Company Profile

Established in 1902,  Romo is a family run business, based in Nottinghamshire, UK.   The company designs and markets exclusive furnishing and upholstery fabrics, wallcoverings and trimmings for residential and contract interiors, including classic and contemporary prints, luxurious damasks, silks, jacquards, chenilles, velvets and an extensive range of plain and semi-plain weaves.  There are currently five design houses operating under The Romo Group: Romo, Mark Alexander, Zinc, Villa Nova and Kirkby Design, each with its own signature style and colour palette.  Design creativity and the highest level of product and service are central to the ethos of the company.

The Romo collections are available world wide through selected retailers and designers.

History

The Edwardian era had just dawned when in 1902 Robert Mould, who gave his name to the company, started a small-scale furniture manufacturing business in Nottingham, England.  By the 1930s, the company had become wholesalers to the upholstery industry, supplying furnishing fabrics and components for the manufacture of furniture.   The company continued to evolve until eventually the upholstery manufacturing side of the business ceased completely and the supply of furnishing fabrics became the company's primary focus.  In the 1980s Romo started its own in-house design studio, injecting a more creative approach to design which redefined Romo as the design-led company it is known as today.

Today

Romo remains a family run business today and is currently managed by the founder's great grandson, Jonathan Mould, along with his niece Lindsay and children Felicity, Emily and Jordan. Over 250 people are employed at the warehouse, studio and offices in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottingham with further offices in London, Germany, The Netherlands and the USA.  Our main fabric stores consist of 3 warehouse units with a combined floor space of 200,000 sq.ft. that hold approximately 250,000 rolls of fabric and wallcoverings.   With additional subsidiaries in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Norway and  Denmark, and an extensive network of worldwide distributors, Romo is now a recognized international brand in exclusive home furnishings. 

In recognition of our achievements in increasing export sales, Romo was recently awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade, the highest possible accolade in British business. 

Design

Our reputation for offering excellent designs and fabric qualities is built on two important factors: exclusive designs by our experienced designers; and close working relationships with carefully chosen expert weavers and printers. Significant investment is made each year in product development for the five Design Houses currently operating within The Romo Group: 

Romo is the company's signature brand with a style defined by lively, contemporary prints, innovative decorative weaves, imaginative wallcoverings and elegant trimmings.  From the studio in Nottingham, the designers source new qualities, originate designs and constantly develop the unique Romo colour palette.  A meticulous design process develops a design from a simple pencil sketch through to beautifully drawn artwork, or inspirational archive documents are re-worked into imaginative new designs.

Villa Nova was founded in 1995 with a philosophy of creating practical and versatile fabric collections that offer affordable style.   A talented design team develops Villa Nova's eclectic range of co-ordinating printed fabrics, jacquards, decorative weaves, sheers and wallcoverings, incorporating their own signature colour palette that is creative, usable and easy to live with.  For a closer look please visit the Villa Nova website: www.villanova.co.uk

Kirkby Design is a modern, high performance fabric resource library, incorporating superb upholstery fabrics with a sharp, contemporary feel and high quality finish using a well balanced, sophisticated colour palette.  The brand offers an extensive range of plain and semi plain qualities plus smart stripes and classic wool plaids that are stylish,  affordable and highly durable for use in both residential and contract specifications. For sales and distribution information please visit the Kirkby Design website: www.kirkbydesign.com

Mark Alexander offers exclusive and original textiles and wallcoverings, defined by their natural qualities, subtle designs and soft muted shades synonymous with understated luxury. The designs are broadly eclectic in style, with subtle historical references and influences from traditional dyeing and weaving techniques.  The palette is based on natural shades, mellow hues and earthy tones which compliment the natural quality of the yarns, with occasional statement colours such as Indigo and Soft Aqua.  For sales and distribution information please visit the Mark Alexander website: www.markalexander.com

Zinc is strong, tactile and urban with quirky undertones.  Presented in a seductive, monochromatic palette with hints of colour, the new Zinc collections incorporate conspicuous finishes, sumptuous textures and modern graphic designs that together evoke the glamour and style of the 1970's New York jetset. For sales and distribution information please visit the Zinc website: www.zinctextile.com

Marketing  & Distribution

Romo collections are launched twice a year, in January and September through our worldwide network of distributors and agents allowing our exclusive collections international brand recognition in over 70 countries.  

Romo also has a prominent presence in the market place through its flagship showrooms in London, New York, Miami, Munich and Cl. Houten, Holland as well as being represented in agent showrooms around the world.  The showrooms enable designers, decorators and their clients to view the complete range of our collections on large hangers, showing the designs and colours to the best effect.

Pattern books and waterfalls are the showcase of our collections and are used by retailers and interior designers across the globe.   All our waterfalls and pattern books are produced in-house at our head office site in Nottingham. By producing our own pattern books we ensure the highest level of quality, maintain excellent stock levels and despatch books both quickly and efficiently. The company invests annually in high profile advertising campaigns for each brand, in prestigious UK and European interior magazines, to support our customers and maintain brand recognition in the media.

Customer Service

Romo is dedicated to offering the highest level of customer service.  A direct link to the main computer system enables the overseas offices to give up-to-the-minute stock levels on all products.  The fully computerised warehouse system permits all orders placed before 2pm to be despatched the same day.  Once despatched a bar coded ticketing and tracking system allows each order to be efficiently tracked at every point of transit by our sales advisors in the UK and abroad.   Our fast processing of orders coupled with the speed of our transportation partners ensures our delivery service is one of the most efficient in the industry.
 

Sharing the profits   

The directors and staff at Romo believe it is important to give something back to the community. For many years we have supported local and national charitable organisations by donating a portion of the company's profits.  Staff also regularly hold additional fund-raising events, demonstrating their personal commitment to chosen charities.
 

We have detailed below some of the projects that have recently benefited from Romo's support. 

CHAT – 'Choices about Health for Ashfield Teenagers'.

CHAT is a small Nottinghamshire based charity that works with under privileged teenagers through community activities and workshops.

John Eastwood Hospice.

A Nottinghamshire based organisation, the John Eastwood Hospice and support services provide care for patients with Specialist Palliative Care needs including Cancer, Motor Neurone Disease and end stage HIV/Aids.