What Aykroyd & Sons does

Aykroyd & Sons Limited is a UK-based, family-owned manufacturer and wholesaler of licensed character apparel, founded in Manchester in 1918 and currently in its sixth generation of family ownership. The company designs and supplies five core product categories — nightwear (its founding and lead category), daywear, swimwear, loungewear and underwear — across both children's and adults' segments, underpinned by a portfolio of 150+ licenses with Disney, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Netflix, Mattel, the England FA and 12+ other football clubs. Sub-brands such as 'Fam Jam's' (matching family pyjamas) and the Sports & Lifestyle range extend the proposition into family gifting and sports fandom use cases.

The business operates a B2B wholesale model, selling through dedicated Sales Account Managers, a Senior Sales Manager and a wholesale portal to retail and wholesale customers primarily across the UK and EU. Operations are distributed across an Altrincham head office (kids design, tech, compliance), a Leek office (adults design), a Bala warehouse and distribution centre, and sourcing offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Manufacturing was moved offshore in 2007 and is now contracted to suppliers in India, Bangladesh, China and Turkey; the company holds a Modern Slavery Act 2015 policy and publishes ethical standards on its website.

Revenue is generated from one-time wholesale sales of licensed garments under quote-based B2B terms that are not publicly disclosed. The company has no public funding, no external investors and no reported acquisitions, and supplements its B2B sales motion with an active consumer-facing social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn to drive retail pull-through.

Name

Aykroyd & Sons

Legal name

Aykroyd & Sons Limited

Website

https://aykroyds.shop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Aykroyd & Sons is a UK-based, family-owned designer and B2B wholesaler of licensed character apparel, supplying nightwear, daywear, swimwear, loungewear and underwear for kids and adults under 150+ licenses from Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros, Netflix, Mattel and football clubs, to retailers across the UK and EU.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Licensed Apparel Manufacturing

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159)

SIC

Women's, Misses', Children's & Infants' Undergarments (2340)

akta.pro primary industry

Intimates, Hosiery & Sleepwear Wholesale (CRAOADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids’ & Baby Apparel Retail (CRAAABAD), Underwear & Socks (Children) (CRAAAHAI)

Keywords

• Licensed apparel manufacturing
• Character nightwear wholesale
• Branded clothing distributor
• Licensed swimwear production
• Family matching pyjamas

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Licensed Apparel Sales (Wholesale/B2B): Aykroyd & Sons generates revenue through the design, manufacture, and wholesale sale of licensed apparel including nightwear, daywear, swimwear, and loungewear. The company operates as a B2B supplier to retail customers, selling through wholesale channels rather than direct-to-consumer retail. Their revenue is derived from product sales to retailers and wholesale distributors across the UK and EU markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Aykroyd & Sons designs, manufactures, and wholesales licensed apparel spanning nightwear, daywear, swimwear, loungewear, and underwear for adults and children. The company holds 150+ character and brand licences (Disney, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Netflix, Mattel, England FA, and 12+ football clubs) and supplies retailers with family-matching collections under proprietary ranges such as Fam Jam's.

Product overview

Aykroyd & Sons is a licensed apparel company offering a multi-category product portfolio built around licensed character clothing. The core offerings span Nightwear (the founding and leading category), Daywear, Swimwear, Loungewear, and Underwear across Children's and Adults segments. The company has expanded into Family Pyjamas ('Fam Jam's') and 'Mini Me' matching collections, as well as Sports & Lifestyle apparel. Products feature licensed franchises from major partners including Disney, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Netflix, and Mattel. The portfolio includes over 150+ licenses and serves both wholesale and retail customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nightwear Licensed character nightwear range (pyjamas, dressing gowns) for adults and children, sold wholesale to retailers across the UK and EU.

Quantifiable outcome

• Leading license supplier recognized for innovative designs and premium fabric selections

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DisneycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for character apparel. Disney is one of the major licensors in Aykroyd's portfolio of 150+ licenses, enabling the design and manufacture of Disney-branded nightwear, daywear, and swimwear for children and adults.
• ParamountcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for character apparel. Part of the extensive portfolio of franchises from leading partners enabling licensed apparel across multiple product categories.
• UniversalcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for character apparel. Universal is one of the major entertainment company partners in Aykroyd's licensing portfolio.
• Warner BroscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for character apparel. Major entertainment licensor enabling branded apparel collections.
• NetflixcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for streaming content character apparel. Emerging partnership category for modern entertainment properties.
• MattelcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for toy brand character apparel including properties like Barbie. Enables diverse licensed apparel offerings.
• England FA (Football Association)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSports licensing partnership covering England national football team branded nightwear, loungewear and swimwear. Part of growing football offering.
• International Football ClubscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPartnerships with over 12 football clubs including 2 international teams for sports and lifestyle themed licensed apparel across nightwear, loungewear and swimwear.
• Mickey & Friends (Disney)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSpecific character licensing for Disney's Mickey Mouse and Friends franchise for nightwear and apparel.
• I am Groot (Marvel/Disney)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMarvel Guardians of the Galaxy character licensing for apparel collections.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Matalan: UK mass-market apparel retailer with deep licensed and character apparel ranges for kids and adults — a downstream buyer of Aykroyd and adjacent listed-apparel competitor.
• George at Asda: Mass-market UK own-label clothing brand with a large licensed childrenswear line — overlapping product, channels, and customer base with Aykroyd's licensed apparel wholesale model.
• Next plc: Major UK clothing retailer with broad licensed and own-brand childrenswear; serves as both a comparable diversified UK apparel business and a downstream customer for Aykroyd-style suppliers.

Direct peers

• Fashion UK Limited: UK-based wholesale manufacturer and supplier of licensed character apparel for children and adults — closest comparable to Aykroyd's B2B model, multi-category portfolio, and UK/EU retail customer base.
• Paul Brown & Sons (licensed apparel): UK licensed character apparel manufacturer focused on nightwear/pyjamas for the UK retail market — closely matching Aykroyd's product mix and customer base.
• David Luke: UK schoolwear and kidswear brand producing both uniform and licensed character apparel; comparable in size, UK wholesaler model, and licensed product focus.
• William T Harris: UK menswear and childrenswear manufacturer with licensed apparel programs — comparable as a UK-based B2B licensed apparel maker supplying multiple product categories.
• Blues Clothing Co: UK-based licensed children's apparel brand specializing in character and design-led kidswear — comparable targeting of mid-market retailers with character-led product.
• Character World: UK character merchandise manufacturer and wholesaler producing licensed nightwear, underwear, and loungewear for major entertainment franchises — directly comparable product/customer overlap.

Emerging players

• Hype: UK character-led youth streetwear and kidswear brand with strong licensing and social media presence — an emerging competitor capturing the same Gen Z/parent-buying audience for character apparel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aykroyds
• Facebookfacebook.com/Aykroyds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aykroyds-sons-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/aykroydandsons
• TikToktiktok.com/@aykroydandsons

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aykroyd & Sons