Maker&Son brand ventures forward with global licensing model

28 FEB 2023

• Subsidiary Maker&Son Licenses now ‘brand guardian’ and responsible for managing agreements with licensee manufacturers. 
• First UK licensee announced as existing manufacturer.  Move comes in response to liquidation as means of fulfilling customer order backlog and accepting new orders. 

Maker&Son has pivoted its commercial model following the sale of the company in summer 2022 and related legal challenges and Maker&Son Licences Ltd will now be responsible for maintaining the brand for the long-term by managing licensing agreements in the UK and overseas.

The appointment of a UK licensee was particularly positive because part of the deal ensures past customer orders will be fulfilled in a timely manner. Taking account of the careful craftsmanship required to produce each order, the company predicts a maximum period of 16 weeks to fulfil the backlog of orders.

Jack Mason, Group CEO of Inc & Co, parent company of Maker&Son said:

“In our attempt to turn the company around having inherited its substantial debt when it was purchased, we did everything we could to deliver customer orders and find solutions where delivery was no longer suitable.

“Unfortunately, those attempts to maintain the company’s existing structure were unsuccessful and ultimately liquidation followed. Having invested over £2 million from our parent company, Inc & Co, and remaining determined to realise the success that the legacy of this brand can achieve, we therefore adapted our approach and brought forward a plan to license the brand to select global manufacturers. In this case, the chosen licensee already had a history of crafting Maker&Son products for its customers.

“We formed Maker&Son Licenses to act as the brand guardian moving forward, managing our license agreements, and making sure that existing customers receive the best possible option, and new customers receive the quality of product and service that they rightly expect.

Maker&Son will now be communicating directly with existing UK & Ireland customers who have placed orders to confirm they would like to proceed with manufacture and delivery or to offer alternative solutions.

“We’re approaching this new licensing agreement as a separate venture from any of our other companies, but our experience of building a successful high-end furniture brand means we’ve already got strong plans to grow the Maker&Son brand in the UK. That will include investing in showrooms and events as well as reintroducing product lines back into the UK portfolio in response to customer demand.

“As we invest in growing our Maker&Son team in the UK and Ireland, we’ll work with the existing supply chain and family of manufacturers to make sure that the materials we use and the designs we create together are of the highest quality for our customers. We remain committed to the Maker&Son focus, on using natural materials and all made-to-order items will continue to be made by hand by highly skilled craftspeople.”

Further licensee announcements overseas are expected soon as Maker&Son rolls out our expansion plans to target 5 global territories by the end of 2023. 

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