Laura Ashley (company) facts for kids

Laura Ashley shop in Hong Kong

Laura Ashley is a famous British company known for its beautiful fabrics and home items. It was started in 1953 by Laura Ashley and her husband Bernard Ashley in London. They first became popular for making Victorian-style headscarves. One of these scarves was even worn by actress Audrey Hepburn in the movie Roman Holiday.

The company moved to Wales in 1961. From there, it grew into a huge international business with over 500 stores. They sold many different kinds of clothes and things for the home. People often described their products as 'quintessentially English,' meaning they had a classic British style.

In March 2020, the company faced financial difficulties and was sold to a company called Gordon Brothers. Since then, Laura Ashley has been relaunched and continues to offer its popular designs.

The Story of Laura Ashley

How It All Started

Laura Mountney met Bernard Ashley at a youth club in Wallington, London. While Laura worked as a secretary and raised their first two children, she also designed napkins, table mats, and tea towels. Bernard printed these designs using a special machine he built in their attic flat in Pimlico, London.

They started their business with just £10. This money bought wood for a printing screen, dyes, and some linen fabric. Laura got the idea to print fabrics after seeing old handicrafts at the Victoria & Albert Museum. She wanted to find small Victorian-style fabric pieces for her patchwork projects but couldn't. This gave her the idea to create her own! So, in 1953, she began printing Victorian-style headscarves.

The Audrey Hepburn Effect

A famous actress, Audrey Hepburn, helped the company grow without even knowing it! In the 1953 movie Roman Holiday, she wore a headscarf. Because she was such a fashion icon, this style quickly became popular worldwide. The Ashleys' scarves became very successful. They sold them through mail order and in big stores like John Lewis.

By 1953, Bernard left his city job to work full-time on the business. They first named the company Ashley Mountney Ltd, using Laura's maiden name. Laura was in charge of designing the prints, and Bernard built the printing equipment. This partnership was very strong. Laura continued to lead the design side, while Bernard managed the business operations. As the company grew, they changed the name to Laura Ashley. Bernard felt a woman's name suited their products better.

Growing the Business

The company moved to Kent in 1955. However, in 1958, the business almost disappeared when the River Darent flooded. Their equipment, dyes, and fabrics were floating in three feet of water!

By 1960, their sales increased a lot, and they needed a bigger place. Laura suggested Wales because there was more space. One weekend, they drove along the new M4 Motorway and found a suitable house and shop in Machynlleth, Powys. It was affordable, using their remaining savings.

The family moved to Wales in 1961. Their first shop opened at 35 Maengwyn Street. Today, this building is still an interior design shop, and a small plaque remembers its Laura Ashley connection. The family lived above the shop for six years before moving to Carno, Montgomeryshire.

The Ashleys' first factory in Wales was in the social club in Carno. In 1967, the factory moved to the village's old railway station.

These were important times for the company. Bernard improved his printing process to make 5,000 meters of fabric each week. In 1966, Laura designed her first dress for everyday wear, not just work. This long, flowing style became the Laura Ashley trademark. It also helped the company when fashion changed from mini-skirts to maxi-skirts in the late 1960s.

1970s Laura Ashley dresses on display at the Fashion Museum, Bath in 2013.

Opening Shops Around the World

The first shop named Laura Ashley opened in South Kensington, London, in 1968. More shops opened in Shrewsbury and Bath in 1970. One week, the London shop on Fulham Road sold 4,000 dresses! This led to a new factory in Newtown, Montgomeryshire.

In 1974, the Paris shop opened. It was the first to have the famous green front and stripped wooden inside. In the same year, the first U.S. shop opened in San Francisco. From 1971 onwards, Laura Ashley products also started appearing in department stores in Australia, Canada, and Japan through special agreements.

By 1975, the company's sales reached £5 million per year, and they had 1,000 employees worldwide. Laura was offered a special award, the OBE, but she turned it down because her husband Bernard was not also offered the honor. However, they did accept a Queen's Award for Export in 1977.

By 1979, sales reached £25 million, and they launched a range of perfumes. Laura also started designing home furnishings. At one point, the company was the biggest employer in north Powys, Wales. It had over 13,000 staff in 500 shops and 13 factories. In 1982, The Laura Ashley Book of Home Decorating was published.

When Laura Ashley passed away in 1985, the company had over 220 stores globally. It employed more than 4,000 people and made about US$130 million each year. The New York Times described Laura Ashley's fashion style as having "high necks, full skirts, mutton sleeves and lace and ruffle adornments."

Laura Ashley as a Public Company

Two months after Laura Ashley's death in 1985, Laura Ashley Holdings plc became a public company. This meant people could buy shares in the company. The demand for shares was incredibly high. That same year, the first store in Japan opened in Tokyo.

Bernard Ashley received a special honor, a knighthood, in 1987. In the same year, the company opened a new factory called Texplan for printing fabrics and wallpapers. They also launched new ranges for children and home furnishings.

In the early 1990s, Laura Ashley faced some challenges. They had expanded too quickly, and their manufacturing network had become too complicated and expensive. In 1991, an American named James Maxmin became the CEO. He aimed to help the company focus on its main business. Over the next two and a half years, Maxmin made many changes. He improved how products were made and delivered.

