Popular homewares brand Fenton & Fenton has been rescued from liquidation after collapsing early last month after 15 years in business.
The Melbourne-based company has been acquired by family business Berkowitz Furniture.
“We bring five generations of experience to this new partnership, along with the trust we have earned here in Melbourne over more than a century,” says CEO, Peter Berkowitz, in a statement.
“We know what this design institution means to so many people and we are dedicated to preserving its unique, colourful identity and independence.”
Fenton & Fenton was launched by Lucy Fenton back in 2008 and is known for its curated selection of homewares, furniture and artwork sold in its Prahran store as well as online, which are both scheduled to reopen again later this year. Fenton will stay on as creative director.
“We’re thrilled to announce that the Berkowitz family has acquired Fenton & Fenton and we are working together to bring you the next chapter,” the company says on its Facebook page.
“The past month has been a challenging time and we appreciate your patience. We are so grateful that the Berkowitz family believes in what we built and that we are now in a position to work together and continue our mission to help others live a life less ordinary.”
Addressing customer concerns, the Berkowitz family is committed to supporting current Fenton & Fenton customers, with orders fulfilled where possible and gift cards honoured with some conditions.
“The decision to place the company into liquidation was made extremely quickly. Up until this time, the senior leadership team was committed to finding a solution to continue to operate.
“The new team are committed to resolving outstanding orders where they can and as soon as the team is back up and running.”
