OKA Direct explained

OKA
Type:Limited Company
Genre:Retailer
Founder:Annabel Astor, Sue Jones and Lucinda Waterhouse
Location City:London
Location Country:United Kingdom
Key People:Annabel Astor, Sue Jones, Lucinda Waterhouse, Peter Chappelow, Octavia Morley
Industry:Furniture, home accessories
Owner:Investindustrial

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. It is owned by Investindustrial.[1] OKA has 14 shops[2] across the UK, and 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 sold products primarily from East Asia. 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: Froxfield, an 8,000 sq. ft showroom and a smaller garden room is between Hungerford and Marlborough; and London's three-floor Fulham Road, OKA's largest shop as of its opening in 2010.[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.

In May 2014, Peter Chappelow was appointed as non-executive chairman, replacing Graham Frost.[8] In October 2014, Octavia Morley was appointed as CEO.[9]

OKA reported a 23% rise in online sales and a 17% rise in overall profit for 2013, taking their annual turnover to £19.9m.[10]

The company was bought by Italian investment firm Investindustrial in January 2018.[11]

OKA made its first acquisition, US-based Wisteria, in September 2018.[12]

External links

51.4919°N -0.1716°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Current portfolio: OKA. Investindustrial.
  2. Web site: OKA store locations. OKA.
  3. Web site: OKA rules, ok yah! How Annabel Astor is catering for the middle classes. London Evening Standard. 10 April 2012 . 4 July 2014.
  4. Web site: Oka: Lady Astor's new flagship furniture store. https://web.archive.org/web/20101002110410/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/interiorsandshopping/8034231/Oka-Lady-Astors-new-flagship-furniture-store.html. dead. 2 October 2010. The Telegraph. 4 July 2014.
  5. Web site: Furniture Retailer OKA arrives at London Selfridges. Retail Gazette. 4 July 2014.
  6. Web site: OKA Direct celebrates new store openings. Direct Commerce. 6 May 2016 . 10 May 2016.
  7. Web site: OKA Moves to Milton Park. MEPC. 4 July 2014.
  8. Web site: Lady Astor's OKA appoints retail veteran. The Telegraph. 4 July 2014.
  9. Web site: Oka Direct appoints Octavia Morley as chief executive. 22 October 2014.
  10. Web site: Lady Astor's OKA posts profit surge after wooing younger shoppers. The Telegraph. 17 September 2014.
  11. News: Aston Martin owner buys Oka, founded by Samantha Cameron's mum. The Times. 7 January 2018. Collingridge . John .
  12. News: Founders sell Wisteria, the Dallas grown home furnishings retailer, to a well-heeled London brand . Dallas News . 21 September 2018 . en.