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Weather provides final nail for Au Naturale

Homewares retailer Au Naturale and sister clothing chain Ethel Austin have again fallen into administration, with last month’s poor weather blamed for hitting cashflow.

Geoff Bouchier, partner at administrator MCR says stores will remain open while it tries to find a buyer or buyers.

‘In the current economic climate there are no guarantees that purchasers will be found. We are reviewing the financial position of the companies and are at this stage, unable to rule out store closures and redundancies.

‘There is no doubt in our mind that the onset of the global economic crisis has hit the retail sector particularly hard. As a consequence of this the companies have struggled to secure funders, which in turn has impacted their ability to generate sales revenue.

‘This has been compounded by poor trading conditions in January attributed to the adverse weather conditions, which severely restricted the companies' cash flow. The companies have continued to seek additional finance up until very recently but without success,’ adds Bouchier.

Both chains were bought from administration in 2008 by Elaine McPherson, a former chief executive and joint owner of MK One.

MCR is allowing consumers with Au Naturale gift vouchers to use them for purchases, but only up to half of the value of the transaction.

Alno plans restructuring

Kitchen manufacturer Alno is to shed 13% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan to achieve a 5% profit margin by 2013.

As part of the Alno 2013 plan, the Alno, Wellmann, Impuls and Pino brands will be revised in terms of range and brand image and positioned more clearly in various price segments and sales channels both in Germany and abroad. The revised brand positioning could be seen as early as the Eurocucina show in Milan in April. It wants to harmonise product and production standards across the group, and boost the advantages of economy of scale.

‘Alno 2013 is a sustainable concept displaying the right balance between cost-reduction and growth measures, whereby we have examined in detail each element of the value-added chain enabling optimum effectiveness by the individual sub-projects. Although we have a tough task ahead of us, we are convinced that we will master it successfully. Everyone has acknowledged the fact that Alno 2013 is the best solution,’ says Jörg Deisel, Alno ceo.

‘Future serial production with high piece numbers for the Alno and Wellmann brands will be located in Enger while Pfullendorf will focus on selected special ranges, high-gloss kitchens, for example. This process will be accompanied by the transformation of Pfullendorf into a purely production location, including supporting administrative functions which will incur the loss of around 450 jobs over the next four years. At the same time, about 200 new jobs will be created in Enger with the result that almost 250 jobs will be struck group-wide by 2013 and utilisation of capacities at both locations increased significantly. The number of employees will thus be reduced from 1,900 today to around 1,650 by the end of 2013.’

Jonathon Wagstaff, Alno UK md added: ‘The 2013 strategy sets out a clear path for the company to grow with a consistent brand message and will ensure that we fully exploit synergies between each of the factories to maximise our operating efficiency and deliver excellence in customer service.’

Furniture growth continues at John Lewis

John Lewis has continued to enjoy strong furniture sales, with shoppers returning to its stores after the poor weather at the start of the year.

Sales in the week to 23 January were 15.7% higher and furniture almost 40% higher than in 2009.

‘Having traded strongly in the last few weeks, this week was no exception. Trade was helped by the snow finally melting away and customers' pent-up demand to get back to shopping. This gave us a buoyant start to the week which carried on through the week as the milder conditions stayed with us,’ says David Barford, John Lewis director of selling operations, region B.

‘Overall we beat last year by 15.7%. Online shopping continued to grow with strong sales against last year up 39.9%. The best day of the week against last year was Sunday at 41.1% and a double percentage increase from Monday through to the end of the week.

‘In branches we exceeded last year by 12.7% and 25 branches put on an increase, with Bluewater and Trafford leading the way at 27.7% and 20.9% respecively, and 10 other branches achieving double percentage increases, too.

‘It was a week of the old and the new on a merchandise front as the Clearance [sale] package continued to see a healthy sell-through rate and new season's stock also found favour, with customers keen to snap up the latest trend.

‘Home stole the show for merchandise with a great year-on-year result of 26.9%. Within Home, furniture had the biggest increase at 36.9%, but all four buying areas put on over 20% increases each.’

India Jane takes 'UK’s oldest store'

A furniture store has become the latest tenant in what is believed to be the oldest shop front in the UK.

India Jane has opened in the Three Old Arches shop, on Bridge Street, Chester, the frontage of which dates back to the 13th century.

Christine Lomax, who has opened the shop as the first India Jane franchise in the north of England, said the historic location added to the atmosphere.

