As fashion brand and retailer Nicole Farhi falls into administration, Retail Week looks back at the history of the company.

  • Nicole Farhi was founded in 1982 by French Connection chief Stephen Marks and his former partner Nicole Farhi.
  • The brand, which sells womenswear, menswear and homeware, is based in London and has 120 staff across its retail network and headquarters.
  • It has six stores including its flagship in Mayfair, London. It also operates 10 concessions in department stores such as House of Fraser and Selfridges, across the UK and Ireland. It also sells via its website.
  • Nicole Farhi also has a wholesale division, with the label sold at etailers such as My-Wardrobe and Zalando, and independent boutiques.
  • At one time, Nicole Farhi also operated food outlets in London and New York
  • French Connection sold the brand in 2010, selling the business to US private equity firm OpenGate for about £5m. In 2012, OpenGate sold its stake to Kelso Place Asset Management. Kelso Place pledged to invest £15m in the brand over the next five years.
  • In July 2012, it drafted in Aquascutum creative director Joanna Sykes to head up its design team.
  • Nicole Farhi has experienced change at the top in recent years. Chief executive Niki Scordi left the business in 2012 and was replaced by Francois Steiner, the former managing director of Sonia Rykiel and Thomas Pink. Steiner resigned from the business in May under circumstances that “require him to spend more time in Paris”, according to the company.
  • Since May, Kelso Place managing director Sion Kearsey and Sykes have assumed responsibility for the day-to-day management of the business.
  • The most recent available figures for Nicole Farhi show the brand posted an operating loss of £5.6m in the year to January 31, 2010. Sales were £21.7m.
  • Nicole Farhi remains a shareholder of the business.
  • Nicole Farhi, CBE, is also known as Lady Hare as she is married to playwright Sir David Hare.
  • Today, administrators Zolfo Cooper said it is planning to run a sale process of the brand.

 

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