History of Tejay

Tejay Sportswear, established by the father and son duo of the late John Smith and his eldest son Terry in 1984, is now recognised as one of the leading manufacturers of football, rugby and hockey socks in the UK.  Located in Grace Road, Leicester the company which designs and manufactures wholly in the UK has in excess of 40 staff and supplies socks to a host of household name kit suppliers and clubs.

From humble beginnings in 1984 Terry acquired (with help from Dad John) 6 Komet machines from his then insolvent employer Stormhurst and set up in The Magazine manufacturing a range of football socks to satisfy initially some of the clients of Stormhurst.  John joined Terry soon after and together this formidable partnership began to build their business empire.  A news clipping from the 1984 Leicester Mercury which was showcasing a council initiative featured a fledgling TeJay , informing the readers of Johns move from being a Painter and Decorator and Terry’s plan for the future

“By the end of 1984 I want a further six Komets” says Terry “It was either that or being unemployed. I wish i ‘d done it years ago”

The 90’s saw a boom in football as the English teams were allowed back into Europe and the Premiership started in earnest and this upsurge created a knock on effect with demand increasing for the Tejay service and portfolio.  Tejay had outgrown The Magazine requiring them to upsticks and relocate the business to Knighton Lane.  Investment in new technology and advanced machinery allowed them to stay one step ahead of the competition and the name of Tejay quickly spread amongst the kit suppliers, realising that as more money was poured into the game the demand for increased levels of sophistication and performance from players at both professional and amateur levels would increase, so they turned to Tejay to help them out.  The result was the Eurosock.  A sock devised and designed by Tejay and which has become the mainstay product used by professionals and amateurs alike, The Euro sock has been replicated and many of Tejay’s competitors use the name Euro to identify the content, structure and performance – a fine compliment to Tejay indeed!

1994 saw the turnover double and an increased demand from not only their core business of football but with the impending shift to the professional era for rugby union and enquiries from other sports such as hockey, it was clear that Tejay had to react to be in place to benefit.  This demand meant more investment and the need for more space.  Following a massive logistical effort Tejay secured and moved into its new home at 67 Grace Road.  Grace Road, a hop, skip and a jump from Knighton Road is famous as it houses Leicestershire County Cricket Club, now the distinct sound of leather on willow blends with the gentle hum of the knitting machines.   In April 1995 when interviewed for the business supplement of a regional newspaper Terry commented

“When we started out, we never dreamed we would see Tejay grow this successfully, so quickly”

On the 6th April 2000, John Smith, shareholder and part of the management team passed away after a short illness.  John’s contribution to Tejay was invaluable and his character, resolve and love of life still resound throughout the company.  His caring approach to the staff, suppliers and customers is something his family still maintain to this day, he was so loved that his service and subsequent wake was standing room only as his friends came to celebrate his life.
We jump forward to 2002 and the ever increasing order book facilitated further expansion and Tejay established a new additional area of 73 Grace Road, this was to become the new office suite and despatch area, creating much needed space for Terry’s plans to develop the range.

During this period of growth – in spite of the trend to source from emerging Asian markets, Tejay has remodelled its portfolio and continued in its core values of quick turnaround bespoke services and has managed to maintain its position of the leader with its loyal customer base.  Investment, design and global sourcing of supplies has played a major part in retaining their position.

As we approach a new decade, Tejay are in good shape with new developments around the corner which will yet again move the industry forward, whilst retaining the values Terry and John started some 25 years ago of British manufactured, innovative sports performance socks that truly exceed the expectations of all that wear them.