‘It’s gorgeous and really adds to the whole feel of the shop – everyone who comes in notices it.’

End of an era

Interiors retailing in Southend is to see the end of an era in the summer, with the closure of LL Wellfare.

The Sutton Road store, which sells supplied furniture, carpets and electrical goods, is to close in June. ‘We have had a good innings and have built up a fantastic reputation in the town of which I am very proud,’ says Richard Wellfare, owner. His father Len started the business as a small second-hand furniture shop after leaving the navy in 1946. He took over from his father aged 20 in 1963.

‘I think that the service we have been able to provide over the years has been enhanced by the fact that most of our workers, including the ladies in the office, have been here for more than 30 years. Many customers have become our friends over the years. In fact, people who have heard about the closure have been coming to me in tears. We prided ourselves that every customer, whether they were buying a stool or the most expensive suite of furniture, got a very personal and friendly service.’

The upper floors of the building will be converted to flats while the ground floor will become a furniture only store under a new owner.

Crook and Wilby win awards at optimistic Interiors

Dining Station, a kitchen island/sideboard that transforms into a dining table/desk and Strange Behaviour, a free-standing coat hanger, won the furniture New Design Britain awards at Interiors 2010.

A mood of quiet optimism pervaded the exhibition as retailers sought out new products, despite the disappointment of early January when snow and ice kept shoppers from stores. Because of this, many retailers’ attention turned to having products available for the Easter Bank Holiday (2 April).

Retailers also seemed to be visiting more exhibitors before making their final purchasing decisions, rather than simply visiting existing suppliers and viewing new suppliers as an extra if time allowed.

Exhibitors also seemed to have gone to the show with more realistic expectations than in previous years, expectations that were more than met in the majority of cases.

Phil Crook’s research on domestic trends and in particular open plan living, saw the De Montfort furniture student create the multi-functional Dining Station that transforms from a kitchen island/sideboard into a dining table/desk. With an ergonomic, height adjustable tabletop he has given the Dining Station a contemporary aesthetic that would integrate both into a kitchen or open-plan dining area and will, he hopes, contribute to increasing the popularity of dining at a table. He won the Designed in Britain award.

Lorna Wilby, a designer-maker student from the University of Plymouth, won the Made in Britian award. Her design is both functional as a coat stand and sculpturally striking. It is inspired by the surrealist artist Salvador Dali and is cleverly made, using wooden dowels and laminated ply. It adds to a space and is aesthetically intriguing and practical within the home.

In the accessories category, James Cadogan won the Made in Britain award for Ruler and Helena Carelson won the Designed in Britain –award for Contoured Blind. In the fabrics and surface coverings 
category, Lynsey Henderson won the Made in Britain award for her Golden Stag wallpaper and Jennifer Jones won the Designed in Britain award for her 4 Countries fabric collection.

Placements were awarded to some of the winning students at Marks & Spencer, Ercol and Willis & Gambier. Others won the opportunity to exhibit at interiors 2011. The New Design Britain awards, in cooperation with the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers and sponsored by Willis and Gambier, attracted more than 150 entries from over 80 universities, with the final 16  showcased at the exhibition.

‘I think it is hugely important for the next generation to feel that the industry and professionals within it are interested. Product is all about design and if you don’t invest in design, you won’t progress the products. It is hugely important to see students thinking forward. It is about practical use and about being clever, but sometimes being incredibly simple,’ says Damian Walton, House of Fraser buyer and one of the judges.

Domotex reveals award winners

The winners of the Carpet Design Awards at flooring exhibition Domotex have been revealed. Some 124 products were entered, with the 10 winners being selected from a shortlist of 30.

The winners are: Best Modern Design Standard: Chuk Palu Rugs, Burya;  Best Modern Design Superior, Zollanvari, Mirage; Best Modern Design Deluxe: Theo Keller, Mosaic; Best Traditional Nomadic Design Superior:

Hanif Sons, Quicksand Caricature; Best Traditional Nomadic Design Deluxe: Creation Roesner, Mrirt;  Best Traditional Workshop/Formal Design: Woven Legends/Özkent Hali, Tabriz; Best Old/Antique Carpet: SMY (Amin Motamedi), Bijar rug; Best Collection Modern: Jan Kath, Radi Deluxe Collection; Best Collection Traditional: Woven Legends/Özkent Hali, Shirvan Collection and Best Innovation: Angel Trading, On the Rocks.