Morada Begins E-Commerce, Pushes into Home Furnishings
September 20, 2001
Blackburn, Lancashire (UK) — Morada International, one of Europe's leading suppliers of fashion linings, has launched its new Website (www.morada.co.uk) and on-line e-commerce sales facility. With a lucrative contract for the British armed forces, the company is also moving strongly into the home furnishings business with a major push into the retail sector.
Morada's e-commerce sales service came on-line after the official opening of the company's new 3,000 square meter head office on the Shadsworth Business Park in Blackburn, Lancashire, U.K.
The e-commerce facility is based on 4textrade.com, a business-to-business trading system for the textile industry. Under the terms of a product development agreement with 4textrade.com, Morada will have five years exclusivity on the customized fashion linings version of its e-commerce system.
According to corporate director Carl Schilfer, Morada's on-line ordering facility allows customers to check stock availability and pricing on-line, place, check and track orders, view their current account statement and use customer service facilities, 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any location in the world.
The on-line service is also being extended to include the full range of home textile products from Morada's Home Division, which supplies soft furnishings and home textile products to the retail, contract and manufacturing sectors.
Commenting on the new customer service facility, Morada International chief executive Stuart Taylor said: "Over the past two years we have made a significant investment in developing our global business. The launch of our Web-based on-line sales service is the latest step in our ongoing development and puts the most up-to-date ordering facilities at the disposal of our U.K. and international customer base."
Products from the Morada Lining Division comprise polyester, acetate and viscose linings and blends including polyester/viscose, acetate/viscose and acetate/nylon. These are available in taffeta, twill and satin finishes, and in more than 200 standard shades. Morada is also developing a new range of fabrics for lightweight outerwear garments such as blouses and dresses.
The company has its own in-house, state-of-the-art textile laboratory accredited by most major U.K. retailers and an independent fabric testing service is offered to fabric suppliers. Research and development teams also produce customized linings and will dye shades to order on a rapid response basis.
Established in 1998, the Morada Home division accounts for some 30-35 percent of Morada International's $20 million turnover, of which exports are approaching 30 percent - and growing.
The company, currently the largest single supplier of home furnishing fabrics to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), recently won a five-year contract and now dispatches some 1,200 pairs of made-to-order curtains every week to British air force, army and naval bases around the world.
These curtains, supplied within three to four weeks of order, are available in 13 designs and 40 options on cotton satin. Home Division director Len Fairbrother said the company expected to benefit from the MOD's decision to refurbish barracks and create individual rooms for armed service personnel.
The contract business also supplies flame-retardant fabrics, window treatments, blinds and bedding to schools, hospitals, hotels, prisons and nursing homes throughout the U.K. In addition, Morada offers a measuring, making and fitting service for private homes.
The retail business supplies upholstery fabrics, curtains, cushions, duvet covers and a range of coordinated accessories to most of the major homeware retail outlets in the U.K. as well as a growing number of other European countries. Fabrics are printed in the U.K., and key customers include curtain and upholstery manufacturers.
"The retail sector should be a strong growth area over the next 12 months," Fairbrother commented. "And we are still investigating the possibilities for home furnishings."
The first Morada International home retail outlet recently opened in Southport, Lancashire, offering a range of cushions, throws, ready-made curtains, glassware, ceramics and other accessories.
"Here, we are selling exclusive home furnishings items," said Fairbrother. "We hope to open another two or three stores by the end of this year, and perhaps around four to five a year after that, depending on the success of the initial launch. And with this expansion, we will make increasing use of our European and Far Eastern sources."
He said exports for the Home Division were now running at around 10-15 percent of sales. This is forecast to grow in future as the company opens up new markets, for example in Australia and New Zealand where new agents have been appointed, and also in Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark.
"We are bringing a fashion discipline into the homeware business," added chief executive Taylor. "We are no longer manufacturers. And we don't see ourselves as wholesalers. Our business is now global sourcing and distribution."
With its head office in the U.K., Morada is building a global infrastructure to support its customers wherever they choose to design and produce. The company has an exclusive product and distribution agreement with Japanese textiles giant Teijin; opened wholly owned direct sales, stock and support operations in Turkey and Poland; and formed strategic distribution partnerships with established suppliers in Morocco, the Netherlands, Finland and the Baltic States.
