The Conran Shop Closes Its French Operations
U.K.-based furnishings-to-home accessories company The Conran Shop has closed its French operations after 31 years of business there. Its physical shop was closed Monday, the company said. Its online operations are also closed.
The furniture and design store opened its doors on Paris’s Rue du Bac, near Le Bon Marché, in 1992.
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“The brand engaged in several attempts at finding an alternative solution to keep the brand alive in the market, but due to a declining and ever-changing retail climate in France, the hard decision was made to close the store,” a spokesperson told WWD Wednesday. The business will continue to operate until all outstanding customer orders have been fulfilled, the representative said.
The Conran Shop, which was founded by Habitat creator Sir Terence Conran in 1964, is in the midst of a liquidation of its French operations, selling off its last pieces, including showroom furniture, the company confirmed. Sir Terence Conran died in 2020.
Its U.K. business will continue to operate as normal, along with its operations in other global markets: Kuwait, South Korea and Japan. The Conran Shop will continue to work with its wholesale partners on an international level, including Matchesfashion.com, Mr Porter, Lane Crawford and more, the spokesperson said.
The Conran Shop opened its first-ever store in London in 1973.
In France, losses amounted to 2.5 million euros in 2023, with sales reaching 13 million.
In an emailed statement, the company added that The Conran Shop will concentrate on new regions, as a result of the macro headwinds cramping spending in France.
“As we bid farewell to France, The Conran Shop keeps moving forward as a global design brand, including in the U.K., where we now have a beautiful new flagship on Chelsea’s Sloane Square to be proud of. We are also venturing into new exciting regions with our recent new store launch in Kuwait as well as a new additional location in Japan, both of which opened in November 2023,” it said.
Earlier this month, homeware and furniture group Habitat France made headlines after filing a request to be placed in judicial receivership, after the closure of eight French stores. On Wednesday, French press reports said Habitat France’s administrators are requesting judicial liquidation.
The business, which was bought by businessman Thierry Le Guénic in 2020, asked for protection from the Bobigny Commercial Court.
Habitat France has been independent from Habitat, the British group founded in 1964 by Conran, after its operations were bought by French distribution company CAFOM, Centrale d’Achat Francaise pour l’Outre Mer, in 2011.
In a September retail report, analysts at Bryan Garnier said the French market is expected to experience headwinds through the near term. They forecast a “longer-than-expected recovery for European consumption in Western and Southern Europe” with growth remaining below the expectations of companies like Maisons du Monde and retail giant Fnac Darty. “Discretionary goods continue to suffer from very high food inflation, rising mortgages and often limited wage raises,” the report said, adding that France as a single market is set to lag behind for three reasons: Food disinflation could be lengthy throughout the second quarter, particularly in that country; wage increases remain lower in France than in the rest of Europe, and household electricity prices are on an uptrend in France but falling elsewhere.
In October, Maisons du Monde said consumer confidence across Europe and inflation had a direct effect on its third quarter, citing a 9.4 percent drop in sales. The retailer added that a challenging environment since August and deteriorating macroeconomic trends resulted in lower traffic both in stores and online.
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