Salvation for C.W. Sellors

C.W. Sellors has been acquired by a consortium led by the former co-founder of Watchfinder, Stuart Hennell.

The external investors are combining with the company’s existing leadership team, with the notable exception of James Sellors, who officially stepped down as a director on 6th March.

The company, which also owns Jura Watches and W. Hamond, has been through an exceptionally tough period, financially, with administrators moving in in January of this year to wind it up. As recently as last week, the administrators said that there was no appetite, internally or externally, to inject the type of cash into the business that would be required to save it. Today’s news therefore comes as an enormous and welcome surprise for those involved.

Hennell will serve as non-executive chairman, alongside CEO Antony Lindsay (most recently CEO of Fabergé), managing director Rebecca Sellors (daughter of the late founder, Chris Sellors), and Alan Lloyd, who stays on as finance director.

In a statement, C.W. Sellors said that the new team would be “strengthening both the retail and online channels,” which would suggest that online orders will start flowing again in the near future.

“C.W. Sellors is a well-established British jewellery and watch business with strong foundations and a loyal customer base,” said CEO Lindsay. “Our focus now is on developing the business further while preserving the craftsmanship, expertise, and customer relationships that have defined the brand for almost half a century.”

While Hennell said: “What attracted me here is the combination of an established retail business and a digital platform with real underlying strength. With the right execution, there is clear potential to build something very compelling.”