David Alliance: Lord Alliance of Manchester CBE has been one of Britain's foremost industrialists for more than fifty years. He was the founder and chairman of the online retailer N Brown Group and also of Coats Viyella, Europe's foremost textile company. He was made a peer in 2004. Ivan Fallon: Ivan Fallon was City Editor of the Sunday Telegraph and Deputy Editor and Business Editor of the Sunday Times. He is the author of six books, his first book, DeLorean (co-authored with James Srodes), was a Book of the Month choice in the U.S. He was CEO of Independent News & Media UK until 2010. Peter Mandelson: Lord Mandelson served as a Secretary for Trade and Industry under Prime Minister Tony Blair and as Secretary for State for Business under Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He was also the British EU Commissioner for Trade from 2004 to 2008.
Foreword ix
Preface xiii
Chapter 1: Kashan 1
Chapter 2: A Persian Childhood 13
Chapter 3: The Bazaar 29
Chapter 4: Manchester 47
Chapter 5: Thomas Hoghton 79
Chapter 6: Trouble at t'Mill 95
Chapter 7: Building a Business 103
Chapter 8: My Father 127
Chapter 9: Jack Menaged 139
Chapter 10: Mail Order 153
Chapter 11: Spirella 179
Chapter 12: Banking 195
Chapter 13: Toy Story 209
Chapter 14: Vantona 217
Chapter 15: The Shah 237
Chapter 16: Carrington Viyella 259
Chapter 17: Homa 283
Chapter 18: The Jews of Ethiopia 289
Chapter 19: Riding the Wave 313
Chapter 20: Nottingham 325
Chapter 21: Guinness 339
Chapter 22: Coats 347
Chapter 23: Good Times, Bad Times 359
Chapter 24: Tootal 365
Chapter 25: End of the Line 377
Chapter 26: N Brown 393
Chapter 27: In Sickness and in Health 397
Postscript 407
Index 419
