Famous Retailer closes but the Brand goes on!

Feb. 26, 2010 - PRLog -- MFI the furniture retailer that was a household name in the UK for 4 decades may have gone into administration in 2008 but its name is still generating a significant volume of sales in the world of internet shopping.

Retailers of all kinds of related products including kitchens, bedroom furniture and living room furniture are deliberately creating pages on their websites that refer to MFI – in the hope that they will be picked up by search engines and attract consumers.  The company name is also used in search engine advertising campaigns again by companies hoping to attract those searching for this long-gone icon.

Some companies have even created entire ‘spoof’ sites for MFI customers, which range in sophistication from http://www.mfibedroomfurniture.co.uk/ which is clearly marked as a ‘tribute’ by an existing furniture retailer to the more elaborate http://www.uk-shop-uk.co.uk/shop/mfi/ which, at first glance, really could be the original retailer.

Internet marketing consultant Mark Phillips says the phenomenon is typical of the differences between the High Street and online retail sectors.  “In the real world when a company such as Woolworths or MFI goes out of business the shops are closed and it’s the end of the brand.  But on the internet, the end of a company is by no means the end of the brand – in fact it can actually boost the brand, because more retailers will then use it to drive visitors to their own site.”