, but it all depends on how the two companies run together.’’ Plank said the two companies complemented each other and both have a long and successful track record. The Hussif has tailored and repaired clothing in Palmerston North for 35 years, and Van Meer’s has been established for 27 years.