1970s Raymond Barker opened his first clothing store in 1972, on the corner of Victoria and High Streets of the Auckland CBD. The store faced stiff competition from 36 other specialist menswear retailers in the central city, with some threatening to cancel orders with suppliers and wholesalers that did business with Barker. The store sold original designs rather than those of major manufacturers. Barker's charismatic 18-year-old salesman, Jeff Parsonson, went on to become his business partner. Max Fashions was established separately in the 1980s by David Wright. It then came under the ownership of private equity companies, including
Ezibuy and its parent company. Retail and wholesale operator Ben Nathan owned the chain for a period; it had 18 stores during this time. In 2006, Barkers had 19 stores. In May 2018,
First Union New Zealand accused Max Fashion (under its previous ownership) of requiring staff to work unpaid. Max Fashion said it had only received one complaint, from a staff member who worked 15 minutes over time under their contractual obligations. In October 2018, Barkers announced it had acquired Max Fashion, giving it a combination of 40 Max stores, 30 Barkers stores, and a total of 600 stores. It also confirmed plans for an additional Barkers store at
Commercial Bay Shopping Centre. Barkers and Max stores were required to close during the
COVID-19 lockdown, like all clothing stores. Both chains applied for a government wage subsidy for more than 100 staff. The restrictions caused a major loss of revenue for Max Fashion, increasing its debt to Barkers and creditors. It proposed closing 17 stores, bringing its store count to 23. By 2022, 32 Max Fashion stores were still operating. ==References==