Cath Kidston Limited facts for kids
Kidston shop window display, with company logo
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| Limited company | |
| Industry | Home furnishing |
| Founded | 13 April 1993 |
| Founder | Cath Kidston |
| Headquarters | , |
Cath Kidston Limited was a British company that sold items for homes. They were known for their classic British, handmade-looking designs. The company had its main office in London. In March 2023, the company stopped trading. Another retailer, Next Plc, bought the rights to the brand's designs and name.
How Cath Kidston Started
The designer Cath Kidston opened her very first shop in London in 1993. It was in an area called Holland Park. At first, she sold things like tea-towels that were decorated by hand.
The company grew quite quickly. By April 2011, there were 41 Cath Kidston shops and smaller sales points in the UK. They also had two shops in Ireland, eleven in Japan, and three in Korea. Less than three years later, the number of shops had grown to 136. This included a very important store on Piccadilly in London, right next to Fortnum & Mason. They also had four shops in China.
Cath Kidston herself once said that her shops caused a "Marmite reaction". This means people either really loved her products or really disliked them. She explained that people either wanted to buy a little bit of her style or felt strongly against it.
The company's money also grew. Their profits went up by more than 60 percent in the year leading up to March 2009. Sales also increased, partly because they opened many new stores.
Changes in Ownership
In 2010, Cath Kidston sold most of her company to a group of investors called TA Associates. These investors put money into businesses. Cath Kidston kept a smaller part of the company and stayed on as the main designer. This deal meant the company was valued at about £100 million.
Later, in 2014, TA Associates sold some of their share to another investment group, Baring Private Equity Asia. The exact amount was not shared, but the company was then valued at around £250 million. By 2016, Baring Private Equity Asia bought all the remaining shares of the company.
Under Baring Private Equity Asia's ownership, the business faced some challenges. They reported losing money instead of making a profit. In early 2020, the company tried to find a new buyer. However, the coronavirus pandemic made this difficult.
Because of these problems, special managers were brought in to help the company. They sold the business back to Baring Private Equity Asia. This deal helped the company get rid of many of its debts, especially the costs of renting most of its UK shops. As a result, 60 shops in the UK closed on April 21, 2020. This meant over 900 people lost their jobs. The plan was for the company to continue selling online and through its international partners.
In June 2022, another investment company called Hilco Capital bought Cath Kidston. Hilco also provided a loan to help the company operate.
Even with this new funding, the company was put up for sale again less than eight months later. In March 2023, the brand's designs and name were bought by Next plc for £8.5 million. The four remaining Cath Kidston shops closed permanently after they sold off their existing stock.
