Queen of England's Luxe Stationer Smythson Sold for $29 Million
Filed under: Celebrity Shopping
Back in March we broke the news that Smythson of Bond Street, suppliers of luxury stationery and leatherbound diaries to the Queen of England and other toffs, was being put up for sale. Now the famed firm has been has been sold for £18 million or about $29 million to Greenwill SA, the holding company for Tivoli Group, an Italian leather goods manufacturer. Smythson had insisted the sale was motivated not by financial hardship but rather the result of several parties having expressed interest in acquiring the business. However, the sale price is not much of a premium over the £16 million a consortium led by Goldman Sachs banker Mike Sherwood paid for the company in 2005. Founder Frank Smythson opened his first London shop in 1887 offering "First class stationery, leather goods and cabinet work." In addition to its UK shops Smythson now has stores on New York's 57th St. and Beverly Hills' famed Rodeo Drive. Smythson was granted a Royal Warrant to Her Majesty the Queen in 1964. Other warrants followed: HRH The Prince of Wales in 1980, HM The Queen Mother in 1987, and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 2002.
Victim's Sister To Arias: 'Our Minds Are Permanently Stained'
Live from Google I/O's 2013 opening keynote!
Waitress Surprised With HUGE Tip On Tiny Bill
Chili's Waitress Fired Over Facebook Post Insulting 'Stupid Cops'
Save on Spring Cleaning With a New Vacuum -- Savings Experiment
LOOK: There's Something Wrong With This Picture
Billboard Music Awards: Worst Dressed (or Most Daring?) From Past Red Carpets
HSBC Plans 14,000 More Job Cuts
New Leads In Case Of Missing British Girl
Forbidden America: Cold War-Era Map Shows No-Go Zones For Soviet Tourists
BBC Host Paula White Pulled Off Air After Sounding Drunk
Former OJ Attorney Gives Shocking Testimony
Man Takes Dump In Background Of Instructional Workout Video
Tenants: Stench of Death Makes St. Louis Complex 'Unlivable'
These American Companies Refused To Sign The Bangladesh Safety Accord
Famous Roadside Attractions
And Your New 'American Idol' Is ...
Pictures Showing Pregnant Teens' Bumps Banned From Yearbook
Hero Hitchhiker Arrested For Allegedly Beating Man To Death
Jodi Arias' Lawyers Want Out
PREGNANT!
The Afterlife Of Andy Kaufman
Sole Survivor Of Plane Crash Breaks Silence
LOOK: Khloe K Shows Curves In SKIN TIGHT Dress
Will Smith, Jaden Smith Get Photobombed
Chef Allegedly Killed Over Noodle Dinner Gone Wrong
Televangelist Claims It's The Wife's Job To Keep Men Faithful
Victoria Lost 96 Pounds: 'It Was All Or Nothing'
LeAnn Rimes, Brandi Glanville Feud Reignites
LOOK: The Worst Twitter Responses To Angelina Jolie's Preventative Mastectomy
LOOK: Mind-Blowing Optical Illusions
WATCH: How Moms Inadvertently Sabotage Their Sons