ercol, founded in 1920 and now one of Britain’s best known furniture companies, has announced the appointment of Sophie Mirman as a non-executive director on the board of Ercol Holdings with immediate effect.
Sophie Mirman's career started in 1974 in the typing pool of Marks and Spencer. She was quickly promoted to work for Lord Sieff, the then Chairman, before joining its management training scheme.
In 1981, Sophie started Tie Rack, working for a group of financial investors. It was here that she met her husband, Richard, and the pair left to found Sock Shop in 1983, taking the company public in 1987. In 1988, Sophie received the prestigious Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year Award, as well as the Marketing Woman of the Year Award. The economic turmoil of the late 1980s saw Sock Shop go into administration but in 1990, as a tribute to her determination and resilience, she received the Motivator of the Year Award.
In 1989, inspired by their three year old daughter Natasha, and one year old son William, Sophie and Richard launched a new company, Trotters, a chain of childrenswear shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, books and with a hairdressing salon in each shop. Sophie and her husband still run the company and their eldest daughter recently joined the firm as finance director.
Edward Tadros, ercol’s chairman, says: “I am delighted that Sophie is joining our board. She brings with her valuable experience of retail and marketing, both areas that are highly relevant to the continuing growth of ercol.”
