The White Company (retailer)

Last updated

The White Company
Company type Private
IndustryRetail
Founded1994
Headquarters
Number of locations
70 stores, clearance stores, and concession stores [2]
Area served
Key people
Revenue
  • Increase2.svg£278 million (2022)
[3]
  • Increase2.svg£27 million (2022)
Number of employees
  • Increase2.svg1,725 (2022)
Website The White Company

The White Company is a retailer of bedroom, home, clothing, and fragrance goods, whose 32,000-square-foot (3,000-square-metre) head office is located at London's Television Centre. [1] [4]

Contents

It was founded by Chrissie Rucker in 1994. Mary Homer left Topshop in March 2017 to head the company. [5]

History

The White Company was established in 1994 as a mail order business selling items through a 12-page catalogue which has grown into a multi-channel, international business. Started up with a small government grant and £6,000 inheritance, it originally had a 500 people mailing list. Chrissie Rucker managed to gather some editorial coverage - including the Financial Times [6] - and press releases which led to it making £80,000 in the first year, just breaking even.

Originally encompassing products including sheets, covers and pillows, it later expanded into home décor, dinnerware, fragrances, candles, furniture and clothing. [7] A children's division called The Little White Company was later added. [8]

In 2017, the company's products were chosen to outfit the business and first class of British Airways' planes. [7]

Locations

As of May 2022, The White Company has 70 stores, clearance stores, and concession stores.

They have 61 UK stores, including concessions and clearance stores, 6 US concessions, 2 Irish stores—1 of which is a clearance store, and 1 Jersey concession.

The American concessions are located in Nordstrom stores, while the UK concessions are situated in a variety of retailers, including: Harrods and 3 Selfridges sites—Oxford Street, the Bullring, and the Trafford Centre.

The White Company also has a number of stores in UK shopping centres, including: Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City, Bluewater, Liverpool One, and Meadowhall.

They opened their first shop in London's Symons Street. [2] [9]

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References

  1. 1 2 "The White Company".
  2. 1 2 "Store Finder and Directory".
  3. "Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Period Ended 30 July 2022". Companies House. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  4. "The White Company".
  5. "Topshop loses managing director to The White Company". BBC News. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  6. "British Style: The White Company". Homes and Gardens. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 "The White Company (UK) Ltd: Private Company Information". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  8. "A paler shade of retail: The White Company opens in Short Hills". North Jersey. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  9. "Symons Street".