Chintz legend goes to the wall

SANDERSON'S, the name that brought traditional design and chintz to generations of Britons, has gone into receivership.

For 100 years the wallpaper and furnishings company has dressed country mansions and council houses alike with its own distinctive designs, as well as the flowery patterns of William Morris and others.

But the name, renowned for its high quality and classic look, appears to have fallen victim to television's home makeover shows and the Ikea-effect.

Programmes such as Changing Rooms and designers such as Linda Barker have shifted family tastes towards stark white

walls or bold painted colour blocks. And Ikea's Scandinavian minimalist approach and 'chuck out your chintz' advertising campaigns appear to have created a backlash against patterns of any description.

Tearful staff at Arthur Sanderson & Sons' headquarters at Denham, Buckinghamshire, heard of the firm's plight at noon yesterday. More than 100 were handed redundancy notices and effectively told to leave the building immediately as receivers from Deloitte & Touche moved in.

A workforce of 180 remains and the receivers are hoping to sell the business as a going concern. But the crisis raises serious questions about what will happen to the treasured archive of traditional designs held by Sanderson's, which offer a unique insight into British tastes. It includes patterns by leading names such as William Morris, Voysey and Pugin, whose work Sanderson's has preserved and promoted along with its own designs.

Morris, co-founder of the Arts & Crafts movement, produced cherished wallpaper and textile designs in the second half of the 19th century.

Sanderson's was first commissioned to produce wallpapers for Morris & Co, the company he created, in 1930. When it went into liquidation in 1940, Sanderson's bought the patterns.

Sonia Crutchlow, vice-chairman of the William Morris Society, said she is devastated by what has happened to Sanderson's. 'The William Morris patterns from Sanderson's remain incredibly popular, particularly in America,' she added. 'But Sanderson's appears to have been in retreat for some time. People have had difficulty finding the product.

'We are always getting people asking for Morris designs - it would be disastrous if they went out of production. I am not an expert in changing design tastes. But I suspect it may be only a minor part of the populace which still wants to use these traditional designs.

'It is people of a certain age, people who are middle-aged or older. But, it should be remembered that these are people with money to spend.'

She said Sanderson's may be struggling because its products are of such high quality. 'Its wallpapersare so good and durable that they hardly ever seem to wear out,' she added.

Sanderson's has struggled to increase turnover and reduce costs over the last three years. Worldwide sales have averaged a relatively lowly £23m a year. Losses in 2000 were £2m, although the financial picture improved markedly, with a loss of just £200,000, in 2001.

Neville Kahn, the receiver from Deloitte &Touche, said the firm had simply run out of money.