Made.com – What Next?

Back in late October Made.com stopped taking orders and by November had gone into administration, leaving thousands of customers anxiously waiting to find out if they will be refunded for outstanding orders. Lots of challenges were faced by the company over recent years, as well as the looming market downturn and the post-COVID trading environment experienced by all.

The company ended up out of cash and holding too much stock that they were unable to shift, subsequently plunging into administration. Well-known British retailer Next purchased the brand for £3.4m, however, it did not take on any of the company’s stock or workers. Hundreds of jobs were lost, and refunds, unfulfilled orders and exchanges were only given a few days to be appealed before the surplus stock was sold at auction.

The company was known for its quality design pieces of furniture at affordable prices, which had been the focus of the brand for many years. This is what drew many customers to the brand, however as the years progressed, they started to lose sight of this ethos. More products were introduced, and ranges were expanded. Unfortunately, this coincided with a sharp reduction in quality. With this, Made.com started to lose its reputation for providing well-built, unique furniture that gained them the unique place in the market that they once held.

Made.com was widely recognised for its contemporary lighting, velvet sofas and, in particular, its designer collaborations. With this, the chic furniture brand was responsible for setting multiple home décor trends ever since its creation in 2010 and inspired furniture brands around them.

It is not clear what Next are intending to do with the Made.com brand, however, it is likely that we may see some of the well-known Made.com silhouettes and designs come back through Next in the future. This may be wishful thinking, however it does seem possible that Next would want to capitalise the popularity of the Made.com designs. If not, the gap in the market that is left by Made.com is certainly waiting to be filled.