Mamas & Papas is a UK-based nursery

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

and

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...

supplying prams, pushchairs, baby products,

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...

and

maternity wear Maternity clothing is worn by women as an adaptation to changes in body size during pregnancy. The evolution of maternity clothing began during the Middle Ages, and became fashionable as women became more selective about style and comfort in the t ...

. It was established in

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

in 1981 by David and Luisa Scacchetti, both of Italian ancestry, whose initial aim was to bring Italian design to the UK baby buggy market. They started the business with a range of coloured corduroy prams imported from Italy. They sold through one local shop of their own and through supplying other stores, until deciding to become a retail brand in 1998. For most of its existence, the business was privately owned. By 2011, Mamas & Papas was described as the "UK's bestselling nursery brand". In 2014, the business embarked on cost-cutting associated with a

Company Voluntary Arrangement Under UK insolvency law an insolvent company can enter into a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). The CVA is a form of composition, similar to the personal IVA ( individual voluntary arrangement), where an insolvency procedure allows a company ...

(CVA). Store closures were considered but were avoided by the CVA. The

private equity firm A private equity firm is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of startup or operating companies through a variety of loosely affiliated investment strategies including leve ...

BlueGem Capital Partners took a majority share in Mamas & Papas in summer 2014, joining a portfolio that includes Liberty and Jack Wills. The company returned to profitability in 2015. In 2016, the rejuvenated retailer opened a flagship store at

Westfield London Westfield London is a large shopping centre in White City, west London, England, developed by the Westfield Group at a cost of £1.6bn, on a brownfield site formerly the home of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition. The site is bounded by the We ...

. Mamas & Papas was placed into administration on Friday 8 November 2019 and was immediately bought back by other firms controlled by Bluegem Capital, its private equity owner.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamas and Papas Retail companies of the United Kingdom Retail companies established in 1981 Companies based in Huddersfield 1981 establishments in the United Kingdom Companies established in 1981