THE Lurgan based shirt manufacturer, Sherman Cooper, has secured a deal with the jeans company Levi Strauss to market its range of casual shirts in a new fashion chain being opened around Europe by the US company. The chain consists of around 100 franchise stores under the Dockers name. The first one has already opened in Amsterdam, and the first UK store is expected to open in Sheffield before Christmas.

Sherman Cooper employs 250 people in Lurgan and Derry, and has a turnover of around £25 million sterling. Export manager Mr David Humphrey said the aim was to expand the company's business throughout Europe.

"The Levi connection is just one part of that," he said. "We are already established in Germany, Denmark. Spain and Austria, and we are looking for a distribution agreement in Italy."

Sherman Cooper, which was taken over in a management buy out three years ago, also owns the London based swimwear company Neal and Cooper and markets ladies' swimwear under the Slix brand. Its Ben Sherman shirts, which were highly popular during the 1960s, have made a comeback in the past few years, partly through being regularly worn by pop groups like Blur and Oasis.