Paperchase

Paperchase
Private
Industry Retail
Founders
  • Judith Cash
  • Eddie Pond
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Products Stationery, greeting cards
Revenue £106,949,000 (2015)
Parent Primary Capital
Website www.paperchase.co.uk

Paperchase is an international chain of stationery stores which were established in the United Kingdom but has since expanded into Europe, the USA and United Arab Emirates. As well as stand alone stores, in the UK there are concessions in selected Selfridges and House of Fraser stores.

History

Paperchase was founded by two art students, Judith Cash and Eddie Pond, around 1968. The company went through various owners before receiving investment from W H Smith in 1985; it continued to expand and in 1996 became Paperchase Products Ltd.,[1] having been bought by the existing management with investment from a venture capital fund.

In 2004 Borders Group Inc. bought out Graphite Capital,[2][3] and the company grew internationally within the Borders network.

In 2007 Borders sold a majority stake in the UK and Irish division of Borders book stores to Risk Capital for £10 million.[4]

In May 2008, the Borders Group announced it was considering selling its 97% share to one of either HgCapital, Isis Equity Partners or Change Capital,[5] with W H Smith interested in putting in a £50 million bid – 12 years after selling it at £1 million.[6]

With the administration and closure of Borders (UK) in late 2009, the company lost a large presence on the British high street as there was a Paperchase concession within every UK Borders. The UK division of Borders separated from its parent and the owner of Paperchase in 2007, and all Borders stores closed on 22 December 2009. To replace these lost UK retail sites, Paperchase concessions were formed in a number of HMV and Waterstones stores during 2010.[7]

In 2010, an MBO was completed[8] and the company is now owned by Primary Capital and its board of directors.

Stores

In September 2010, Paperchase launched an online store, built on the Venda ecommerce platform.

As of January 2013, the company has over 130 retail points of sale, made of up a mix of concessions and standalone stores. These are primarily based in the UK, with several in Dubai and a few in Denmark, The Netherlands, France and Germany. One of their flagship stores is on Tottenham Court Road and is known as 'Paperchase Heaven' and another in Manchester A new store opened in the White Rose Centre in Leeds in June 2013 and in March 2013 another flagship store was opened in Buchanan Street in Glasgow

In 2013, Paperchase occupied the former Barratts Shoes store in Jersey. Barratts closed the Jersey store just before it went into administration.

Controversy

In February 2010 the company was accused of stealing artwork created by an independent British artist.[9] Hidden Eloise.[10] An artist working for the agency Gather No Moss eventually admitted tracing the artwork.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Business Week
  2. ↑ "Graphite Capital sells Paperchase to Borders Group". Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  3. ↑ Woolner, Aaron (2004-07-14). "Borders Buys Paperchase". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  4. ↑ Financial Times 20 May 2008
  5. ↑ Financial Times 20 May 2008
  6. ↑ Telegraph 28 May 2008
  7. ↑ Financial Times 7 May 2010
  8. ↑ PR Newswire 13 July 2010
  9. ↑ http://hidenseek.typepad.com/come_out_come_out/
  10. ↑ Green, Chris (2010-02-11). "Paperchase forced to deny it copied artist's work". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  11. ↑ http://hidenseek.typepad.com/come_out_come_out/2010/02/the-designer-apologises.html
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