Oprah's Bespoke British Kitchen Maker Put Up for Sale
Filed under: Decor
Smallbone of Devizes, the luxury British handmade design firm that has built bespoke kitchens for celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Dustin Hoffman and Elizabeth Hurley, is up for sale due to the economic downturn. The company, founded by Charles Smallbone in 1976, cited a drop in orders and concerns that a recent financing package "will not be sufficient" to rescue the company, the London Telegraph reports. Trading in the company's shares has been suspended while they look for a buyer. Smallbone, which has expanded into the US in recent years, caters to the top end of the luxury kitchen design market, with the average kitchen going for about $60,000 and the top of the line costing several times that. Smallbone is the latest in a line of UK "heritage brands" including Hardy Amies and Royal Worcester that are in danger of extinction due to the sad state of the economy.