One important step was working with FedEx. They formed a partnership to improve how products were sent to Laura Ashley's nearly 500 stores. The goal was to deliver 99 percent of Laura Ashley's products to customers anywhere in the world within 48 hours. This replaced an older system where a T-shirt made in Hong Kong would first go to a warehouse in Wales before being sent to a store in Japan.

In 1992, Laura Ashley made a profit for the first time since 1989. In 1993, profits were expected to reach £12 million. Laura Ashley plc celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1993. Sir Bernard retired as chairman that year and became an honorary life president. However, in April 1994, Maxmin suddenly left Laura Ashley due to disagreements with Sir Bernard about the company's direction.

Over the next five years, four different people took on the role of Chief Executive. They tried to solve the company's growing financial problems. The company desperately needed new funding. This came in 1998 from a Malaysian company called MUI Group. Laura Ashley closed its last rural factory in Wales in 1999.

Under MUI Asia Management

In May 1998, MUI Asia Limited became a major owner of Laura Ashley Holdings plc. Under their new management, the famous brand started making a profit again. Dr. Khoo Kay Peng, the company's chairman, is believed to control 58 percent of the shares. As part of the rescue, the US operations were sold for just $1 to a company also controlled by MUI. All retail stores in the US were later closed. Now, the Laura Ashley brand is available in the USA through its online store.

Laura Ashley faced some difficulties in the early 2000s. In 2003, Laura Ashley closed all its North American stores to focus on the UK market. Things seemed to improve in 2004 when they started working with Scottish designer Alistair Blair. He had designed for famous fashion houses like Dior and Givenchy. Soon after, the company made a profit, especially from selling more home furnishings, though clothing sales continued to drop. However, the arrangement with Blair ended by the end of the year. Laura Ashley also closed its main store on London's Regent Street in late 2005 because the rent became too high.

Despite these challenges, the company's profits seemed to be returning before the 2008 financial crisis. Profits in 2005 were £6.1 million, and this doubled to £12.2 million in 2006. This was their best performance since the MUI buyout. Both fashion and home accessories were strong areas for the company at this time.

Some signs of trouble appeared around the start of the 2008 financial crisis. In 2009, the company was criticized for charging Irish customers more than UK customers for the same items. Laura Ashley explained why this was happening. The next year, the company had a difficult dispute with workers in the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, the company was found to have broken fair employment rules in Northern Ireland and had to pay money to an employee. In 2012, the company seemed to ignore many negative online customer reviews. They pointed to better sales and profits. However, the Financial Times newspaper warned that "Web reviews, particularly when many persistently repeat the same complaints, may indicate looming difficulties."

In early 2016, Laura Ashley's operations in Australia faced financial problems, but they managed to recover and stayed in business for more than two years.

In 2018, there were some changes and pull-backs for Laura Ashley internationally. Early in the year, a long-standing partnership with Japanese company Aeon ended because their Laura Ashley operations were not making enough profit. All 120 stores in Japan closed in September that year. However, as the Aeon partnership ended, it was announced that a new agreement had been made with the large Itochu Corporation. Itochu planned to expand Laura Ashley products in major department stores and specialty stores. They also aimed to reach new customers through an official online store and their own shops.

At the very end of 2018, Laura Ashley Australia suddenly went into administration. No buyer was found, so all stores across Australia and the online business stopped operating. The new chairman, Andrew Khoo, was positive at the year's end. He looked forward to growing Laura Ashley's online sales and possibly opening physical stores in China later.

The UK operations also faced setbacks. In December 2018, it was announced that 40 stores would close due to poor sales. In February 2019, the company expected poor financial results for the year. However, they saw growth in online sales and new ventures like tearooms and hotels. In August 2019, a larger annual loss was announced. This was due to falling sales of traditional products, even as new ventures expanded.

In 2020, right after the COVID-19 outbreak, Laura Ashley announced it would file for administration. According to Sky News, it was one of the first large UK companies to do so because of the pandemic. At this time, the company had 150 retail locations.

Under Gordon Brothers Management

On April 22, 2020, it was announced that an investment firm called Gordon Brothers had bought the Laura Ashley brand name, its historical records, and its design rights. In October 2020, it was shared that Laura Ashley would return. They planned a main store in the Westfield Shopping Centre in West London in 2021. Their products would also be available in Next's 500 UK stores and on their website, along with a series of new stores. That year, they also released a special clothing line with dressmaker Batsheva.

In 2022, Laura Ashley partnered with IMG to bring their brand back to China, India, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. That year, Laura Ashley also worked with Mamas & Papas to create a line of baby clothes, nursery bedding, toys, and pushchairs. They also partnered with Baggu for a line of bags, and with companies Graham & Brown and Ashley Wilde. By the end of 2022, 600 retailers stocked Laura Ashley products, in addition to its own stores. The company had over 3,000 different products.

In 2023, the company celebrated its 70th anniversary. Events included a quilt exhibition and a heritage exhibit in Newtown, Wales. A special plaque was placed by the City of Newtown to remember the company's founding as part of the event. That year, Laura Ashley also partnered with Lucky Brand for a new clothing line.

Company Leaders

Chief Executive Officers

• 1976–1990 – John James
• 1991–1993 – Jim Maxmin
• 1983–1995 – A. Schouten
• 1995–1997 – Ann Iverson
• 1997–1998 – David Hoare
• 1998–1999 – Victoria Egan
• 1999–2020 – Ng Kwan Cheong
• 2020–present – Katharine Poulter