Member Article

TheRugSeller.co.uk owner buys homeware business loved by Mrs Hinch

Daniel Prendergast, the entrepreneur behind successful online retail store TheRugSeller.co.uk, is giving Shabby Store a new lease of life after it went into administration earlier this year.

Homeware brand Shabby Store (Shabby.co.uk) has relaunched under new ownership after the business went into administration in February 2022. Its new owner Daniel Prendergast, who has grown TheRugSeller.co.uk into a successful £9m turnover business, is now looking to expand Shabby’s appeal beyond its loyal following that was boosted by becoming a furniture store favoured by Instagram powerhouses Mrs Hinch and Billie Faiers.

Shabby.co.uk offers a wide range of high-end homeware products including bar stools, dining chairs, mirrors, lighting and accessories and has amassed a massive half a million social media followers. It’s famed for its modern take on classic looks and its popularity with homeowners who favour an interior palette of grey, white and silver to achieve a fresh, clean and modern shabby chic look in the home.

With more than 15 years of experience in the home interiors category, and three extensive warehouse facilities in the Manchester area, the acquisition of Shabby Store cements Prendergast’s ambition to become one of the UK’s leading luxury online homeware retailers with multiple brands.

He says: “Shabby.co.uk has a fantastic reputation as the go-to place for stylish interior products and the silver-grey and mirrored furniture style aesthetic that floods our Instagram feeds, especially thanks to celebrity customers like Mrs Hinch.

“After a successful few years of trading, and reaching an annual turnover of £2m, unfortunately Shabby Store succumbed to the pressures that many retail companies are facing today, but it deserved to be saved and given a new lease of life, which is exactly what we’re planning to do.

“On the back of the boom in homewares during the pandemic, we have significantly expanded our warehouse capacity and have added Shabby orders to our well-honed home delivery processes. We had also already started to expand our product categories at TheRugSeller.co.uk – moving into bedding, wallpaper and paint – and have been looking to acquire more brands to add to our portfolio, so the opportunity to take over Shabby was ideal for us. Shabby fits perfectly alongside our Rug Seller brand.

“The website is now live and trading again, offering the most popular products from Shabby’s previous stock including chairs, lighting ornaments and decorative jars. We are looking to expand Shabby’s ranges and brand positioning with a view to extending the offering into other popular styles and trends.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kirsty Hunt .