Scotts & Co sells womenswear retailers to focus on core brands

Scotts & Co. has sold womenswear brands Artigiano and Rowlands of Bath in order to concentrate on its core gift and homeware businesses.

The multichannel catalogue retailer says the sale, for an undislosed sum, to German mail order retailer the Klingel Group, will enable it to focus on businessses including Scotts of Stow, The Original Gift Company, The Expert Verdict and Bloom.

Scotts & Co. is one of the largest independent catalogue and online retailers in the country. It was first established as Scotts of Stow in 1991 in the Gloucestershire market town of Stow-on-the-Wold but changed ownership in 1996 when the founders of catalogue businesses Innovations and Kaleidoscope acquired a majority stake in the business. The group still has three retail stores in the Cotswolds.

“Scotts & Co. operates in a competitive retail market,” said Scotts’ executive chairman Nigel Swabey. “The sale of our fashion brands provides us with an opportunity to embark on an aggressive programme of investment in our core brands. The funding and other resources released by this sale will be used to further improve our product range, our online stores and the customer experience which we offer.”

He added: “I am delighted with this sale of our two fashion brands. I have known the Klingel group for many years. In Germany and other countries, Klingel is already the leading distance seller in womenswear targeted at a 60+ audience. The Klingel Group is a strong strategic player with a very high commitment to making the Artigiano/Rowlands acquisition a success.”

Both fashion brands focus on upmarket womens’ clothing. Artigiano emphasises Italian-style fashion while Rowlands of Bath specialises in British and European-influenced women’s clothing for customers aged 55 and above.