Wallcovering Changes: Arthouse CEO Paul Mullan Sees Distribution Channels Shift And Sales Up 15%
January 17, 2020
FRANKFURT—Wallcovering distribution is changing from do-it-yourself to lifestyle-discount-department stores (B&M, The Range, Dunelin and Wickes) as well as online retailers: Wayfair, Amazon, and Ebay.
This is the opinion of Paul Mullan, CEO of Arthouse, a wallcovering converter based in Lancashire, U.K.
Mullan says his business was up 10-15% in 2019 and he expects similar results for 2020.
Certainly, that’s good news for Northedge, a U.K. private equity firm that purchased Arthouse five years ago.
Mullan joined Arthouse in September from his post at Walker Greenbank.
Arthouse is exporting wallcoverings to 60 countries including Europe, North and South America, Russia, and the Middle East.
Its export and domestic sales are evenly split.
The company has 65 people employed with 12 devoted to design in its Manchester headquarters.
“You generate ten designs for every hit you have,” Mullan says during Heimtextil 2020.
A big hit for Arthouse can generate $500,000 a year, while overall company sales are about $25 million.
“We innovate quickly,” Mullan says. That agility is aided by the fact that Arthouse works with 20 manufacturers.
Mullan says that Arthouse is refreshing its product range every 12 months as opposed to the industry standard of every three to five years.
“This is a trend and fashion-led business today,” he explains. “When the product sells, we push much harder. We don’t wait five years to take it off the market. This is not a commodity business.”
This is the opinion of Paul Mullan, CEO of Arthouse, a wallcovering converter based in Lancashire, U.K.
Mullan says his business was up 10-15% in 2019 and he expects similar results for 2020.
Certainly, that’s good news for Northedge, a U.K. private equity firm that purchased Arthouse five years ago.
Mullan joined Arthouse in September from his post at Walker Greenbank.
Arthouse is exporting wallcoverings to 60 countries including Europe, North and South America, Russia, and the Middle East.
Its export and domestic sales are evenly split.
The company has 65 people employed with 12 devoted to design in its Manchester headquarters.
“You generate ten designs for every hit you have,” Mullan says during Heimtextil 2020.
A big hit for Arthouse can generate $500,000 a year, while overall company sales are about $25 million.
“We innovate quickly,” Mullan says. That agility is aided by the fact that Arthouse works with 20 manufacturers.
Mullan says that Arthouse is refreshing its product range every 12 months as opposed to the industry standard of every three to five years.
“This is a trend and fashion-led business today,” he explains. “When the product sells, we push much harder. We don’t wait five years to take it off the market. This is not a commodity business.”
