Laura Ashley (company): Difference between revisions

| industry = {{Unbulleted list|[[Home accessories]]|Furniture|Home decorating|Fashion|[[Hospitality industry|Hospitality]]}}<ref name="AR2018">{{cite web |url=https://www.lauraashley.com/file/general/laura_ashley_annual_report_2018_web.pdf |title=Annual Report 2018 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Laura Ashley |publisher=Laura Ashley |access-date=30 September 2019 }}</ref>

| owner = Gordon Brothers Group<!-- or: | owners = -->

After [[World War II]], Bernard Ashley met Welsh secretary Laura Mountney at a youth club in [[Wallington, London]]. While working as a secretary and raising her first two children, part-time she designed napkins, table mats, and tea-towels which Bernard printed on a machine he had designed in an attic flat in [[Pimlico]], [[London]].<ref name="Thorpe Guardian" /> The couple had invested £10 in wood for the screen frame, dyes and a few yards of linen.<ref name="NewY">{{Cite news |last=Fortini |first=Amanda |date=2021-10-21 |title=The Enduring Appeal of Laura Ashley |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/21/t-magazine/laura-ashley-batsheva.html |access-date=2023-06-07 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Laura's inspiration to start producing printed fabric came from a [[Women's Institute]] display of traditional handicrafts at the [[Victoria & Albert Museum]]. When Laura looked for small patches carrying Victorian designs to help her make patchworks, she found no such thing existed. Here was an opportunity, and she started to print Victorian style headscarves in 1953.

In the early 1990s, Laura Ashley plc was suffering from a combination of over expansion of its retail outlets and dependence on what had become an overly complex and costly outsourced network of manufacturers. In 1991, American James Maxmin became the CEO at Laura Ashley, aiming to refocus the company on its core business.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.questia.com/magazine/1G1-14177781/life-begins-at-40-for-laura-ashley |title=Life Begins at 40 for Laura Ashley |author=Sally Bain |date=13 May 1993 |website= |access-date= |archive-date=29 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929132842/https://www.questia.com/magazine/1G1-14177781/life-begins-at-40-for-laura-ashley |url-status=dead }}</ref> Over the next two and a half years, Maxmin led a series of changes, addressing problems in manufacturing and logistics that foreshadowed principles of his later book, ''The Support Economy'', co-authored with his wife, Harvard Business School Professor [[Shoshana Zuboff]]. One of the most significant initiatives at this time was a strategic alliance with [[FedEx]], forming a sort of proto-federation, aimed at improving distribution for close to 500 Laura Ashley stores.<ref name="JOC FedEx">{{cite web |url=https://www.joc.com/laura-ashley-fedex-link_19920319.html |title=Laura Ashley, FexEx link up |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=19 March 1992 |website=Journal of Commerce |publisher=Journal of Commerce |access-date=29 September 2019 }}</ref> The alliance was established as a 10-year partnership, but it was relatively open-ended, premised on trust. The objective was to be able to supply 99 percent of Laura Ashley's merchandise to customers anywhere in the world within 48 hours. The alliance replaced a legacy system that would route a T-shirt manufactured in Hong Kong to a warehouse in Newtown, Wales, before sending it to a retail store in Japan.

In 1992, Maxmin led Laura Ashley to its first profits since 1989, and in 1993 profits were expected to reach £12 million. Laura Ashley plc celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1993, the same year that Sir Bernard retired as chairman and became honorary life president.<ref name="Wilkinson Independent" /> But in early April 1994 Maxmin abruptly resigned from Laura Ashley, citing major differences with Sir Bernard over strategy.<ref name="Wilkinson Independent">{{cite news |title=Maxmin quits Laura Ashley: Chief executive resigns after ongoing dispute over need to increase spending |first=Terence |last=Wilkinson |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/maxmin-quits-laura-ashley-chief-executive-resigns-after-ongoing-dispute-over-need-to-increase-1369773.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=13 April 1994 |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref> Over the next five years, four individuals were given the Chief Executive role in quick succession in an attempt to find a solution to the growing financial difficulties of the company, during which time the company's bankers became increasingly concerned.<ref name="Grant Cases 2003" /> A new source of finance was desperately needed, and this was found in 1998 in a new relationship with the Malaysian MUI Group. Laura Ashley closed its last rural factory in Wales in 1999.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://wwwbooks.google.cacom/books/edition/The_Next_Rural_Economies/3mm16r1K7RcC?hlid=en&gbpv=13mm16r1K7RcC&dq=Laura+Ashley&pg=PA172&printsec=frontcover |page=171 |title= The Next Rural Economies: Constructing Rural Place in Global Economies |publisher=CABI |year=2009 |author= David Bruce, Greg Halseth, Sean Patrick Markey|isbn=9781845935825 }}</ref>

