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Reform Kitchen Brand Secures New Investors, Plans U.S. Expansion

April 28, 2022

Experienced Capital (ECP), the operational investment fund dedicated to premium direct-to-consumer brands with high growth potential, is investing in the kitchen design brand Reform alongside Vaekstfonden, the Danish state-owned investment fund, already shareholder of the company since 2020.

Founded in 2014 by Jeppe Christensen and Michael Andersen, Reform is a Danish-born, international lifestyle kitchen brand that redefines the standards of the traditional kitchen industry, with beautifully designed, carefully crafted and award-winning kitchen furniture products, sold through its own website mainly in Europe and the United States and through a network of eleven directly operated showrooms across Denmark, Germany and the United States.

Jeppe and Michael are firm believers that the kitchen is the vital center of the home. They have channeled their passion for art and culture into the kitchen space and have worked from the start in close collaboration with leading designers and architects, including French star architect Jean Nouvel, Belgian design duo Muller Van Severen and Danish studio Norm Architects, to develop exclusive kitchen designs which are highly creative yet timeless, well-crafted and durable.

 

reform nouvel cabinet

Reflect Kitchen by Jean Novel for Reform

Combining curated design with a Nordic sense of aesthetics, Reform’s kitchens cater to discerning customers who want an extraordinary kitchen, at the right price, for their contemporary homes. Reform strives to offer a premium omnichannel customer experience, different from the rest of the kitchen market where, outside of the low-end and high-end segments, most players sell unexciting products at opaque prices through multiple distributors.

Reform has enjoyed a very strong growth trajectory over the past few years, notably in the United States where the brand operates two showrooms – one in Brooklyn, New York and one in Santa Monica, California. In 2021, the brand doubled in size and generated c.€30m orders in its three core markets: 1/3 in Denmark, 1/3 in Germany and 1/3 in the United States.

 

reform kitchen

Basic Kitchen by Reform

Building on this success, Reform now aims to accelerate its development in Europe and in the United States, with significant room for growth given a combined market size of around €50 billion. Five new showrooms are already scheduled to open by the end of 2022; one in Germany (Frankfurt/Main) and four in the United States.

Speaking exclusively to KBB, Jeppe Christensen talks about the timing of this development. “Since we expanded our activities into the U.S. a few years ago, we had noticed a strong dynamic and demand from local customers, and opening showrooms in this market was essential. Our showrooms are indeed a key customer journey touchpoint where they can feel, touch the different materials and explore, immersing themselves into the different kitchen designs. Due to the global pandemic, opening new locations was on standby. However, with difficult months behind us all, we’re currently planning to open four new locations within the U.S. by the end of 2022: Brooklyn, Downtown LA, Philadelphia and in northern New Jersey. Moreover, we’re also in the midst of designing new kitchen designs, such as a Shaker-inspired kitchen.”

 

reform kitchen showroom Copenhagen

Reform Copenhagen showroom

With this new investment in the home furnishing industry, ECP continues its sectorial diversification strategy in the premium direct-to-consumer segment. The team hereby completes its second investment in the Nordics and the fourth investment of ECP II, a €94m fund investing equity tickets between €8m and €20m in high growth premium brands across Europe.