Rebrand of Signature range to target 50 showrooms nationally

British furniture manufacturer Symphony has rebranded its Signature range as Laura Ashley Kitchens, following a tie-up with the iconic home furnishings and fashion brand.

Group marketing and sales director of the Symphony Group, Simon Collyns explained the reason behind the transformation was because the two-year old collection lacked a “retail brand” name.

He said: “Laura Ashley gives us the Kudos of retail brand which we have possibly been lacking in terms of our journey through into the UK market over the past five or six years.” 

Sponsored Video

Quarter sawn Tulipwood

Signature has been sold through 25 showrooms across the UK and Symphonynow plans to grow the base for Laura Ashley Kitchens to a total of 50 showrooms, providing a fifth of retail sales.

He pointed out the initial venture that Laura Ashley entered into with Mark Two was different to Symphony’s proposition.

Simon Collyns stated with Mark Two, Laura Ashley provided its name to an existing range and that a direct sale wasn’t suited to the brand, adding: “I think in hindsight, Laura Ashley would say that.”

He continued: “With the demise of Mark Two, it wasn’t out in the market for very long but in its time in the market Laura Ashley says the enquiries it received and the initial sales were extremely strong. They concluded the Laura Ashley name would work very well with a kitchen product.”

Collyns was also quick to point out: “When they came to us, they went through far more due diligence with Symphony than they ever did with Mark Two. That was to ensure we were capable of supplying, we had a good retailer network and would support the brand for them, in terms of the high street, and that we were going to invest in them as well in terms of developing it for the long-term.”