On 22 April 2020, it was announced that investment firm [[Gordon Brothers]] had acquired the Laura Ashley brand name, archives and intellectual property rights out of administration.<ref name="Briggs"/> In October 2020, it was announced that Laura Ashley would return with a flagship store in the Westfield Shopping Centre in West London in 2021 through [[Next plc|Next]]'s 500 UK stores & website, and with a series of new stores.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smithers |first1=Rebecca |title=Laura Ashley returns to UK high street after deal with Next |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/31/laura-ashley-returns-to-uk-high-street-after-deal-with-next |website=The Guardian |access-date=3 December 2020 |language=en |date=31 October 2020}}</ref> That year they also released a collaborated line with dressmaker [[Batsheva Hay|Batsheva]].<ref name=NewY />

In 2022 they partnered with IMG to reestablish their presence in China, India, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.<ref name=Drape /> That year Laura Ashley partnered with Mamas & Papas to design a line of baby clothing, nursery bedding, toys, and pushchairs.<ref name="Drape">{{Cite web |last=Weston |first=Sabina |date=2022-06-30 |title=Laura Ashley to collaborate with Mamas & Papas |url=https://www.drapersonline.com/news/laura-ashley-to-collaborate-with-mamas-papas |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=Drapers |language=en}}</ref> They also partnered with Baggu on a line of bags,<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Laura Ashley unveils bag line with Baggu |url=https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Laura-ashley-unveils-bag-line-with-baggu,1492841.html |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=FashionNetwork.com |language=en-US}}</ref> and partnered with companies Graham & Brown as well as Ashley Wilde.<ref> {{Cite news |last= |first= |last2= |date=2023-01-31 |title=Poppy Marshall-Lawton: bringing Laura Ashley back into fashion |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/31/poppy-marshall-lawton-bringing-laura-ashley-back-into-fashion |access-date=2023-06-07 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> By the end of 2022, there were 600 retailers that had Laura Ashley in stock alongside its own stores, and the company had a portfolio of in excess of 3000 products.<ref name="FN">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Laura Ashley heads to 70th anniversary after year in which UK sales soared |url=https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Laura-ashley-heads-to-70th-anniversary-after-year-in-which-uk-sales-soared,1467388.html |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=FashionNetwork.com |language=en-WW}}</ref>

In 2023 the company celebrated its 70th anniversary with events including a quilt exhibition and heritage exhibit held in Newtown, Wales.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-09 |title=Plans to honour design icon Laura Ashley with heritage hub in Powys town |url=https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/23308196.plans-laura-ashley-heritage-hub-newtown-powys/ |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=County Times |language=en}}</ref> A heritage plaque was laid by the City of Newtown discussing the company’s founding as a part of the event.<ref name="bbc">{{Cite news |date=2023-03-09 |title=Laura Ashley: Plaque celebrates designer's Welsh roots |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-64896532 |access-date=2023-06-07}}</ref> That year Laura Ashley partnered for a new line with [[Lucky Brand Jeans| Lucky Brand]]. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Palmieri |first=Jean E. |date=2023-03-09 |title=Lucky Brand Partners With Laura Ashley on Capsule Collection |url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/lucky-brand-laura-ashley-on-capsule-collection-jeans-1235575197/ |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=WWD |language=en-US}}</ref>

{{Unbulleted list| 1976–1990 – John James | 1991–1993 – Jim Maxmin | 1983–1995 – A. Schouten | 1995–1997 – Ann Iverson | 1997–1998 – David Hoare | 1998–1999 – Victoria Egan | 1999–present1999–2020 – Ng Kwan Cheong<ref name="Grant Cases 2003">{{cite book |last1=Grant |first1=Robert M |author-link1=Robert_MRobert M._Grant_ Grant (economist) |last2=Neupert |first2=Kent E |author-link2=Kent E Neupert |date=2003 |chapter=Case 2: Laura Ashley Holdings PLC: The battle for survival |title=Cases in contemporary strategy analysis |edition=3rd |publisher=Blackwell |isbn=1405111801 }}</ref>}}|2020-present - Katharine Poulter<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Laura-ashley-ceo-to-step-down-poulter-to-take-over,1181776.html |title=Laura Ashley CEO to step down, Poulter to take over |last=Santamaria |first=Barbara |date=January 31, 2020 |website=Fashion Network |access-date=August 21, 2024 |quote=...&nbsp;Katharine Poulter is becoming its new CEO, replacing Kwan Cheong Ng, who is retiring. The change is effective on 1 May&nbsp;