Leading headwear producer relocating and bringing jobs to Carlisle

Sharon Lee Ltd, established in 1947, will move its headquarters and production facilities from Braintree, Essex, to Carlisle’s Warwick Mill Business Village, aiming to be fully operational by January.

The business specialises in branded and customised headwear, such as baseball caps and beanies.

Over the years, the company has produced merchandise for some of the biggest bands in the world, blue-chip companies, fashion retailers, and Premier League football clubs.

The firm’s CEO, Lee Parkin, is excited to bring ‘one of the leading headwear producers in Europe’ to his home city of Carlisle.

“For us, we’re passionate about UK manufacturing, and being from Carlisle, it’s great to be able to bring job creation to the area,” he said. 

Lee and team next to Sharon Lee merchandise (Image: Supplied)

“Carlisle has had its challenges in terms of manufacturing around, we’ve lost companies even on this Warwick Mill site, so it’s nice to be able to fill that gap,” Lee said. 

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The relocation will initially create around 15 roles, including embroidery operatives overseeing the production line, with other positions in warehouse operations and office administration also available. 

“The 15 roles should in theory grow because the site will give us more scalability and manufacturing space to expand,” Lee said. 

“There are plenty of advantages of coming to Carlisle, there are a lot of skills around here that we look to tap into.” 

Lee, who also runs Pendeford Housewares, first took over the family-run business around two years ago, continuing the legacy of one of the first companies to bring this type of business to the UK.

A significant part of Sharon Lee’s relocation is focused on advancing its products and services while supporting its sustainability goals. 

The new facility will feature a biomass boiler system, allowing the company to continue cutting its carbon footprint as it works toward its net-zero emissions target by 2030.

This new infrastructure is set to strengthen the company’s ability to meet the growing demand for eco-friendly products like its Repreve brand, which turns plastic bottles destined for landfill into headwear.

Whilst the firm relocates its headquarters and production warehouse to Carlisle, they will continue to run a marketing office in Essex. 

Anyone interested in finding out more about the roles on offer, in which training will be provided, can get in touch with the firm via info@sharonleeltd.co.uk or through Indeed job postings.