Blooming Marvellous, the maternity wear retailer/cataloguer that
went into administration on 28th January, has been acquired.
Administrator MCR sold it on 25th February to a consortium led by
Elaine McPherson, Mike Basso, and Jim McDowell. McPherson is a
cofounder of discount retailer MK One and had rescued clothing
chain Ethel Austin and home goods discounter Au Naturale out of
administration last year; Mike Basso is the owner of brand
licensing specialist PanWorld Brands, and Jim McDowell was
marketing director at multititle cataloguer Flying Brands.
Another retailer to be acquired out of administration was Zavvi,
which found a new home with The Hut Group last month. Relaunched
as an online-only proposition, the movie, music, and games
retailer has had its product line extended to include perfume,
lingerie, and electricals.
Still languishing in administration is Elvi, a retailer of
plus-size fashion for women, which called in Cowgill Holloway
Business Recovery on 27th February. Some 20 redundancies were
announced among support staff at the company’s head office. Elvi
had been bought out of administration just last year by a private
consortium that included former management.
Everything but the Music (EBTM), a marketer of music-inspired
fashion, is also in adminstration, having appointed BDO Stoy
Hayward on 2nd March. EBTM originally applied to put just two of
its subsidiaries into administration. It had sold one subsidiary,
accessories brand Lowlife, in October.
Published: 6th April 2009
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