Levi to Sell Brittania Sportswear Line

Levi Strauss & Co. said it plans to sell its Brittania Sportswear Ltd., which makes discount clothing, to focus on its premium brands of Levi jeans, Dockers slacks and Slates dress pants. The Brittania brand, while popular in the 1970s and 1980s, has performed poorly in recent years, analysts said. Levi hasn’t supported the line with advertising, and many stores are developing their own brand names, an industry spokesman said. Renton, Wash.-based Brittania employs about 120 people to make jeans, leather goods and underwear. San Francisco-based Levi bought the company from Asian Pacific Industries in 1987. Closely held Levi Strauss is the world’s largest maker of brand-name clothing and the second-biggest maker of jeans in the U.S. The company employs about 37,500 people.