Made.com co-founder: I’d help revive brand – Chloe Macintosh speaks out
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Made.com co-founder: I’d help revive the brand – Chloe Macintosh would be willing to intervene if a savior for the online furniture store was found
Promise: Chloe Macintosh says she still feels ‘very close’ to the brand
Chloe Macintosh, one of the founders of controversial retailer Made.com, said last night that she would be willing to revive the brand if a savior was found.
The online furniture retailer is about to appoint PwC administrators. Yesterday it appeared that retail giant Next has made a dramatic offer for Made.com. Mike Ashley’s Frasers would also be interested.
The crisis for the company has let customers down, although those who bought with credit card can get their money back.
The French entrepreneur, now based in London, said she would be “very happy to contribute” to returning the online furniture store to its former glory if a credible buyer shows up.
The 47-year-old founded Made with Brent Hoberman, Ning Li and Julien Callede 12 years ago in a dilapidated office building in Notting Hill in west London.
Their vision was to make high-quality furniture accessible to everyone, and the business grew rapidly to reach £315 million turnover by 2021.
Macintosh, a serial entrepreneur, left Made in 2015 and currently runs Kama – a sexual wellness app.
She described the collapse as “sad,” adding that she still feels “very close” to the brand.
The online store failed after a series of management missteps that left the company carrying millions of pounds worth of furniture it couldn’t sell.
It has also been plagued by supply chain disruptions to imports from the Far East and, more recently, the cost of living crisis.
Macintosh said Made was still a ‘really good company’, adding, ‘I don’t underestimate the efforts the current team is making to resolve this.
‘But if someone comes along who actually sees a solution and is willing to invest in it – because he believes it is possible – then I would like to contribute to bringing back the essence of the brand.’
She said tech companies striving hard for growth and other important aspects of running a business can “just lose sight of.”
“That’s what happened,” she said of Made. “And it’s more common than the success stories, even if this one is particularly sad.”