So, to recap, MFI has been taken over in a management buyout. While this brings a long running story to a fascinating conclusion it does highlight the occasional disadvantage of being the editor of a monthly magazine – by the time it lands on people’s desks there's always a chance your lead story will be old news.

In this case, we were speculating on the chances of a merge with Homeform being the way out of the mire for MFI but,  while a reasonable suggestion, events have proven that to be premature at best.

The new speculation would probably be that the buy out led by Gary  Favelll was probably prompted by MFI owners Merchant Equity Partners making it clear the company was on the market.

So what does this mean?

Well, it means that  Favelll and his new fellow MFI members have jumped in to save the ship before it drifts into administration once and for all. This could be seen by some as a gamble of course, it’s often better to let a company hit the official rocks to let yourself salvage the bits you want and not get lumbered with the wreckage that’s left.

The fact that  Favell has stepped in before this happens implies that other interested parties may have been circling the hull, rubbing their hands with glee as more holes appeared below the waterline.

Or, perhaps, the real asset that  Favell wanted to save before it really got damaged was the MFI brand itself. Despite all its knockers, it’s an incredibly well known brand name and therefore must carry enough value to make sure it’s safe now as the end of the year approaches and the crucial January sale period begins.

But that’s the immediate problem. The real test is how to make MFI into a viable business again. It’s not enough to blame it on the current catch all of ‘difficult market conditions’ as these problems have been around too long.

Favelll is right to say that MFI has good brands in Hygena and Schreiber in terms of public awareness, in fact I would go as far to say that product has never really been the company’s problem, after all you get what you pay for.
No, the elephant in  Favelll’s room is service, service, service. MFI needs to nail down the basics of good customer service, good delivery and good installation before it can hope to claw back some goodwill with the customer.

Perhaps they can start with selling its brands and products on quality, expertise and value for money rather than flogging it with constant discounts and price pressures like they’re at a car boot sale.

We will all watch with interest, in the future though Gary, could you make these announcements to coincide with my print schedule please? It’s the least you could do….

andrew@kbbreview.com