Romo Fabrics Expands Export as it Reaches 100 Years in Business
January 13, 2003
Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notting-hamshire (UK)- Fabric distributor Romo Fabrics, which marked one hundred years in business in 2002, is expand its main site to give more storage space for its exclusive collections. The company said it is planning further export growth, particularly in Europe.
Founded in 1902 as an upholstered furniture manufacturer, Romo continues as a family-owned business and is today jointly owned by Jonathan and Robert Mould, great-grandsons of the founder. To celebrate its centenary, Romo held a party in July for employees and agents in the grounds of stately Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire.
Robert Mould, an upholsterer, founded the company R. Mould at the end of the Boer War. Based in Nottingham, the firm made ''seven-piece suites'' for the upper classes and supplied upholstery sundries, such as tacks, horse hair and polish.
In the 1930s, when Mould passed control of the company to his children Frank, Hilda, Ernest and Mabel, the firm had become a wholesaler to the upholstery industry. This was a time when the three-piece suite was an essential part of every British middle and working class family.
Douglas Mould, Frank's son, joined the company in 1945 after duty in the Second World War. He set about growing the business to supply upholsterers in the Midlands and northern England as well as Nottinghamshire. It was during this time that fabrics began to become important for the firm.
In the early 1970s, the brand name Romo, derived from the first letters of Robert Mould's name, was introduced, and Douglas Mould's sons entered the business. The company began to computerize and introduced new technology. It now covered the whole of mainland U.K. and moved even further toward fabrics.
As the business evolved, the wholesaling operation ceased, and Romo moved to its present location in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
Today, the company designs and markets exclusive furnishing and upholstery fabrics and trimmings. It employs around 200 people at its three sites, where it warehouses thousands of stock lines and operates a pattern-making subsidiary called Patco. Fabrics include classic and contemporary prints, damasks, silks, jacquards, chenilles, velvets and a wide selection of plains and semi-plains. The latest change in direction dates from the mid-1980s, when the company ''discovered'' Europe and began to put resources into product design and development. ''Until then, the emphasis was on upholstery fabrics rather than drapery,'' explained Jonathan Mould. ''Then we began to enter the soft furnishings market, which is now the focus of the business.''
As the flagship Romo brand began to move upmarket and away from its original customer base to include drapery and other items, Kirkby House was introduced for the upholstery market and Sherwood for the reupholstery sector.
The Kirkby House/ Sherwood division is run by Robert Mould and has its own U.K. sales team. Villa Nova, headed by David Canovan, was later introduced as a middle-market brand, mainly for drapery.
When Romo started to branch out in the mid-'80s, the company saw opportunities in Europe. ''We realized we needed exclusive fabrics and unique products based on our own designs and colorings, so we established a design studio,'' said Mould.
The Romo Fabrics design team plans 15-18 months ahead, launching collections twice a year, in January and July. Here, the emphasis is on natural fibers, particularly cotton, linen, silk and viscose. All prints are designed in-house and fabrics are printed in the U.K. Occasionally, weave designs are bought in; woven fabrics are produced mainly in France, Italy and Belgium.
With its focus on the middle-upper market, the Romo Fabrics brand aims to create useable products with looks ranging from classical to contemporary. Mould said: ''The fabrics are definitely not old-fashioned, but equally they're not ultra-modern and without big design statements. We are really just following the practice of good decorative tradition.''
He explained that Romo had pulled out of most U.K. trade fairs to spend more on direct marketing and in-house shows. It does, however, exhibit at Heimtextil, Textil Hogar and the Stockholm Furniture Fair, while Villa Nova participates at Design Interiors as well as trade shows in Germany and the Netherlands.
Romo's strategy was - and still is - to develop a system of agents and employees in all the major continental European countries. Subsidiary offices operate in Barcelona, Brussels, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Salzburg, Turin and Utrecht.
Worldwide, an extensive network of distributors sells Romo's exclusive collections to interior designers, independent retailers and department stores in more than 36 countries. Outside of Europe, the main markets include the U.S.A., Australia and South Africa, as well as Hong Kong, Japan and other Asian countries.
Today, exports account for some 35 percent of the company's turnover, with the majority (75-80 percent) in Western Europe. ''Compared with 15 years ago, when overseas sales were virtually nil, exports are a growing part of the business,'' said Jonathan Mould.
A direct link to a main computer system at Kirkby enables the overseas offices to provide up-to-the-minute stock positions on all fabrics. The fully computerized warehouse enables the dispatch of most orders on the day of receipt and facilitates processing and dispatch of more than 250,000 parcels per year.
The company has invested heavily in computers, which has been integral in its success, Mould said. The company has developed proprietary bespoke software programs and employs four full-time programers in its IT department. The next step, Mould said, will be the development of an Internet-based ordering system for European trade customers and distributors worldwide.
A lover of fast cars, Mould now sees his role in the company as more of a catalyst. A heart attack, which he suffered a couple of years ago, has not dampened his enthusiasm for his other passion - sailing. When F&FI managed to catch up with him, he was planning a trans-Atlantic crossing for the end of 2002.
The hope is that the next generation of the Mould family will be integrated into the business over the next 10-15 years and already Jonathan's daughter Emily, a textile design graduate, has joined the design team.
''I don't think our business has changed that much over the past decade or two,'' he said. ''We're a successful company, but we have grown slowly and gradually, without meteoric rises. That strategy has worked.
''It's down to dedication, service, products and marketing. And people, of course. We have an excellent team of managers and staff all pulling together, and that's very important. We're also a loyal company - and that includes suppliers.''
Hard work has certainly paid off. In mid-October, turnover was up 16 percent compared with the same period in 2001 and is expected to increase by at least 15 percent for the full year.
