Habitat and The Conran Shop. the rise and fall of two decorative icons

In designer heaven, which he joined on September 12, 2020, Sir Terence Conran should not be at the party. The end of this year essentially marks the closure of The Conran Shop on rue du Bac, Paris, under the management of Habitat. A graduate of London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts, two “babies” of a brilliant British designer.

Habitat and The Conran Shop are at the height of their glory

Terrence Conran actually founded the Habitat brand in 1964. He then sold it in 1992 to devote himself to The Conran Shop, a series of design-lovers’ shops founded in 1973 that he located around the world, from New York to Seoul via Tokyo and… Paris with The Conran Shop together, which opened in 1992 in a former Bon Marché warehouse that still owns the space. For 30 years, people have flocked there to buy design icons and carefully selected pieces by young talent. A multi-brand showcase that symbolized good taste. Despite the initial excitement, The Conran Shop, owned by British businessman Javad Marandi since 2020 and managed since January 2023 by Prospheres, a specialist business transformation company, has just pulled back the curtain.

Meanwhile, Habitat, which has passed through many hands since its birth, was placed into receivership on December 6. However, his story began well with the appealing concept of the democratization of design; furniture sets, lighting, decorative items, tableware, household linens… branded Habitat at affordable prices. The opening of the first French address in Montparnasse in 1973 was a great success. Turnover exceeds forecasts. As a group, we rush to treat ourselves to something beautiful, useful and affordable, making everyday life simpler, like duvet covers that let you, as Terence Conran advocated, “make your bed in ten seconds.” The enthusiasm was such that a store was opened in Orgeval the following year. Outlets will follow in Forum des Halles, Lyon, many European countries such as Spain and Germany and even Bangkok. Prestigious collaborations multiply with the collection created for the 40th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, which will equip the Palais des Festivals, the appointment of Tom Dixon as design director in 1998…

The departure of Terence Conran and the first steps towards bankruptcy

Terence Conran, however, left Habitat in 1987 and finally left the band in 1992. The man who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1980s and who in 2003 will receive the Prince Philip Designers Award, the highest award in Armenia. design terms in England, has other projects, first his Conran Shop and then the Design Museum on Kensington High Street, which opened in 2016…

After his departure, Habitat joined Ikano, the group of Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad, then moved to CAFOM in 2011. Lagging results, unprofitable locations… Habitat is failing. In 2015, Arnaud Montebourg was appointed Vice President of Habitat, responsible for innovation. We imagine that will plug the leaks. But he left the post 16 months later to present his candidacy in the presidential elections. Habitat’s ship is beginning to sink… Closures are increasing in Europe, French stores are becoming increasingly rare… Until early December 2023, when the Bobigny commercial court will place Habitat under administration.

Does the Conran saga, its glory, beauty and fall… point to a more global evolution of the furniture market? Will this sector go through the same storms as the fashion sector that caused the collapse of chains like Camaïeu or Kookaï? Both in ready-to-wear and in city centres, homewares pioneers have seen the emergence of new competitors, often from fast fashion such as H&M Home or Zara Home. The latter brand has recently taken a leap in terms of quality and design, with lines signed by big names such as Vincent Van Duysen, star architect and designer, notably artistic director of a very prestigious Italian furniture house. high-end Molteni & Co.

French players have also lost market share, such as Maisons du Monde, which opened its first store in Bordeaux in 1996 and which at the end of 2019 had 376 stores and 8,628 employees worldwide. Wide range, low prices, fast turnover… Maisons du Monde applies fast fashion recipes and has become a “brand of love” in 25 years. The group, however, will not escape from Covid, which will weaken it. Its announced operating profit for 2023, between 45 and 65 million, has been revised downwards and should fall to 40 or 50 million. The reasons given to justify this decline are: in the second half of the year, the deterioration of non-food consumption and particularly of household goods and furniture. The furniture market, according to the Institute for Prospective and Furniture Studies (IPEA), has declined by 7% between October 2022 and October 2023. The economic and international context undoubtedly explains the French’s lack of appetite. this type of equipment is expensive for furniture and not a priority for accessories.

Towards post-crisis renewal

However, we must remain optimistic. This crisis can be good for professionals. Because it’s high time they made a more sustainable turn with more local manufacturing – Conran has been a big proponent of manufacturing in Asia; . Alinea, which wanted to be an Ikea bis, thus relied on a more “premium” repositioning to revive… The industrial zone market, launched by Auchan in 1988, was dead before its former shareholders, the company take over The Mulliez family passing the reception box. Adopted strategy to ensure resurrection. Play the French House card around the Southern spirit with stronger, timeless collections and focus on more ethical development. The three-year vision, presented in his “Pact of Marius”, organized around three main points, raising the quality requirements of the products, wanting to make them eligible for several lives and thus give them a lasting value. taking care to promote natural materials, gradually eliminating plastic and synthetic textiles, to help reduce the ecological footprint and create eco-designed products. Alinea has already made a concrete commitment to relocating 60% of its collections, which are produced in France, Europe and the Mediterranean, with a target of moving 70% by 2026. An approach that aims to support a return to balance this year. .

Camif goes further under the leadership of its CEO Aimery Jaquilat. Despite many setbacks, the entrepreneur restarted this mail-order cooperative, which was founded in 1947 by school teachers. His original idea. Focus on online sales and offer the option to choose your furniture based on where it’s made, or the option to move towards a piece made close to home and reduce your carbon footprint. Clearly, it was imperative to recreate the French supplier network. Challenge met! Today, Camif is 100% “Made in Europe” and works with 125 manufacturers in the region, which represent 74% of its turnover. And while activity has been fueled by historic customer loyalty, 80% of Camif’s buyers are now younger and motivated by more responsible consumption. Another strong gesture from Camif to boycott Black Friday by shutting down the site that day. A decision made in 2017 that defies classical economic logic, but is consistent with its status as a mission-driven company, which has also been labeled a B-corp since 2014. Camif’s take on Black Friday in 2017 was unique. In 2023, following his example, 1500 e-commerce sites boycotted the operation. A move that certainly had to affect turnover, but which imposed an image of a committed company that, far from a 100% growth-focused approach, really focuses on responsibility. An advantage in the face of new demands, as the consumer is now aware of the impact of their purchases on both a human and environmental level. It’s hard to relax on a couch made on the other side of the planet, worked in miserable conditions by underpaid women and men. From now on, the house is a space that should be comfortable, pleasant to live in and quiet. this calls for ‘well done’. The experiments carried out by these companies, who preferred “better” to “always more”, show that we can invent other models than the ones that made Sir Terence Conran’s ideas successful. Without cleaning up the past, continuing to focus on beauty and design, we can imagine saving furniture… and maybe Habitat.