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New Seaford parent may expand Rock Island clothier
Originally Posted Online: June 26, 2009, 8:00 pm
Last Updated: June 26, 2009, 9:15 pm
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Print this story | Email this storyLast Updated: June 26, 2009, 9:15 pm
By Stephen Elliott, selliott@qconline.com
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The pending sale of Seaford Clothing's parent company could mean additional jobs for the Rock Island plant. Britian's Emerisque Brands and SKNLNorth America won court approval late Thursday to acquire Hart Schaffner Marx, the parent of Seaford Clothing Co., for about $128 million. The sale to Emerisque could save nearly 4,000 jobs, including 1,000 in Illinois, according to U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, D-Rock Island. Of those Illinois jobs, 350 are at the Seaford plant in Rock Island. Rep. Hare praised the bankruptcy court's approval of the sale. Friday, his spokesman Tim Schlittner, confirmed that one possibility is more jobs could be coming to the Rock Island plant. One of the possibilities Emerisque is considering is closing a Hart Schaffner Marx plant in Alabama that makes pants and moving those jobs to an expanded plant in Rock Island. "It's one of the possibilities the new buyer is considering," Mr. Schlittner said. "It's not set in stone by any means. "If it means an expanded plant in Rock Island, obviously Congressman Hare would welcome it greatly." The bankruptcy deal should be finalized July 7, according to Mr. Schlittner. Rep. Hare, who once worked at Seaford Clothing, said the deal is proof that the voices of America's working men and women still matter. The 120-year-old Hart Schaffner Marx filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January after banks cut off its credit. Wells Fargo had pushed to liquidate Hart Schaffner Marx because it hasn't been able to repay $114 million. Carreen Winters, a spokesperson for Emerisque, did not respond to e-mailed questins on Friday. Karen Kinney, who heads Seaford's workers union, Local 617 of the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board, also could not be reached for comment on Friday. In April, Rep. Hare blamed Hart Schaffner Marx's financial troubles on the economy rather than bad financial decisions. 
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