News

« Headlines

Life after death for Daisy & Tom

08.06.07 Caroline Horn

Children's retail chain Daisy & Tom will re-open under the same name, founder Tim Waterstone has pledged. Last week the company annnounced its intention to close in January 2008 following the sale of its parent.

The sites—owned by Waterstone and Scottish publisher D C Thomson under their company Chelsea Stores Holdings—are being sold to Mothercare, along with Daisy & Tom's sister company, Early Learning Centre (ELC). The deal is expected to be completed on 19th June.

D C Thomson has retained intellectual property rights to the Daisy & Tom brand, and plans to relaunch the chain.

"When we agreed to sell ELC to Mothercare, we lost the Daisy & Tom sites," Waterstone said. "We will start all over again. The new stores will be smaller, with more own-brand products, and sales will be more internet-driven. But the brand will definitely survive." More information about the relaunch will be released after completion of the ELC sale.

The Daisy & Tom chain was launched by Waterstone 10 years ago to sell children's books alongside clothes and toys. At its height, it had six stores turning over around £15m a year. It now has two stores, in Chelsea and Dublin, with the sale of its Guildford branch under way.

News of the closure emerged last Thursday, when buyer Sally-Ann Campbell emailed publishers saying that the "decision does not in any way reflect badly on the Daisy & Tom team or their suppliers, who continue to do an outstanding job". Campbell will move to work for ELC, buying puzzles, licensed products and toys.

Caroline Horn children's Daisy & Tom Tim Waterstone

See Also