Who owns laura ashley

The company hired outside consultants to help it 'rediscover its distinctiveness' in August, while analysts were beginning to attribute the failure of Iverson's strategy to bad recruitment, bad merchandising, and over-aggressive expansion.

The board of directors also hired David Hoare, a management consultant turned venture capitalist, as chief operating officer and assigned him the responsibility of day-to-day purchasing, distribution, and stock control.

Hoare was described by colleagues as a man who erred on the side of caution. In November, the board, led by Sir Ashley, dismissed Iverson and named Hoare chief executive officer. During Hoare's brief tenure as chief executive, he halted Iverson's aggressive expansion program and began plans to sell the company's four factories in Wales and one in the Netherlands. In March , the company sold Laura Ashley Japan, which had continued to earn profits, to Jusco, while still maintaining a 27 percent share of the company.

In return for its purchase, MUI appointed four new board directors. Sir Bernard Ashley left the board, replaced by his son, in June Under her administration, the company restructured, devolving much of its administration to three headquarters--one in Europe, one in North America, and a third in east Asia--and closed ten of the 30 larger North American stores.

When the company's bankers threatened to end their financial support if Laura Ashley did not shed its North American operations, MUI stepped in again.

This time, the company's North American management bought the U. The new Laura Ashley, Inc. As part of its strategy, the company began to beef up its brand-licensing program in home furnishings and planned to increase this category of products from 45 to 60 percent. Ng Kwan Cheong then led the company to restructure its product and price range and to carry out a study on customer expectations.

Examining the company's supply chain, he expanded its number of suppliers. Looking at advertising, he branched out from promotional to brand advertising. By the end of , Laura Ashley had posted a solid rise in sales and gross margins over the Christmas period. In , the group expanded its home furnishings units in many of its stores and began plans to open additional stores in France and Germany and to develop an online shopping facility. Principal Subsidiaries: Laura Ashley Ltd. Netherlands ; Laura Ashley Manufacturing B.

Netherlands ; Laura Ashley Distribution B. Netherlands ; Laura Ashley Investments B. Netherlands ; Laura Ashley Trading B. Netherlands ; Laura Ashley N. Ireland ; Laura Ashley Shops Ltd. Canada ; Laura Ashley, Inc. United States. Toggle navigation. User Contributions:. Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: Name:. E-mail: Show my email publicly. Human Verification:. Public Comment: characters. Send comment.

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Laura Ashley is a high-profile UK retail brand originally created in the s by the eponymous floral fabric designer and her husband. Under ownership of the Malaysia-based MUI Group, the retailer has embarked on a turnaround programme to help bring the brand back to its s heyday.

It is focusing on reducing its UK footprint while at the same time targeting international — primarily digital — growth. The retailer replatformed in to provide a seamless customer experience across all channels and drive online growth.