Cath Kidston Limited facts for kids
A Cath Kidston shop window display
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| Limited company | |
| Industry | Home furnishing |
| Founded | 13 April 1993 |
| Founder | Cath Kidston |
| Headquarters | , |
Cath Kidston Limited was a British company known for its home furnishings and fashion items. It was based in London. The company focused on items that looked handmade and had a classic, vintage British style. In March 2023, the company stopped trading. Its brand and designs were bought by another retailer called Next Plc.
How it Started
The designer Cath Kidston opened her very first shop in London in 1994. It was in an area called Holland Park. At first, she sold things like tea-towels that were decorated by hand.
The company grew quickly. By April 2011, there were 41 Cath Kidston shops and smaller sales points in the UK. There were also two shops in Ireland and many more in Japan and Korea. Less than three years later, the company had 136 shops around the world. This included a large main store in Piccadilly, London.
Cath Kidston once said that her shops caused a "Marmite reaction." This meant that people either really loved her style and wanted her products, or they didn't like them at all!
The company's money also grew. Its profits went up by more than 60 percent in the year ending March 2009. Sales also increased a lot. This was partly because many new shops were opened.
Changes in Ownership
In 2010, Cath Kidston sold most of her company to some investors called TA Associates. She still kept a small part of the company and remained its Creative Director. At that time, the company was valued at about £100 million.
Later, in 2014, TA Associates sold some of its share to another investment group, Baring Private Equity Asia. The company's value was then reported to be around £250 million. By 2016, Baring Private Equity Asia owned all of the company's shares.
After Baring Private Equity Asia took over completely, the business faced some challenges. It started to lose money instead of making a profit.
In early 2020, the company tried to find a new owner. However, the coronavirus pandemic made this difficult. The company eventually went through a special process where its business and assets were sold back to Baring Private Equity Asia. This helped the company deal with its debts, but it meant that 60 shops in the UK had to close. Sadly, over 900 jobs were lost. After this, the company planned to focus on selling online and through its international stores.
In June 2022, a new investor group called Hilco Capital bought Cath Kidston. They also provided a loan to help the company operate.
However, less than a year later, the company was sold again. In March 2023, the brand and designs of Cath Kidston were bought by Next plc for £8.5 million. The last four Cath Kidston shops closed down after selling their remaining stock.
