Sign of the Times acquires another collapsed luxury reseller's assets

Sign of the Times, the London-based luxury resale platform, has independently purchased the assets from PapillonKia, a designer preloved accessories marketplace, which closed its doors earlier this year.

This is Sign of the Times’s third acquisition in three years. It also purchased the assets of the pre-loved platform Cudoni in August after the start-up collapsed into administration in April 2023.

The two acquisitions combined will grow Sign’s customer database by 40%, making it a leader in the UK resale market. However, prior to the acquisitions, Sign of the Times had its fair share of success, growing by 300% in the last three years.

In the current economic climate, according to Thred Up’s resale report, consumers are feeling the effects of inflation and are turning to second-hand more and more, to get more for their money as traditional resale prices increase and allow them to continue to afford the brands they love.

Antonia Johnstone, the Wwner and CEO of Sign of the Times, commented: “We have merged four resale businesses in the last four years, which cements Sign of the Times as one of the UK’s leading pre-loved businesses. We are thrilled to be acquiring the assets of PapillonKia and look forward to welcoming their customers to Sign of the Times.”

Founded nearly 50 years ago, in 1976, the Chelsea-based store is renowned as the destination for buying and selling luxury items. The retailer has daily drops at 10 am on the website (wearesott.com) with 5,000 items in total online and 2,000 pieces in-store. These include fashion from the likes of Chanel and Prada to Gucci and Ganni.

In October, the business secured investment from the off-price luxury e-tailer, BrandAlley, along with personal investments from industry titans Tamara Hill-Norton, the Founder of Sweaty Betty, and Sarah Welsh, the CEO of N Brown Group.