By John Smith • Published: 05 Apr 2020 • 15:47
IN 1993, Cath Kidston, cousin of TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp opened her first store in London’s trendy Holland Park offering her selection of vintage designs which appealed to some and was shunned by others.
From then on, the business expanded until it had 60 shops in the UK and 180 overseas and offered a wider selection of distinctive clothes, shoes, crockery, bags and other household items.
She had a flagship store in Piccadilly next to Fortnum & Mason and even opened four stores in China as well as branches in France and Spain.
In 2010 she sold a majority of shares to an Asian investment company but remained on board as Creative Director and when one of her designs was seen on Prince George it became an overnight sell out.
Sadly things have not gone well for the company and in the 2017/2018 financial year recorded a loss of £42.3 (€47.4) million which led to the closure of a number of outlets including those in Spain.
Now, the coronavirus crisis has effectively brought the company to its knees and with more than 900 employees in the UK already ‘stood down’ under the British government employment scheme it has called in Administrators in the hope of finding a buyer.
It’s a unique example of Britain’s quirky design nature and even Cath Kidston herself admitted that her work is a bit like Marmite, as you either love it or hate it.
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
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