MFI, the brand that dominated furniture retailing in Britain in the pre-Ikea era is making a surprise comeback nearly two decades after it collapsed.
The current owner of a name that once dominated retail parks and was a high profile advertiser on TV said the MFI brand would return the UK homewares market in the first half of next year.
Victorian Plumbing said MFI's product range 'fits' with its existing customer base, plans to invest £3million in “people and property” this year as part of the relaunch into the £20 billion homewares market.
The brand and a three letter domain name were bought when the company acquired online bathroom retailer Victoria Plum from administrators last year.
MFI Retail business was founded in 1964 as Mullard Furniture Industries by Noel Lister and Donald Searle, who previously traded in war surplus goods. It was named after Searle's wife's maiden name. The company floated on the stock market in 1971 as MFI Warehouses and merged with Asda to create Asda-MFI in 1985.
MFI was the subject of what was then one of Britain’s biggest management buyouts in 1987 led by former police officer Derek Hunt .
At its peak MFI Retail operated more than 200 stores across the UK and delivered more than 50 million items a year.
It was said in the that in the Eighties one in three Sunday lunches in the United Kingdom were cooked in a kitchen from MFI, and 60% of British children were conceived in a bedroom from MFI.
However, the arrival of Ikea in the UK in 1987 combined with stiff competition from chains such as B&Q and Argos marked the beginning of a period of decline. MFI was placed in administration and ceased in 2008 during the downturn triggered by the financial crisis
The MFI brand was purchased by Victoria Plumb, and was relaunched as an online only retailer on 30 November 2011 only for it to cease trading again in July 2015. Another brief revival ended in failure.
Victorian Plumbing also reported making revenue of £152.7 million for the first half of the financial year, a 6% year-on-year increase over the £144.6 million earned at this point in 2024.
