Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Marks & Spencer has announced a new partnership with design guru Sir Terence Conran as it overhauls and relaunches its homewares offer.
The retailer intends to divide its home department into three categories, classic, design and contemporary. Sir Terence will oversee the development of products in the contemporary section, where the Conran Exclusive Design Only at M&S collection will include kitchenware, furniture, bedding and lighting.
The project will see Sir Terence and his team at Conran & Company working alongside M&S’ own product developers.
M&S’ chief executive Marc Bolland described Sir Terence, the 79-year-old founder of Habitat, as “Britain’s most influential designer.
“His name is synonymous with exquisite modern design and he was the natural choice of partner to help us create our contemporary homeware range,” he said.
For his part, Sir Terence Conran said that the project was “the opportunity of a lifetime. It gives us the chance to produce a truly democratic and British collection, something that I’ve been aiming to achieve all my working life.
“We cannot say how thrilled we are to be working on this serious design project.”
First items in the collection will be available in stores and online from this September, with further roll-out throughout 2012.
