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LK Bennett is a luxury fashion brand, based in London, United Kingdom. The company sells ready-to-wear collections incorporating clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories.
History
Linda Bennett
Linda Kristin Bennett (born 8 September 1962) is an English clothing designer and entrepreneur, best known for founding the fashion retailer L.K.Bennett.
Early life
Born in London, Bennett is the daughter of a London-based fashion retail entr ...
set up the first LK Bennett shop in Wimbledon Village
Wimbledon () is a district and town of Southwest London, England, southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,187 in 2011 which include ...
in 1990, with a goal to produce "something in-between the designer footwear you find in Bond Street and those on the high street". The company’s success led Bennett to earn the nickname "Queen of the Kitten Heel.”
In 1998 Bennett created her first ready-to-wear collection and started overseas expansion, opening a boutique in Paris in 2000. She then opened stores and concessions in Spain, the Netherlands
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, the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, and the United States, including in-store concessions in chains including Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831, at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, fine wines and luxury f ...
, Selfridges
Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge ...
, John Lewis
John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
, Fenwick, Printemps
Printemps (; meaning "spring (season), springtime" in French language, French) is a French department store chain (french: grand magasin, links=no, literally "big store"). The Printemps stores focus on beauty, lifestyle, fashion, accessories ...
, and Galeries Lafayette
The Galeries Lafayette () is an upmarket French department store chain, the biggest in Europe. Its flagship store is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris but it now operates in a number of other locations in France and othe ...
.
In November 2004, Bennett appointed BDO Stoy Hayward
BDO (an acronym for Binder Dijker Otte) is an international network of public accounting, tax, consulting and business advisory firms that provide professional services under the name BDO. It is the fifth-largest accounting network in the wor ...
to find strategic investors. Bennett sold a 70% stake in the business in 2008 to Phoenix Equity Partners
Phoenix Equity Partners is a United Kingdom mid-market private equity firm. It specialises in working with management teams to help grow their businesses. It invests in companies valued at up to £150m.
History
Phoenix was co-founded in 2001 by H ...
and Sirius Equity, a retail and branded luxury goods investment company, in a deal believed to have netted her around £100m. Bennett remained on the board of the company as a non-executive director, and retained a stake of about 30 per cent.
In April 2017 the brand announced that Linda Bennett would be returning to its helm with a focus on product and brand development. In September 2017 she bought out the company.
As of June 2018, the company had 130 stores globally. Online sales made up 33% of total sales, stores 61%, and wholesale 6%.
The company went into administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
on 7 March 2019. It was reported that up to 500 jobs could be at risk as administrators EY closed five outlets on being appointed, two in London as well as the stores in Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, and Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. On 12 April 2019 LK Bennett was bought out of administration, saving 325 jobs.
However, 15 of the retailer's stores are not included in the deal and will close, leading to the loss of 110 jobs.
LK Bennett has been bought by Byland UK
In November 2018, LK Bennett launched a new US website in USD, and a site in Euros supporting 29 European countries.
In popular culture
In April 2018, British Home SecretaryAmber Rudd
Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British former politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye, fi ...
declared that Britain's application system for EU nationals who want to remain in the UK after Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
should be "as easy as setting up an online account at LK Bennett".
See also
*List of companies based in London
This is a list of companies in London, England. London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. With an estimated 8,308,369 residents in 2012, London is the most populous region, urban zone and metropolitan area in the United ...
References
{{reflist Companies based in the London Borough of Hackney Luxury brands High fashion brands Clothing brands of the United Kingdom Clothing companies established in 1990 British companies established in 1990 Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019