OKA Direct

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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

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 and owned by Investindustrial.[1] OKA has 14 shops[2] across the UK together with British and American websites and a catalogue business.

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 sell products primarily from the Far East region. 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 that house the entire collection: Froxfield, an 8,000 sq ft showroom and a smaller garden room outside, and London's Fulham Road opened in 2010 with three floors, becoming OKA's largest shop.[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.

The website launched in 2001, followed by a redesign in 2011 and a redesign for tablet and mobile in 2013.[8]

In May 2014, Peter Chappelow was appointed as non-executive chairman, replacing Graham Frost.[9] In October 2014, Octavia Morley was appointed as CEO.[10]

OKA reported a 23% rise in online sales and a 17% rise in overall profit for 2013, taking their annual turnover to £19.9m.[11]

OKA was bought by Italian investment firm Investindustrial in January 2018.[12]

OKA made its first acquisition, US-based Wisteria, in September 2018.[13]

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. 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. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  7. ^ "OKA Moves to Milton Park". MEPC. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Responsive Website Resign for OKA". Behance. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Lady Astor's OKA appoints retail veteran". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Oka Direct appoints Octavia Morley as chief executive". Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Lady Astor's OKA posts profit surge after wooing younger shoppers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Aston Martin owner buys Oka, founded by Samantha Cameron's mum". The Times. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Founders sell Wisteria, the Dallas grown home furnishings retailer, to a well-heeled London brand". Dallas News. 21 September 2018.

External links[]

Coordinates: 51°29′30.78″N 0°10′17.82″W / 51.4918833°N 0.1716167°W / 51.4918833; -0.1716167

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