''The market is hard everywhere, particularly with the minimalist fashion that has been in vogue in recent years,'' Mould continued. ''There is a lot of competition out there. But we try hard to have good products that the market desires.'' F&FI
Founded in 1902 as an upholstered furniture manufacturer, Romo continues as a family-owned business and is today jointly owned by Jonathan and Robert Mould, great-grandsons of the founder. To celebrate its centenary, Romo held a party in July for employees and agents in the grounds of stately Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire.
Robert Mould, an upholsterer, founded the company R. Mould at the end of the Boer War. Based in Nottingham, the firm made ''seven-piece suites'' for the upper classes and supplied upholstery sundries, such as tacks, horse hair and polish.
In the 1930s, when Mould passed control of the company to his children Frank, Hilda, Ernest and Mabel, the firm had become a wholesaler to the upholstery industry. This was a time when the three-piece suite was an essential part of every British middle and working class family.
Douglas Mould, Frank's son, joined the company in 1945 after duty in the Second World War. He set about growing the business to supply upholsterers in the Midlands and northern England as well as Nottinghamshire. It was during this time that fabrics began to become important for the firm.
In the early 1970s, the brand name Romo, derived from the first letters of Robert Mould's name, was introduced, and Douglas Mould's sons entered the business. The company began to computerize and introduced new technology. It now covered the whole of mainland U.K. and moved even further toward fabrics.
As the business evolved, the wholesaling operation ceased, and Romo moved to its present location in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
Today, the company designs and markets exclusive furnishing and upholstery fabrics and trimmings. It employs around 200 people at its three sites, where it warehouses thousands of stock lines and operates a pattern-making subsidiary called Patco. Fabrics include classic and contemporary prints, damasks, silks, jacquards, chenilles, velvets and a wide selection of plains and semi-plains. The latest change in direction dates from the mid-1980s, when the company ''discovered'' Europe and began to put resources into product design and development. ''Until then, the emphasis was on upholstery fabrics rather than drapery,'' explained Jonathan Mould. ''Then we began to enter the soft furnishings market, which is now the focus of the business.''
As the flagship Romo brand began to move upmarket and away from its original customer base to include drapery and other items, Kirkby House was introduced for the upholstery market and Sherwood for the reupholstery sector.
The Kirkby House/ Sherwood division is run by Robert Mould and has its own U.K. sales team. Villa Nova, headed by David Canovan, was later introduced as a middle-market brand, mainly for drapery.
When Romo started to branch out in the mid-'80s, the company saw opportunities in Europe. ''We realized we needed exclusive fabrics and unique products based on our own designs and colorings, so we established a design studio,'' said Mould.
The Romo Fabrics design team plans 15-18 months ahead, launching collections twice a year, in January and July. Here, the emphasis is on natural fibers, particularly cotton, linen, silk and viscose. All prints are designed in-house and fabrics are printed in the U.K. Occasionally, weave designs are bought in; woven fabrics are produced mainly in France, Italy and Belgium.
With its focus on the middle-upper market, the Romo Fabrics brand aims to create useable products with looks ranging from classical to contemporary. Mould said: ''The fabrics are definitely not old-fashioned, but equally they're not ultra-modern and without big design statements. We are really just following the practice of good decorative tradition.''
He explained that Romo had pulled out of most U.K. trade fairs to spend more on direct marketing and in-house shows. It does, however, exhibit at Heimtextil, Textil Hogar and the Stockholm Furniture Fair, while Villa Nova participates at Design Interiors as well as trade shows in Germany and the Netherlands.
Romo's strategy was - and still is - to develop a system of agents and employees in all the major continental European countries. Subsidiary offices operate in Barcelona, Brussels, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Salzburg, Turin and Utrecht.
Worldwide, an extensive network of distributors sells Romo's exclusive collections to interior designers, independent retailers and department stores in more than 36 countries. Outside of Europe, the main markets include the U.S.A., Australia and South Africa, as well as Hong Kong, Japan and other Asian countries.
Today, exports account for some 35 percent of the company's turnover, with the majority (75-80 percent) in Western Europe. ''Compared with 15 years ago, when overseas sales were virtually nil, exports are a growing part of the business,'' said Jonathan Mould.
A direct link to a main computer system at Kirkby enables the overseas offices to provide up-to-the-minute stock positions on all fabrics. The fully computerized warehouse enables the dispatch of most orders on the day of receipt and facilitates processing and dispatch of more than 250,000 parcels per year.
The company has invested heavily in computers, which has been integral in its success, Mould said. The company has developed proprietary bespoke software programs and employs four full-time programers in its IT department. The next step, Mould said, will be the development of an Internet-based ordering system for European trade customers and distributors worldwide.
A lover of fast cars, Mould now sees his role in the company as more of a catalyst. A heart attack, which he suffered a couple of years ago, has not dampened his enthusiasm for his other passion - sailing. When F&FI managed to catch up with him, he was planning a trans-Atlantic crossing for the end of 2002.
The hope is that the next generation of the Mould family will be integrated into the business over the next 10-15 years and already Jonathan's daughter Emily, a textile design graduate, has joined the design team.
''I don't think our business has changed that much over the past decade or two,'' he said. ''We're a successful company, but we have grown slowly and gradually, without meteoric rises. That strategy has worked.
''It's down to dedication, service, products and marketing. And people, of course. We have an excellent team of managers and staff all pulling together, and that's very important. We're also a loyal company - and that includes suppliers.''
Hard work has certainly paid off. In mid-October, turnover was up 16 percent compared with the same period in 2001 and is expected to increase by at least 15 percent for the full year.
''The market is hard everywhere, particularly with the minimalist fashion that has been in vogue in recent years,'' Mould continued. ''There is a lot of competition out there. But we try hard to have good products that the market desires.'' F&FI
