As reported by FTD here, Habitat will close. It is the end of a long story started by a great talent, Terence Conran.
The first Habitat store opened in 1964. From there it expanded into an international chain of furniture and interior design stores.
Habitat was then acquired by Ikea with the intention to establish a higher priced chain. A concept, that The Gap followed with the acquisition of Banana Republic.
But the concept did not work. Thus, Ikea sold, or rather gave away, Habitat to Hilco for three (3) Euro. Hilco tries to revive troubled brands – mostly through licensing – like Polaroid, The Sharper Image, Linens ‘n Things and Bombay Co. Through Brand Matters it owns Ellen Tracy and acts as licensing agent for the Bob Marley estate.
The profitable stores are now up for sale, the other ones will be closed.