OKA Direct
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (furniture and home décor) |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Annabel Astor, Sue Jones, Lucinda Waterhouse |
| Headquarters | Milton Park, Oxfordshire , United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, United States (until 2024) |
Key people | Octavia Morley (CEO), Peter Chappelow (non-executive chairman) |
| Products | Luxury furniture, home décor |
| Owner | Investindustrial |
| Parent | Investindustrial |
OKA (also referred to as OKA Direct) is a British retailer specializing in luxury furniture and home décor, established in 1999 by Annabel Astor, Sue Jones, and Lucinda Waterhouse. The company is currently owned by Investindustrial and manages 14 stores throughout the UK, complemented by online platforms serving both British and American customers, as well as a catalogue sales division.
History
Initially launched as a mail-order business in 1999, OKA opened its first physical store the following year. The founders—Annabel Astor, Sue Jones, and Lucinda Waterhouse—began by offering East Asian-inspired products, starting with rattan furniture showcased in their inaugural catalogue. Their range soon expanded to include painted wooden furnishings, reproductions of 18th-century blue and white porcelain, and Chinoiserie-style items.
Among the company’s prominent retail locations are an 8,000 square-foot showroom in Froxfield featuring an adjacent garden room, and a three-level store on Fulham Road in London that opened in 2010. OKA operated a concession at Selfridges on Oxford Street from September 2011 until February 2013 and later inaugurated a concession within Hoopers Department Store in Tunbridge Wells in May 2016.
In 2009, OKA moved its warehousing operations to a larger facility spanning 100,000 square feet at Milton Park in Oxfordshire, which also serves as the company’s headquarters.
Significant leadership appointments include Peter Chappelow joining as non-executive chairman in May 2014 and Octavia Morley stepping into the CEO role in October of the same year.
By 2013, OKA experienced a 23% growth in online sales alongside a 17% increase in overall profits, culminating in an annual revenue of £19.9 million.
The acquisition of OKA by Investindustrial occurred in January 2018. Subsequently, OKA entered the US market through the purchase of Wisteria, a Dallas-based home furnishings retailer.
Nonetheless, in June 2024, OKA ceased all US operations abruptly and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, reporting liabilities estimated between $500,000 and $1 million.