Dunelm acquires luxury home brand Designers Guild

Dunelm has snapped up luxury home decor company Designers Guild for an undisclosed sum.

The homewares giant has acquired the brand’s IP and design archive, but did not acquire its stores or business operations, after what it described as a “highly competitive” sales process, The Times reported.

It comes after Designers Guild was put up for sale after posting a £1.7m pre-tax loss in the year to 31 March 2023, according to its most recent accounts on Companies House.

The brand narrowed its £15k loss from the year before, despite sales sliding 7% from £42.7m to £39.8m.

Dunelm said that it had agreed to license the brand and archives back to Designers Guild, “enabling it to continue operating independently”.

The home decor company will also continue running its store and other business operations under the agreement.

British designer Tricia Guild will remain as founder and creative director of the business, while Simon Jeffreys will stay on as group chief executive with the existing management team.

Guild said: “This collaboration will help preserve the integrity of our designs while ensuring the ongoing legacy of Designers Guild.”

It comes after Dunelm snapped up Irish soft furnishings retailer Home Focus at Hickeys in November, allowing Dunelm to enter the Republic of Ireland.

The homeware giant recently reported strong sales growth for the 13-week period ending 29 March 2025, with its total sales rising by 6.3% to £462m.

Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter