Gentlemen’s Outfitter – Our History

Our History — F. Hazell Smith, Gentlemen’s Outfitter Since 1902

F. Hazell Smith & Co. has stood on Regent Street in Royal Leamington Spa since 1902. In that time we have weathered two world wars, the rise and fall of more fashion trends than we care to count, and every shift in how British men think about what they wear. We are still here. The shop looks different. The cloth has changed. The standards have not.

Established 1902 — Leamington Spa’s Original Gentlemen’s Outfitter

The shop was founded at the turn of the twentieth century, when Leamington Spa was a town of considerable social ambition and its gentlemen dressed to match. The Edwardian wardrobe was a serious affair — formal, structured and maintained with care. From the beginning, F. Hazell Smith was the place Leamington’s men came to be properly dressed.

Over the decades that followed, the shop became a fixture of Warwickshire commercial life. Fathers brought their sons for first suits. Grooms arrived nervous and left, we like to think, considerably more composed. Generations of men from Leamington Spa, Warwick, Kenilworth, Stratford-upon-Avon, Rugby and Coventry found here what they could not find elsewhere: honest advice, quality cloth, and a genuine interest in getting the fit right.

A Family Business, Passed Through Generations

F. Hazell Smith has always been run as a family business. The knowledge we carry is not the product of a training manual — it comes from decades of standing in front of men of every shape and age, learning what works, and developing the kind of judgement that cannot be taught in a week. Our staff have, in most cases, been with us for many years. Some for the better part of their working lives.

We have watched the rise of online retail, the collapse of several well-known menswear names, and the growing appetite among younger men for clothing with genuine provenance and longevity. We welcome all of it — because it speaks to exactly what we have always believed. Buy well. Buy once. Know what you are buying, and why.

Why Visit a Traditional Gentlemen’s Outfitter in Leamington Spa?

There is a reason we are still here after 120 years, and it is not sentiment. It is utility. The men who visit F. Hazell Smith leave with clothing that fits, suits their life, and will last. They leave having spoken to someone who knows about cloth, cut, proportion and occasion — someone who will tell them the truth rather than what they want to hear. That service is genuinely hard to find in an era of fast fashion and anonymous online retail.

We stock men’s blazers, tweed jackets, waistcoats, overcoats, shirts, footwear, hats, scarves and accessories — all chosen with the same discernment we have applied since 1902. We are at 73–75 Regent Street, Royal Leamington Spa, CV32 5DX. Open Monday to Saturday, 9.00am to 5.00pm. No appointment necessary, though always welcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was F. Hazell Smith founded?

F. Hazell Smith was founded in 1902 on Regent Street, Royal Leamington Spa. We have traded continuously from that address for over 120 years, making us one of Warwickshire’s longest-established independent menswear retailers.

Where is F. Hazell Smith located?

We are at 73–75 Regent Street, Royal Leamington Spa, CV32 5DX — in the heart of the town centre. We are within easy reach of Warwick, Kenilworth, Stratford-upon-Avon, Rugby and Coventry.

What do you sell at F. Hazell Smith?

We stock a full range of classic British menswear including blazers, tweed jackets, waistcoats, overcoats, formal and casual shirts, quality footwear, flat caps, scarves, bow ties, cufflinks, wallets and gentlemen’s accessories. All are chosen for quality, longevity and traditional British character.

Do you offer clothing alterations in Leamington Spa?

Yes — we provide an in-store alterations service on the garments we sell. Whether a jacket needs a sleeve shortened or a trouser taken in, speak to our staff and we will advise on what can be done.