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MFI (retailer)
MFI was a British furniture retail chain, founded in 1964 by Noel Lister and Donald Searle as Mullard Furniture Industries. At its peak, it was one of the largest suppliers of fitted kitchens and bedroom furniture in the United Kingdom, operating primarily from out-of-town retail parks. The company offered a wide range of furniture products, including items for bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, dining areas, and home offices. MFI was particularly known for its self-assembly furniture and catered to different market segments through its brand portfolio. The "Hygena" brand targeted value-conscious consumers, while "Schreiber" appealed to more affluent customers. MFI also marketed its own line of kitchen appliances under the "Diplomat" brand, making it one of the largest suppliers of installed appliances in the UK. Despite its early success, MFI faced recurring financial difficulties in later years, undergoing multiple changes of ownership. On 26 November 2008, the com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noel Lister
Noel Lister (26 December 1927 – 29 January 2015) was the founder of MFI (retailer), MFI which became one of the United Kingdom's largest retail chains, and also the founder of UKSA (maritime charity), UKSA (formerly the UK Sailing Academy), a youth education and maritime training charity based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Career Noel Lister initially went into business trading in war surplus goods which he purchased at auction. He co-founded MFI (retailer), MFI in 1964. He was a keen sailor - he was a contender for the Admiral's Cup in ''Imp'' - and in 1987 secured the future of the ''UK Sailing Academy'' at Cowes by acquiring it from the Sports Council and transferring it, and a donation of £4 million, into a Trust Fund. At the time he owned the yacht, ''Whirlwind IX'', and his vision was to provide sailing, maritime training for good quality people so that they could work on large yachts. He died on 29 January 2015. His children included the conservationist and philanthro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and Ward (electoral subdivision), electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands (county), West Midlands (originally in Staffordshire), England. It is located south of Dudley and north of Stourbridge. Part of the Black Country and in a heavily industrialised area, it had a population of 13,935 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. It is best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined considerably since the 1970s. One of the largest factories in the area was the Round Oak Steelworks, which closed down and was redeveloped in the 1980s to become the Merry Hill Shopping Centre. Since 2008, Brierley Hill has been designated as the Strategic Town Centre of the Dudley Borough. Toponymy The name ''Brierley Hill'' derives from the Old English words 'brer', meaning the place where the Rosa rubiginosa, Briar Rose grew; 'leah', meaning a woodland clearing; and 'hill'. History Largely a product of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord applies when a juristic person occupies this position. Alternative terms include lessor and owner. For female property owners, the term landlady may be used. In the United Kingdom, the manager of a pub, officially a licensed victualler, is also referred to as the landlord/landlady. In political economy, landlord specifically refers to someone who owns natural resources (such as land, excluding buildings) from which they derive economic rent, a form of passive income. History The concept of a landlord can be traced to the feudal system of manoralism ( seignorialism), where landed estates were owned by Lords of the Manor ( mesne lords). These lords were typically members of the lower nobility who later formed the rank of knights during ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Administration (law)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – in the United Kingdom colloquially called being "under administration" – is an alternative to liquidation or may be a precursor to it. Administration is commenced by an administration order. A company in administrative receivership is operated by an administrator (sometimes referred to as a receiver and manager) (as interim chief executive with custodial responsibility for the company's assets and obligations) on behalf of its creditors. The administrator may recapitalize the business, sell the business to new owners, or demerge it into elements that can be sold and close the remainder. Most countries distinguish between voluntary (board-decided) and involuntary (court-decided) receivership. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances. The ASA is not funded by the British government, but by a levy on the advertising industry. Its role is to "regulate the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in the UK" by investigating "complaints made about ads, sales promotions or direct marketing", and deciding whether such advertising complies with its advertising standards codes. These codes stipulate that "before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation" and that "no marketing communication should mislead, or be likely to mislead, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ... or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often used as a synonym for "intimate partner violence", which is committed by one of the people in an intimate relationship against the other, and can take place in relationships or between former spouses or partners. In a broader sense, the term can also refer to violence against one's family members; such as children, siblings or parents. Forms of domestic abuse include physical abuse, physical, verbal abuse, verbal, emotional abuse, emotional, economic abuse, financial, Religious abuse, religiou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Howden Joinery
