OKA Direct

OKA (also known as OKA Direct) is a British furniture and home accessories retailer founded in 1999 by Annabel Astor, Sue Jones and Lucinda Waterhouse and owned by Investindustrial.[1] OKA has 14 shops[2] across the UK together with British and American websites and a catalogue business.

OKA
TypeLimited Company
IndustryFurniture & Home Accessories
GenreRetailer
Founded1999 (1999)
FounderAnnabel Astor, Sue Jones and Lucinda Waterhouse
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Key people
Annabel Astor, Sue Jones, Lucinda Waterhouse, Peter Chappelow, Octavia Morley
OwnerInvestindustrial
Websitewww.oka.com

History

OKA started as a mail order company in 1999, before opening its first shop in 2000. The idea for an interiors business came to Annabel when she was struggling to find good quality, stylish furniture at an affordable price to furnish a house in Florida. Since the beginning, Annabel, her sister-in-law Sue Jones and friend Lucinda Waterhouse have travelled to the Far East to source products, and still do the buying today. The initial product range was 'rattan' for the first OKA catalogue – which was photographed in Jane Churchill and Bruce Oldfield's homes - followed by painted wooden furniture, alongside replicas of 18th century blue and white porcelain and a range of Chinoiserie furniture.[3]

OKA has two flagship shops in the UK that house the entire collection: Froxfield, an 8,000 sq ft showroom and a smaller garden room outside, and London's Fulham Road opened in 2010 with three floors, becoming OKA's largest shop.[4]

In September 2011, OKA opened a concession in the department store Selfridges on Oxford Street in London, but it closed in February 2013.[5] In May 2016, OKA opened a concession in Hoopers Department Store, Tunbridge Wells.[6]

In 2009, OKA’s warehousing facilities moved from Berinsfield to a larger facility of over 100,000 sq ft in Milton Park, Oxfordshire,[7] where their head office is also based.

The website launched in 2001, followed by a redesign in 2011 and a redesign for tablet and mobile in 2013.[8]

In May 2014, Peter Chappelow was appointed as non-executive chairman, replacing Graham Frost.[9] In October 2014, Octavia Morley was appointed as CEO.[10]

OKA reported a 23% rise in online sales and 17% rise in overall profit for 2013, taking their annual turnover to £19.9m.[11]

OKA was bought by Italian investment firm Investindustrial in January 2018.[12]

OKA made its first acquisition, US-based Wisteria, in September 2018.[13]

References
  1. "Current portfolio: OKA". Investindustrial.
  2. "OKA store locations". OKA.
  3. "OKA rules, ok yah! How Annabel Astor is catering for the middle classes". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  4. "Oka: Lady Astor's new flagship furniture store". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  5. "Furniture Retailer OKA arrives at London Selfridges". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  6. "OKA Direct celebrates new store openings". Direct Commerce. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  7. "OKA Moves to Milton Park". MEPC. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  8. "Responsive Website Resign for OKA". Behance. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. "Lady Astor's OKA appoints retail veteran". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  10. "Oka Direct appoints Octavia Morley as chief executive". Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  11. "Lady Astor's OKA posts profit surge after wooing younger shoppers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  12. "Aston Martin owner buys Oka, founded by Samantha Cameron's mum". The Times. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  13. "Founders sell Wisteria, the Dallas grown home furnishings retailer, to a well-heeled London brand". Dallas News. 21 September 2018.

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