Fownes Brothers & Co., Inc.

Fownes Brothers and Co., Inc. was established in 1777 by John and Thomas Fownes in the English city of Worcester; a prosperous and prestigious glove trade center. Fownes Brothers entered the American market in 1887 with a sales office in New York City. The New York office is maintained to this day and has become the global headquarters for sales, merchandising and design. Fownes Brothers established manufacturing facilities in Gloversville and Amsterdam, N.Y. in 1903. In the late 1950’s manufacturing shifted from the US and the Caribbean basin, to the Far East. First came the Philippines in 1959, then Southern China in 1984. Both facilities are still in operation to this day. With a growing international business, Fownes established an office in Shanghai in 2002 to address the needs of its global customers. In addition to offering comprehensive sales, merchandising and design services, the Shanghai office coordinates sourcing, quality control, quality assurance, product development, and production logistics for all Asian operations. Fownes patented and trademarked the UR Powered technology and name in 2011. The product offering is a collaborative blend of technology and design for people living in a modern world. In 2014, Fownes Brothers acquired Tabar Inc. and created Fownes Performance Group. This further expanded its footprint into the technical glove market, with expertise in the design and development of highly specialized and discipline specific handwear. A Fownes Hong Kong office was founded in 2015 to handle Fownes Performance Group’s sourcing, quality control, quality assurance, product development and production logistics. Fownes newest global expansion continues in 2016 with a Fownes Canada sales office in Montreal and a distribution center in Toronto. Fownes is a privately held family run company headquartered in New York City with offices in Gloversville NY, Shanghai, Bethel CT, Bellingham WA, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Montreal.