Victorian Plumbing is preparing to relaunch the well-known MFI brand as an online homewares retailer, despite forecasting an initial £6m loss by the end of its 2026 financial year.
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The company acquired the MFI name in May 2024 as part of a £22.2m deal to purchase rival Victoria Plum. The relaunch is planned to take place between October 2025 and March 2026, leveraging Victorian Plumbing's existing e-commerce infrastructure and warehouses in Lancashire.
Chief executive Mark Radcliffe acknowledged the challenge of forecasting the brand's performance with no trading history, stating: 'As an entrepreneurial business we will react and adapt over time.' He added, 'Our current expectation is for MFI to incur the same overall loss in FY26 as expected in FY25.'
Radcliffe expressed optimism about the brand's long-term potential, saying he was "very excited about the upcoming re-invention of MFI", which he believes will help the company tap further into the £20bn UK homewares market. He highlighted the team's "decades of e-commerce knowledge" and "best-in-class proprietary software" as key assets in the relaunch.
Originally founded in 1964, MFI became a major player in flatpack kitchens and bedrooms, owning Hygena and Schreiber by 1988. Despite this, it struggled with a reputation for poor quality, missing parts and endless sales. The company's retail division was sold in 2006 for £1, eventually collapsing into administration in December 2008.
Although a 2016 plan to revive MFI as a flatpack furniture brand was announced by Victoria Plumb, it never materialised—until now. The upcoming launch marks the brand's most serious return attempt in nearly two decades.
Source: www.interiorsmonthly.co.uk