£250,000 doesn’t sound like a lot of money for the MFI brand, but is it worth even that?

Nicola’s scoop that MFI is going to make a comeback is attracting quite a lot of attention today, unsurprisingly given the brand’s iconic status in the kitchens and bathrooms market. It has been sold to Victoria Plumb, a plumbing business based in Hull, which has put a statement about relaunching the brand on mfi.co.uk, although it wouldn’t confirm whether it plans stores or just a web launch.

£250,000 for a brand as well-known as MFI isn’t a lot in the scheme of things, but I still think it’s a waste of money, because in its latter years at least the MFI brand became a byword for bad service. The tales of products which came with bits missing and missed deliveries were legion, customer service wasn’t the best and of course many customers were left in the lurch when it went under.

Woolworths was a hugely loved brand but even so I’m not convinced its relaunch under Shop Direct’s ownership has been a roaring success. Bringing back a brand which had become a standing joke as MFI had is going to be an awful lot harder, and it’s no surprise that it’s someone we’ve never heard of buying it rather than a well-known retail business or individual.

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