Bespoke glove makers Chester Jefferies to close

Young people lack interest in working at Dorset-based factory on old-fashioned craft', says founder's son

For over 85 years, Chester Jefferies has made gloves fit for a Queen. But now, the company that once supplied the royal family is closing down, with its owner saying many young people lack the interest or patience to take on the old-fashioned craft".

Mark Pearce, who has worked at Chester Jefferies glove makers in Gillingham, Dorset, since he was 14, alongside his father who founded the company, predicted that the bespoke industry could cease to exist in Britain within 10 years.