Lingerie tycoon dies three weeks after robbers launched savage attack in a …

• Tony Power was the founder of top
  lingerie firm Panache whose underwear is worn by Scarlett
  Johannson, Holly Willoughby and Katie Price
• Mr Power had gone to a park to look for
  his missing brother when he was attacked
• He was found unconscious and was left with fractured skull and bleeding on the brain
• Police confirmed that he died from his injuries over the weekend

By
Steve Nolan

PUBLISHED:

15:49 EST, 29 October 2012

|

UPDATED:

07:02 EST, 30 October 2012

Attack: Tony Power, 78, was the founder of top
lingerie firm Panache whose underwear is worn by Hollywood star Scarlett
Johannson, TV presenter Holly Willoughby and Jordan aka Katie Price

An entrepreneur who set up a multi-million-pound lingerie firm from his garage has died after he was beaten during a park robbery earlier this month.

Anthony Power, 78, was found with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain after the attack on October 8, which took place at High Hazels Park just a few miles from his home in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

Police confirmed today that Mr Power, who founded the Panache lingerie firm, died from his injuries over the weekend.

Detectives believe that the attack on Mr Power may have been an attempt to steal his £180,000 Bentley Continental, which was parked nearby.

He suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.

The attack happened after Mr Power drove to the park – seven miles from his home in Bradway, Sheffield – to look for his elderly brother because he was concerned for his welfare.

His brother was later found safe and well.

Mr Power, who was being treated in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, made his fortune as he went from selling bras from his garage to supplying lingerie across the globe.

His rags to riches tale began in the early 1980s when he was made redundant from Playtex where he worked as a salesman.

His commercial brainwave was to realise there was a gap in the market for lingerie aimed at curvier women and he set up his company, Panache, in 1982 with money from mortgaging his house.

Crime scene: A police cordon at the scene where Mr Power was attacked in High Hazels Park, Sheffield

Today, the international firm has
annual sales of £23million and its bras are supplied to major high
street and online retailers.

Underwear: Model wears a Panache bra. The label was launched by Mr Power in 1982

Its products have received celebrity
backing from the likes of actress Scarlett Johansson and TV presenter
Holly Willoughby. Mr Power, who lived with his wife Maureen, stepped
down from running Panache in 2008

The Sheffield-based company also has offices in New York, Germany and Hong Kong and employs 200 employees.

The company is currently run by Mr Power’s sons, John, who he worked alongside for almost two decades, and Danny who is the business development director.

He also had two daughters, Siobhan and Louise and a number of grandchildren.

The business won a Queen’s Enterprise award in 2002 and now has several separate brands – including Panache Superbra and Panache Swimwear.

A spokesman for Panache said shortly after the attack on October 8: ‘As a close, family-run company, this
incident has come as a big shock and our thoughts and prayers are with
the Power family at this difficult and private time.’

Residents in Mr Power’s neighbourhood expressed their shock at the time.

A local man, Imran Khan, 30, has been charged with attempted murder and robbery in connection with the incident.

A 30-year-old man from nearby Darnall,
Sheffield, has been charged with attempted murder and robbery

Police confirmed that Mr Power died from his injuries, sustained in High Hazels Park (pictured), at the weekend

The firm said in a statement: ‘It has come as a great shock to us all at Panache Lingerie that founder former chairman Anthony Power, who was the victim of a horrific attack in a Sheffield park on Monday 8th October, sadly due to his injuries, passed away with his family around him on Friday night at the Northern General hospital.

‘Anthony Power established Panache, the lingerie manufacturer, over 30 years ago as A, J D Marketing after working for many years in the lingerie industry.

‘An entrepreneur, Anthony Power built up the business, now known as Panache Lingerie from scratch. The company now employs over 170 staff members worldwide in the Sheffield, New York, Germany Hong Kong offices with Panache’s brands being sold in over 38 countries worldwide.

‘In 2007 at the age of 73, grandfather of eight Anthony, handed over the role of Chairman Managing Director to his son, John Power, who occupies this position today alongside his brother Danny Power who is Business Development Director in what is an extremely close, family run company with over 120 employees in the local area.

‘The thoughts and prayers of everyone within Panache are with the Power family at this difficult and private time,’ the statement said.

• 
  Obama declares ‘major disaster’ in New York as 17 people die…
  
• 
  Bartender ‘threatened with arrest by Google heavies’ after…
  
• 
  Mega church pastor beaten to death with electric guitar by…
  
• 
  BREAKING NEWS: Superstorm Sandy finally makes landfall as…
  
• 
  Crowd boos and walks out on Madonna after she backs Obama at…
  
• 
  Pictured: Crew member who died alongside captain of HMS…
  
• 
  The lights go out in New York: One MILLION without power as…
  
• 
  Atlantic City shutdown: Shelters ‘filled to capacity’ and…
  
• 
  Millions of terrified Americans wake to life after Sandy:…
  
• 
  Hurricane Sandy’s best wipeouts! The fearless TV reporters…
  
• 
  Teetering on the brink: The moment high winds ripped crane…
  
• 
  Chinese man sues his wife for being ugly, and the court…
  

Share this article:

Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.

