OKA Direct

OKA (also known as OKA Direct) is a British furniture and home accessories retailer founded in 1999 by Annabel Astor, Sue Jones, and Lucinda Waterhouse. It is owned by Investindustrial.[1] OKA has 14 shops[2] across the UK, together with British and American websites and a catalogue business.

OKA
TypeLimited Company
IndustryFurniture, home accessories
GenreRetailer
Founded1999 (1999)
FounderAnnabel Astor, Sue Jones and Lucinda Waterhouse
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Key people
Annabel Astor, Sue Jones, Lucinda Waterhouse, Peter Chappelow, Octavia Morley
OwnerInvestindustrial
Websitewww.oka.com

History

OKA started as a mail-order company in 1999, before opening its first shop in 2000. Annabel Astor, her sister-in-law Sue Jones, and friend Lucinda Waterhouse sold products primarily from East Asia. The initial product range was 'rattan' for the first OKA catalogue – which was photographed in Jane Churchill and Bruce Oldfield's homes – followed by painted wooden furniture, alongside replicas of 18th-century blue and white porcelain and a range of Chinoiserie furniture.[3]

OKA has two flagship shops in the UK: Froxfield, an 8,000 sq. ft showroom and a smaller garden room is between Hungerford and Marlborough; and London's three-floor Fulham Road, OKA's largest shop as of its opening in 2010.[4]

In September 2011, OKA opened a concession in the department store Selfridges on Oxford Street in London, but it closed in February 2013.[5] In May 2016, OKA opened a concession in Hoopers Department Store, Tunbridge Wells.[6]

In 2009, OKA’s warehousing facilities moved from Berinsfield to a larger facility of over 100,000 sq. ft in Milton Park, Oxfordshire,[7] where their head office is also based.

In May 2014, Peter Chappelow was appointed as non-executive chairman, replacing Graham Frost.[8] In October 2014, Octavia Morley was appointed as CEO.[9]

OKA reported a 23% rise in online sales and a 17% rise in overall profit for 2013, taking their annual turnover to £19.9m.[10]

The company was bought by Italian investment firm Investindustrial in January 2018.[11]

OKA made its first acquisition, US-based Wisteria, in September 2018.[12]

References
  1. "Current portfolio: OKA". Investindustrial.
  2. "OKA store locations". OKA.
  3. "OKA rules, ok yah! How Annabel Astor is catering for the middle classes". London Evening Standard. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  4. "Oka: Lady Astor's new flagship furniture store". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  5. "Furniture Retailer OKA arrives at London Selfridges". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  6. "OKA Direct celebrates new store openings". Direct Commerce. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  7. "OKA Moves to Milton Park". MEPC. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  8. "Lady Astor's OKA appoints retail veteran". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. "Oka Direct appoints Octavia Morley as chief executive". Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  10. "Lady Astor's OKA posts profit surge after wooing younger shoppers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  11. Collingridge, John. "Aston Martin owner buys Oka, founded by Samantha Cameron's mum". The Times. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  12. "Founders sell Wisteria, the Dallas grown home furnishings retailer, to a well-heeled London brand". Dallas News. 21 September 2018.

51°29′30.78″N 0°10′17.82″W

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.