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Osborne & Little
Osborne & Little
Industry wallpaper fabric, interiors products
FoundedLondon, England (1968)
Founder Sir Peter Osborne
Antony Little
Headquarters
London
,
England
Website osborneandlittle.com

Osborne & Little is a British manufacturer and retailer of upmarket wallpaper and fabrics. It was established in 1968 and now has showrooms worldwide. [1] It was among the brands included in the Victoria and Albert Museum's British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age exhibition in 2012. [2]

History

Osborne & Little was established by Sir Peter Osborne (father of Conservative Party politician George Osborne) and his brother-in-law Antony Little. [3] The company's shop, in the King's Road, Chelsea, put it in the heart of Swinging London. [4]

Little was the designer[ clarification needed] – he had been responsible for Biba's distinctive black and gold logo – and created most of the company's early ranges. [3] Hand-printed papers were inspired by everything from the designs of Aubrey Beardsley to the Brighton Pavilion [3] [4] Its success in reinterpreting classic designs in new ways during the 1970s and '80s meant that Little soon presided over a large design team. In the book Twentieth Century Pattern Design, Lesley Jackson described the brand as distinctive for its bold reinterpretations of traditional patterns, adding: "historical references tend to be lateral rather than literal". [5]

Expansion

The company took over Isabel Tisdall's Tamesa Fabrics in 1985 and later acquired the distribution rights to Lorca fabrics and Liberty Furnishings. [5] [6] It has a longstanding association with interior designer Nina Campbell, distributing her collections. [7] [8] The company has a wholly owned US subsidiary and showrooms across Europe, in addition to retailing via UK stores such as John Lewis. [9] Its high-profile clients have included Bill and Hillary Clinton, who used Osborne & Little designs in their private apartment at the White House. [3]

The company was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange, delisting in 2003; it had a turnover of almost £33m in 2011, with a quarter of this coming from sales in mainland Europe. [10] Little retired from the business in 2005 and Osborne remains CEO. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne retains a shareholding in the company. [3] [11]

Tax 'deferral'

The company recorded a pre-tax profit of £722,000 on turnover of £34 million in 2014/5. In 2015 it was revealed by Private Eye that, despite this profit, the company paid no corporation tax for the year 2015 – thereby avoiding a "tax bill" of £179,000. [12] The magazine also revealed that the company had not paid any corporation tax since 2008 and had even received a tax credit of £12,000 in the year 2010. [12] This was due to the company making losses totalling £9 million between 2009 and 2014, which allow the carry forward of credits for losses against the 2015 corporation tax bill. Despite these losses, the companies' directors were paid a total of £1.2million in the year 2012 alone. [13] The former Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, owns a 15% stake in the company, which is estimated to be worth between 15 and 30 million pounds. [13]

Design collaborations

Osborne & Little has collaborated with a number of other British fashion and textile designers over the years, including Zandra Rhodes, Neisha Crosland and Matthew Williamson. [5] [14] [15]

References

  1. ^ Staff (8 January 2014). "Passnotes: Osborne & Little: is George's humble family wallpaper firm in trouble?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  2. ^ staff (29 March 2012). "The mini-dress and the E-type: design classics at the V&A". The Week. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e Lutyens, Dominic (12 July 2009). "Blow the Budget". The Observer. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b McSmith, Andy (19 June 2010). "George Osborne: A silver spoon for the golden boy". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Jackson, Lesley (2007). Twentieth Century Pattern Design. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 203. ISBN  9781568983332. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  6. ^ Schoeser, Mary. "Isabel Tisdall". The Guardian. No. 12 October 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  7. ^ Sinclair, Emma (21 January 2013). "Feminine wiles: Nina Campbell and those heart-shape glasses". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  8. ^ staff (16 May 2010). "Interview: Nina Campbell, interior designer". The Scotsman. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  9. ^ Russell, Jonathan (23 December 2012). "George Osborne's family firm in fourth annual loss". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  10. ^ Tyler, Richard (22 December 2011). "George Osborne's family business makes a loss as the weak economy takes its toll". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  11. ^ Londoners' Diary (11 April 2012). "George Osborne's tax crusade should begin at home". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 October 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2016.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link)
  13. ^ a b "Osborne & Little: is George's humble family wallpaper firm in trouble? | Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  14. ^ staff (1 December 2010). "Women in interiors: Neisha Crosland's top tips for autumn/winter 2011". Red. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  15. ^ Milligan, Lauren (28 August 2013). "The prince of prints takes over your home". Vogue. Retrieved 12 July 2014.

External links

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