Morplan aims to ‘make retail exciting’ with innovative products and services in an industry that is more dynamic than ever
In the fast-paced and ever-changing world of retail, Morplan prides itself on providing a wide range of great products and services at reasonable prices for retailers, empowering them to stay ahead of the curve. With a portfolio of over 8000 products, the company stands as the number one supplier to the UK’s retail and fashion industries. These products include everyday consumables, shop fittings, showcases, carrier bags, hangers, tickets, and everything else needed to run a successful retail business. Mark Chatterton, Managing Director, shares the company’s journey in the industry.
“2025 will mark our 180th anniversary since we were established in 1845, so we have been in business for quite a long time. Over time, we have morphed our way through a variety of incarnations, always remaining focused on fashion and printing. Originally based in the East End of London, we later moved to the West End, where we still have a store on Great Titchfield Street, having been there for 130 years. The last few years have been challenging as we had to overcome the obstacles of the pandemic to continue supporting the UK’s retail industry, but we are now seeing a number of sales almost equal to pre-pandemic levels,” he opens.
Reflecting further, Mark is enthusiastic about the future of Morplan and the retail sector as a whole. “Although business is going well at the moment, I think this year has been tough in the retail industry. According to a recent report in Retail Week, several managing directors of various leading retailers around the UK have mentioned that the cost-of-living crisis has impacted consumer confidence. With uncertain sales predictions, retailers are less likely to invest in retail fixtures and fittings. That said, their outlook for 2025 is much more positive from their perspective, which makes me optimistic as well.”
Moving on to current developments, Mark shares some insights into a significant acquisition by the Raja Group, of which Morplan is an important member. “The Raja Group recently acquired a French business called Retif, which is rather similar to Morplan. In fact, Retif used to own Morplan. Therefore, we are quite excited to be back together and see what opportunities this partnership brings. Over the last nine years, we have significantly developed our proposition, and I think both us and Retif can learn from each other. We can help Retif on the furniture side where we specialize in creating exciting retail experiences whilst they are good at fulfilling consumables,” Mark says.
Aside from this interesting acquisition, exciting times are underway at Morplan as the company prepares to empower many more retailers by enhancing its services portfolio with investments in new equipment. “We’ve increased our offering of more eco-responsible, alternative products for everything, from display cabinets to carrier bags, including fixtures and fittings, bio-degradable mannequins, reclaimed teak gondolas, in-store visual merchandising solutions, and consumables needed by consumers. Most notable this year was the launch of our ocean waste hangers. They are made out of dumped plastic waste extracted from the sea making a small but important dent in the problem of marine pollution.
Investing in innovation
“The other driving force we are seeing in retail is of course ‘personalization’. Indeed, we have just installed a digital printer that enables us to carry out small print
runs on paper carrier bags, boxes and takeaway packaging. If a customer wants to get creative just for a weekend for example and change their bag design to celebrate a special anniversary or event, we can do a short run of bags for them. This is a concept that is relatively unique in the UK and has not been around for long, as printing is traditionally done while the bag is being made and in large numbers to make it worthwhile. In contrast, we operate on a minimum order value of 200 bags, making it easy for clients to create a nice bag for special promotions or events. The digital printer has been our core investment over the past 18 months, and it has proven a successful one, with our print works busier than ever.
“The other area we have seen good growth in over the last 18 months is the development of our bespoke offering. Brands like Kurt Geiger, Hugo Boss and Lipsy have all turned to Morplan to help them create exciting retail experiences,” Mark enlightens.
But investments in new production equipment do not stop there for Morplan, as Mark reveals: “It is worth noting that about 35-to-40 years ago, we invented the size cubes used on hangers to display product sizes, and we still have some of the original machines we used to print them. However, we invested in a new machine about 12 months ago, which is far more efficient and much quicker. Many retailers still want customers to be able to see the product size on the hanger, so we get tremendous demand for our size cubes. Hence, we expect the new machine to help us keep up with this demand. Not only is it much more energy efficient when making the products, but it also allows us to make biodegradable cubes.”
On trend
On a different topic, Mark discusses the recent trends Morplan has observed in terms of store fixtures and fittings, especially regarding colorways.. “There are new colorways emerging all the time, such as bright gold fixtures and fittings, which are becoming increasingly popular, specifically around the Midlands.
“Elsewhere, we are still seeing muted colorways of blacks and metals accented with bits of brass, which is industrial yet softening. In response to the trends we are observing in the heartland of fashion retailing, London, we have launched many products with an antique brass finish within our Illumine range, which has a more feminine touch than some of our other ranges. Illumine has been gaining a lot of attention, particularly from ladies’ fashion brands like Oliver Bonas, which tend to prefer a lighter, softer atmosphere throughout their stores rather than a heavily industrial look,” he ends.