Share and Enjoy

‘RHOM’: Breaking Down the Drama from the Craziest Lingerie Party Ever

If you still weren’t sold that season 2 of The Real Housewives of Miami is any better than the flop of the first season, last night’s insane lingerie party must have changed your mind. Not since the days of Danielle Staub of The Real Housewives of New Jersey have we seen shenanigans like this. Let’s evaluate the fights from last night’s episode and try to make sense of it all.

Round 1: Joanna vs. Joe Francis

The first round happened in the first episode of this two-part lingerie party, but it’s important because it’s the first thing that started to get Joanna riled up. After Girls Gone Wild founder Joe went around telling the whole party that he’d slept with both Joanna and her sister, Marta, Joanna was immediately put on the defensive and dealt with that by a short but shrieky confrontation and a few cocktails.

Winner: Joanna. Joe was acting like a creep, and this point, even Lea Black, who brought Joe to the party, was willing to be on Joanna’s side. 

Round 2: Joanna and Karent vs. Marysol

After the staunch PETA activist and animal rights defender saw Marysol Patton arrive to the party wearing a fur stole that had been in her family for three generations, Joanna did what any sane person would have done and sent her friend (or as Marysol put it, the “carrier pigeon”) Karent Sierra to confront her. Marysol listened respectfully and then dismissed both Karent and Joanna, while Joanna continued to drink more and spew hateful and mean things about Marysol behind her back, including saying that Marysol was going to go to hell for wearing fur.

Winner: Marysol. Contrary to Joanna’s insane beliefs, wearing fur remains a personal decision, albeit a controversial one, and not punishable by death or hell fire.

Round 3: Elaine Lancaster (aka James) vs. Bo

So let’s call a spade a spade here and just say that Bo was acting like a little bitch, so Elaine pushed him in the pool.

Winner: Elaine. Duh.

Round 4: Lisa vs. The Party

After the splash from Bo’s little dip in the pool caused the DJ equipment to short circuit and the music and the party to come to a screeching halt, the hostess of the lingerie party, Lisa Hochstein, had a legit freak-out. She was screaming that there was no fighting allowed in her house and that everyone was ruining everything. But instead of actually throwing people out of her party (take a cue from Housewives before you act like Melissa Gorga throwing Kim G. out of a Christmas party or Kim Zolciak throwing her own mother out of her wedding), she just threw a temper tantrum. This would have been the perfect opportunity to have security escort some of the problems from the premises.

Winner: The Party. Maybe if Lisa had taken said opportunity, she wouldn’t have had to witness the next few rounds.

Round 5: Adriana vs. Karent

We all know that Adriana has a huge problem with Karent for being so nice and smiling too much (seriously), so she thought that this would be a good time to air her grievances. Think of the RHOC “Phony Intervention,” but on steroids. Karent listened calmly, while Adriana got more and more heated calling her out.

Winner: Karent. As Camille Grammer once said, the one who loses their cool is the one who loses the argument, and Adriana was definitely losing her cool. We should all try to live by the wise words of Queen Camille.

Round 6: Adriana vs. Joanna

While Adriana was busy yelling at Karent for being fake, Joanna stepped in to see if she could help her friend who she was afraid was being ganged up on because, well, she was. Adriana rudely told her to butt out, even though she was happy to have Alexia engage in her conversation with Karent at the last party, and also spouted off some rude nonsense about Joanna being just a Polish immigrant wannabe. That set Joanna off, who had been working hard making a career for herself as a model for the past 12 years, and was definitely one of the most famous of any cast member in her pre-Housewives role.

To Adriana’s credit, she did try to disengage from the situation, but Joanna felt the need to have her argument heard and she chased Adriana down the hallway. And then Adriana snapped. She turned around and punched Joanna in the face.

Winner: Neither. While it should never come to physically putting your hands on someone, it’s not hard to see why Adriana felt the urge to punch Joanna. She was chasing her so she felt attacked, and not to mention Joanna’s screaming drunken voice is really annoying. On the other hand, Adriana’s comments to Joanna, especially about being an immigrant since she herself is one, were really nasty and unnecessary.

So who won the episode overall? I’d have to say Lea Black, who amazingly somehow managed to be right in the center of most of the drama without actually having to be involved in it. Not to mention, she doubled her donation to Lisa’s breast cancer charity, which was what this whole mess was supposed to be about in the first place.

(Image and videos courtesy of Bravo)

Share and Enjoy