Dee Kay

Wholesale Knitwear Manufacturingdeekayknitwear.com

Dee Kay Knitwear is a UK-based wholesale knitwear manufacturer founded in 1992, serving schools, retail chains, independent retailers, and online retailers with custom schoolwear, menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, and seasonal knitwear produced at its Leicester factory.

Company typePrivate
Founded1992
HeadquartersLeicester, United Kingdom
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingHardware or Manufacturing

What Dee Kay does

Dee Kay Knitwear Ltd is a UK-based wholesale knitwear manufacturer founded in 1992 and headquartered at 61 Bradgate Street, Leicester. The company manufactures and supplies a comprehensive range of knitted garments including school uniforms, menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, and seasonal knitwear (including Christmas jumpers). Production is carried out in a single Leicester factory equipped with Shima Seiki NSSG 122 multi-gauge knitting machinery capable of producing knitwear across 5, 7, 10, and 12 gauge specifications, supported by an in-house embroidery design team and metal detection safety systems.

The business operates a pure B2B wholesale model, serving UK primary and secondary schools (its primary vertical), retail chains, independent retailers, and online retailers throughout the UK and internationally across Europe. The company does not sell direct-to-consumer. Pricing is quote-based with no publicly disclosed rates; customers contact the sales team via phone (0116 253 7560) or contact form for custom orders. Materials offered include 100% acrylic, cotton acrylic blends, wool acrylic blends, and 100% cotton.

Dee Kay is a privately held limited company with 11-50 employees, no institutional investment, no parent company structure, and no disclosed funding rounds or acquisitions. The company holds Sedex and Fast Forward audit compliance for ethical labour and workplace safety. Marketing is limited to a company website and Facebook presence, with sales driven by direct phone-based B2B outreach. Ownership and beneficial owner details are not publicly disclosed, suggesting founder/owner-operated governance.

Dee Kay firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Dee Kay
Legal name: Dee Kay Knitwear Ltd
Website: https://deekayknitwear.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1992
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Dee Kay Knitwear is a UK-based wholesale knitwear manufacturer founded in 1992, serving schools, retail chains, independent retailers, and online retailers with custom schoolwear, menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, and seasonal knitwear produced at its Leicester factory.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Dee Kay industry classification

Industry

Product category: Wholesale Knitwear Manufacturing
NAICS: Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (3152), Apparel Knitting Mills (3151)
SIC: Knit Outerwear Mills (2253), Knitting Mills (2250)
akta.pro primary industry: Knitwear & Sweaters Manufacturers (CRAAAAAJ)
akta.pro secondary industry: Children’s & Infant Apparel Cut & Sew (IMAOAEAJ)

Keywords

Wholesale knitwear manufacturing
School uniform knitwear
Custom knitwear design
Embroidered knitwear apparel
B2B knitwear supply

Where Dee Kay is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Leicester
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

Dee Kay business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Hardware or Manufacturing
Cost components: Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Wholesale Knitwear Sales: Manufactures and supplies high quality wholesale knitwear to schools, retail chains, independent retailers, and online retailers. Products include school uniforms, menswear, womenswear, childrens knitwear, and seasonal knitwear. Custom design and embroidery services available. Revenue generated through one-time wholesale transactions with retailers and schools.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Pay-as-you-go	Custom wholesale orders

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Dee Kay product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Dee Kay Knitwear manufactures and supplies wholesale knitwear products from its Leicester, UK facility to schools, retail chains, independent retailers, and online retailers throughout the UK. The company's product range covers school uniforms, men's, women's, and children's knitwear, plus seasonal lines including Christmas jumpers. It also offers in-house custom design and embroidery services for logos, text, and branding on knitwear orders.

Product overview

Dee Kay Knitwear is a UK-based knitwear manufacturer and wholesaler offering a comprehensive range of knitted garments. The product portfolio includes School Uniforms (jumpers, cardigans, scarves), Men's Knitwear (jumpers, cardigans, tank tops), Women's Knitwear (various necklines, cardigans, shrugs, wraps), Children's Knitwear, and Seasonal Knitwear (Christmas jumpers, gloves, hats, scarves). The company operates as a single unified offering focused on wholesale knitwear manufacturing and supply, with customization options including logos and embroidery for schools, retailers, and businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

School Uniform Knitwear

Companies that use Dee Kay

Customer profile

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Dee Kay technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Dee Kay partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Dee Kay competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

John Smedley: UK heritage knitwear manufacturer producing fine-gauge knitwear for premium retail and wholesale. Highly comparable as a knitwear-only manufacturer with similar B2B and DTC channels.
William Lockie: Scottish cashmere knitwear manufacturer producing wholesale knitwear. Comparable as a UK-based knitwear-only manufacturer with similar multi-gauge production capabilities.
Private White V.C. Manchester-based knitwear and outerwear manufacturer producing premium knitwear. Comparable as a UK-based manufacturer with multi-gauge capability and direct relationships with retailers.
Hawick Knitwear: Scottish knitwear manufacturer serving wholesale customers. Comparable as a UK-based smaller-scale knitwear manufacturer targeting retail and bespoke orders.

Broad incumbents

Barrie Knitwear: Scottish knitwear manufacturer owned by Chanel. Comparable as a UK heritage knitwear manufacturer serving luxury wholesale markets.
Pringle of Scotland: Heritage Scottish knitwear brand with global wholesale presence. Comparable as a UK knitwear manufacturer though much larger and more internationally focused.
Johnstons of Elgin: Scottish cashmere and fine knitwear manufacturer serving luxury retailers worldwide. Comparable as a UK-based vertical knitwear manufacturer with wholesale and DTC models.

Emerging players

S.E.H Kelly: UK-based knitwear maker with small-batch manufacturing. Comparable as a smaller UK knitwear producer with bespoke manufacturing capabilities.

Regional players

Banner Group: UK school uniform supplier offering knitwear including school jumpers and cardigans. Comparable as a competitor in the UK school uniform knitwear segment.
Trutex: UK school uniform specialist with strong presence in primary and secondary schools. Comparable as a UK school knitwear supplier competing for the same school contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Dee Kay compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance2 records

Dee Kay financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Dee Kay leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Dee Kay funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Dee Kay M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Dee Kay

What does Dee Kay do?

Is Dee Kay a public or private company?

Dee Kay is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Dee Kay founded?

Dee Kay was founded in 1992. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Dee Kay based?

Dee Kay is headquartered in Leicester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does Dee Kay make money?

One revenue line is on record: wholesale Knitwear Sales.

Who are Dee Kay's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are John Smedley, William Lockie, Private White V.C. and Hawick Knitwear. Broad incumbents are Barrie Knitwear, Pringle of Scotland and Johnstons of Elgin. S.E.H Kelly is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Banner Group and Trutex.

Does Dee Kay have an API?

No public API is recorded for Dee Kay.

What industry is Dee Kay in?

Dee Kay's product category is Wholesale Knitwear Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAAAAJ, Knitwear & Sweaters Manufacturers, with a secondary code of IMAOAEAJ, Children’s & Infant Apparel Cut & Sew. Its NAICS code is 3152 and its SIC code is 2253.