MFI – Another Failure, But A More Obvious One

So, MFI is joining the league of companies not to ride out the credit crunch. It’s more obvious to me – from a very bland point of view – why MFI has not managed to stay afloat. It used to be known as a very cheap kitchen company, but worked recently to smarten up its act and produce much more inspirational kitchens. However, I’m not sure the general masses ever caught on to that.

What’s more, the competition at the cheaper end of the market for good looking (if not good quality) kitchens is really, really fierce. Far better, some would think, to brave the aisles and kitchen planning department of Ikea, and to bag a kitchen for just a couple of grand, than go somewhere like MFI, where the perception of the quality of the kitchens on offer was much the same as Ikea’s, and to pay over twice the price of those at the Swedish giant.

And, sadly, I think the atmosphere of the store itself didn’t help. Unlike Woolies or Ikea, which have always been packed (to the point of hysteria) when I’ve gone in there, MFI has only ever been deserted. I’d far rather choose a kitchen in a quiet, calm atmosphere like MFI’s, but who wants to buy where no one else is? It’s like passing an empty restaurant on a Saturday night in order to stand in a queue at another one up the road. The food might be just as good in the first one, but if no one else thinks it is, why should you?

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