Howden Joinery Group Plc is the multinational parent company for the Howdens Joinery business (Howdens) based in London, England. It is a supplier of kitchens and joinery products to the building trade. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History The brand was adopted and developed by Matthew Ingle as a business unit within MFI Furniture Group plc (MFI) in 1995. It started trading with 14 depots. In October 2006, MFI sold its loss-making MFI retail business to Merchant Equity Partners for £1, whilst retaining Howdens. At the same time, the name of MFI was changed to Galiform plc. In 2007, Howdens' own appliance brand, Lamona, was launched. In November 2008, the MFI retail business entered administration, and Galiform became liable for the costs associated with 46 MFI stores (the legacy properties), incurring an exceptional charge of £99.7m. However, by December 2012 the legacy properties had been reduced by over 80%. In S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
OpCapita
OpCapita is a British private equity firm specialising in the retail, consumer and leisure industries. The firm invests in underperforming businesses that require operational support to improve profitability and create long-term, sustainable value. OpCapita was established in 2006, by United States, American financier Henry Jackson (businessman), Henry Jackson. Its senior team have been together since the founding of the firm and have many decades of experience in consumer businesses. The firm is based in London and invests on behalf of a diversified group of international institutional investors. OpCapita is a full member of Invest Europe and a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment. History In October 2006, OpCapita acquired British furniture retailer MFI (retailer), MFI for £1. In March 2008, it acquired French retailer :fr:BUT, BUT. In November 2011, the firm purchased the electronics retailer Comet (retailer), Comet from Kesa Electricals, Kesa for £2. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.“US Business Cycle Expansions and Contractions” United States NBER, or National Bureau of Economic Research, updated March 14, 2023. This government agency dates the Great Recession as starting in December 2007 and bottoming-out in June 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At the time, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded that it was the most severe economic and financial meltdown since the Great Depression. The causes of the Great Recession include a combination of vulnerabilities that developed in the financial system ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sofa Workshop
DFS Furniture plc, trading as dfs, is a furniture retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland specialising in sofas and soft furnishings. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. History Northern Upholstery In 1969, aged 22, Graham Kirkham was married with two children, which he describes as great motivation. Having visited a few manufacturers in his daily work, he decided that making furniture was relatively easy and that by cutting out the warehouse dealers in the middle of the supply chain, he could sell direct to the public at lower prices. Kirkham rented a room above a snooker hall in Carcroft, and started making furniture upstairs and retailing it downstairs, calling the business Northern Upholstery. DFS In 1983, Kirkham purchased the business and the name of the Darley Dale based DFS ("Direct Furnishing Supplies") Limited, founded by the Hardy Family in 1969. Northern Upholstery was renamed DFS (although some branches of Northern Upholstery in Yorkshire retaine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IKEA
IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit and for-profit corporations collectively known and managed as Inter IKEA Group and Ingka Group. The IKEA brand itself is owned and managed by Inter IKEA Systems B.V., a company incorporated and headquartered in the Netherlands. IKEA was started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, and has been the world's largest furniture retailer since 2008. The brand name is an acronym of founder Ingvar Kamprad's initials; Elmtaryd, the family farm where Kamprad was born; and the nearby village of Agunnaryd, Kamprad's hometown in Småland, southern Sweden. The company is primarily known for its Modern furniture, modernist furniture designs, simple approach to interior design, and its immersive shopping concept, based around decorated room settings within big-box ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic country by both area and population, and is the List of European countries by area, fifth-largest country in Europe. Its capital and largest city is Stockholm. Sweden has a population of 10.6 million, and a low population density of ; 88% of Swedes reside in urban areas. They are mostly in the central and southern half of the country. Sweden's urban areas together cover 1.5% of its land area. Sweden has a diverse Climate of Sweden, climate owing to the length of the country, which ranges from 55th parallel north, 55°N to 69th parallel north, 69°N. Sweden has been inhabited since Prehistoric Sweden, prehistoric times around 12,000 BC. The inhabitants emerged as the Geats () and Swedes (tribe), Swedes (), who formed part of the sea-faring peopl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