These recent initiatives are in addition to Morada's existing distribution channels in Ireland and France. The company is also considering new regional operations in Romania, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Hungary.
Morada's e-commerce sales service came on-line after the official opening of the company's new 3,000 square meter head office on the Shadsworth Business Park in Blackburn, Lancashire, U.K.
The e-commerce facility is based on 4textrade.com, a business-to-business trading system for the textile industry. Under the terms of a product development agreement with 4textrade.com, Morada will have five years exclusivity on the customized fashion linings version of its e-commerce system.
According to corporate director Carl Schilfer, Morada's on-line ordering facility allows customers to check stock availability and pricing on-line, place, check and track orders, view their current account statement and use customer service facilities, 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any location in the world.
The on-line service is also being extended to include the full range of home textile products from Morada's Home Division, which supplies soft furnishings and home textile products to the retail, contract and manufacturing sectors.
Commenting on the new customer service facility, Morada International chief executive Stuart Taylor said: "Over the past two years we have made a significant investment in developing our global business. The launch of our Web-based on-line sales service is the latest step in our ongoing development and puts the most up-to-date ordering facilities at the disposal of our U.K. and international customer base."
Products from the Morada Lining Division comprise polyester, acetate and viscose linings and blends including polyester/viscose, acetate/viscose and acetate/nylon. These are available in taffeta, twill and satin finishes, and in more than 200 standard shades. Morada is also developing a new range of fabrics for lightweight outerwear garments such as blouses and dresses.
The company has its own in-house, state-of-the-art textile laboratory accredited by most major U.K. retailers and an independent fabric testing service is offered to fabric suppliers. Research and development teams also produce customized linings and will dye shades to order on a rapid response basis.
Established in 1998, the Morada Home division accounts for some 30-35 percent of Morada International's $20 million turnover, of which exports are approaching 30 percent - and growing.
The company, currently the largest single supplier of home furnishing fabrics to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), recently won a five-year contract and now dispatches some 1,200 pairs of made-to-order curtains every week to British air force, army and naval bases around the world.
These curtains, supplied within three to four weeks of order, are available in 13 designs and 40 options on cotton satin. Home Division director Len Fairbrother said the company expected to benefit from the MOD's decision to refurbish barracks and create individual rooms for armed service personnel.
The contract business also supplies flame-retardant fabrics, window treatments, blinds and bedding to schools, hospitals, hotels, prisons and nursing homes throughout the U.K. In addition, Morada offers a measuring, making and fitting service for private homes.
The retail business supplies upholstery fabrics, curtains, cushions, duvet covers and a range of coordinated accessories to most of the major homeware retail outlets in the U.K. as well as a growing number of other European countries. Fabrics are printed in the U.K., and key customers include curtain and upholstery manufacturers.
"The retail sector should be a strong growth area over the next 12 months," Fairbrother commented. "And we are still investigating the possibilities for home furnishings."
The first Morada International home retail outlet recently opened in Southport, Lancashire, offering a range of cushions, throws, ready-made curtains, glassware, ceramics and other accessories.
"Here, we are selling exclusive home furnishings items," said Fairbrother. "We hope to open another two or three stores by the end of this year, and perhaps around four to five a year after that, depending on the success of the initial launch. And with this expansion, we will make increasing use of our European and Far Eastern sources."
He said exports for the Home Division were now running at around 10-15 percent of sales. This is forecast to grow in future as the company opens up new markets, for example in Australia and New Zealand where new agents have been appointed, and also in Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark.
"We are bringing a fashion discipline into the homeware business," added chief executive Taylor. "We are no longer manufacturers. And we don't see ourselves as wholesalers. Our business is now global sourcing and distribution."
With its head office in the U.K., Morada is building a global infrastructure to support its customers wherever they choose to design and produce. The company has an exclusive product and distribution agreement with Japanese textiles giant Teijin; opened wholly owned direct sales, stock and support operations in Turkey and Poland; and formed strategic distribution partnerships with established suppliers in Morocco, the Netherlands, Finland and the Baltic States.
These recent initiatives are in addition to Morada's existing distribution channels in Ireland and France. The company is also considering new regional operations in Romania, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Hungary.
