MFI Group

MFI Group Limited was a British furniture retailer, operating under the MFI brand. The company was one of the largest suppliers of kitchens and bedroom furniture in the UK, and operated mainly in retail parks in out-of-town locations. After success in its early decades, it experienced recurring financial problems accompanied by several changes of ownership, and on 26 November 2008, it was announced that the business had been placed into administration. Merchant Equity Partners, headed by Henry Jackson, was the last company to own it, before it was sold to the management in September 2008 for a "small profit". The business ceased trading by 19 December 2008 after the administrators failed to find a buyer. It struggled to make profits during the 2000s, as chains such as B&Q & Argos introduced their own furniture lines, and rival chain IKEA expanded. Following its closure, the MFI brand was purchased by Victoria Plumb, and was relaunched, as an online-only retailer on 30 November 2011.