Links of London
Company typePrivate
GenreConcept Store
Founded1990; 34 years ago (1990)
FounderJohn Ayton & Annoushka Ducas
Headquarters
Mayfair, London
,
England
Key people
John Ayton
Annoushka Ducas
Products
ParentFolli Follie
Websitehttp://www.linksoflondon.com/us-en/

Links of London was a British brand owned by Greek jewellery company Folli Follie, with headquarters in London, England. It was founded in 1990 by John Ayton and Annoushka Ducas.[1][2] It sold through outlets in Europe, the US, Asia and online.[3] The business struggled and needed a buyer which the business couldn't obtain so it disappeared from the high streets and is no longer trading. The last known store to close was Hong Kong and after June 2020, the brand ceased to exist.

History

Links of London started in 1990 when a London restaurant owner commissioned fish-shaped cufflinks.[4] Throughout the next 15 years, Links of London expanded, with retail outlets in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan and Hong Kong. In July 2006, the company was sold to Folli Follie SA.[5] [6] In October 2007, Ducas left the company. In July 2009, Ducas launched the brand Annoushka Jewellery.[7]

The company's revenue was £85m in 2009.[citation needed] In 2014, Links of London was named the official jewellery sponsor of the Wimbledon tennis tournament.[8][9]

Bankruptcy: In March 2019, the brand was experiencing a major financial struggle and 500 jobs were in jeopardy. The company then appointed a new creative director with the hopes of turning things around. Unfortunately, things did not go to plan as the new partner company for Links of London, Folli Follie, was fined €20 million for overstating its revenue by €1 billion. This called for Links of London to shut down all US/Canadian and 16 UK stores. In January 2020, Retail Insider reported the once-popular jeweller Links of London was planning on closing all five of its Canadian stores in the coming year. In October 2019, the retailer started liquidating some of its stores in the United States and the United Kingdom where it had approximately 28 stores.

Notable designs

During the 2014 Wimbledon women's singles tournament, champion Petra Kvitová wore Links of London jewellery at the trophy presentation.[10] The two-time Czech singles champion wore Essentials Hope earrings, the Effervescence Bubble bracelet and a 20/20 Sterling necklace.[11]

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, wore Links of London 'Hope Topaz' earrings in her official engagement photos.[12]

References

  1. ^ Callan, Eoin (2006-04-30). "Links of London courts buyers". FT.com. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  2. ^ "Links of London see buoyant festive sales". Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  3. ^ Scott, Jon (2000-09-27). "Luxury goods - The Links effect". Marketing Magazine.
  4. ^ "The Links of London Story". Official website. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  5. ^ Moodie, Martin. "Hellenic acquires Links of London". The Moodie Report. Retrieved 2006-07-27.
  6. ^ Doherty, Kate (2012-01-03). "Annoushka Ducas and John Ayton awarded MBEs | News". Retail Jeweller. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  7. ^ "Annoushka". LUX Worldwide. Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  8. ^ "Links of London named Wimbledon's official jewellery sponsor". www.jewelleryfocus.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  9. ^ "IN DEPTH: Jewellery's creative collaborations". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  10. ^ "LeBron Lifetime Nike Deal Sign Of The Times As Sport's Love Affair With Business Gets Deeper". The Inquisitr. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  11. ^ "Petra Kvitova wins Wimbledon 2014 in Links of London". www.tracepublicity.com. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  12. ^ Milligan, Lauren (22 July 2011). "The Kate Effect". Vogue. Retrieved 6 October 2018.

External links

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