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Land of Leather

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Land of Leather Holdings plc
Company typePublic
IndustryFurniture retail
Founded1994; 30 years ago (1994)
FounderJerry Briant
Defunct2009; 15 years ago (2009)
FateDissolved
Headquarters
Kent
,
United Kingdom
Number of locations
2 (September 2009)
109
(December 2008)
Area served
United Kingdom
Ireland
ProductsFurniture
Number of employees
850
(December 2008)
Land of Leather store in the Westgate Retail Park in Wakefield, England

Land of Leather was a furniture retail store based in Northfleet, Kent in the United Kingdom. It operated in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The company was hit hard by the downward slope in the United Kingdom's housing market which was brought about by the decline in demand, due to a lesser number of people buying and moving homes.[1]

History

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Land of Leather on the Thorp Arch Trading Estate, Wetherby, West Yorkshire

Land of Leather was founded in 1994 by Jerry Briant,[2] and in July 2005, the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange, with the assistance of the investment bank, Investec, using the symbol LAN.[3] In December 2008, the company employed 850 people in its 109 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[4] In January 2009, Land of Leather issued profit warnings, and was planning to raise £15 million through a new share issue.[5]

In December 2008, Land of Leather's announcement that they were in buyout talks with a number of interested parties, caused their share price to rise by 38.5%.[6] However, these talks ended later in December citing "insufficient value for shareholders".[7]

Administration

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On 12 January 2009, Land of Leather Holdings plc announced that they had entered administration. Lee Manning and Nick Edwards of Deloitte were appointed as joint administrators.[8] The company was debt free, but it was unable to secure additional funds.

The company cited reduced consumer spending and the state of the banking market at the time as the causes.[5][9] The administrators are aiming to sell the company as a going concern. On 26 January 2009, it was announced that 33 stores would close, leaving 76 stores.[10]

Soon after, the remaining Land of Leather stores closed down, and the company ceased trading in the beginning of 2009.

"Toxic sofa" lawsuit

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Land of Leather sold Linkwise sofas made in China, which contained sachets of the mould-inhibiting chemical DMF. This caused serious rashes to more than 300 users, due to an allergic reaction. Land of Leather had an insurance policy with Zurich Financial Services, but the insurer refused to pay out, claiming that Land of Leather had breached policy terms.

This position was accepted on 18 March 2010, by the High Court of England and Wales,[11] and purchasers will not be indemnified by the insurer.

References

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  1. ^ "Land of Leather". Archived from the original on 6 October 2015.
  2. ^ "No buyer for Gillingham Land of Leather store". Kent Online. 26 January 2006.
  3. ^ "Land of Leather plans flotation". BBC News. 4 July 2005. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  4. ^ "About us". Land of Leather. 2008. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  5. ^ a b Hall, James (12 January 2009). "Land of Leather goes into administration". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  6. ^ "Land of Leather is in offer talks". BBC News. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  7. ^ "Land of Leather halts bid talks". BBC News. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  8. ^ "Land of Leather in administration". BBC News. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  9. ^ "Administration Appointment". Land of Leather Holdings plc / London Stock Exchange. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2009. [dead link]
  10. ^ "33 Land of Leather stores closing". Associated Press. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.[dead link]
  11. ^ BBC: Judge rejects 'toxic sofa' claims in burns injury cases, 18 March 2010
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