Samson Holding, the parent company of Universal Furniture, Legacy Classic Furniture and Craftmaster Furniture in the US, has acquired the assets of British furniture brand Willis & Gambier, whose products are sold in House of Fraser, Laura Ashley and Marks & Spencer.

Samson Holding, the parent company of Universal Furniture, Legacy Classic Furniture and Craftmaster Furniture in the US, has acquired the assets of British furniture brand Willis & Gambier, whose products are sold in House of Fraser, Laura Ashley and Marks & Spencer.

Samson offered an initial $7.5 million (£4.5 million) for Willis & Gambier, which had been in insolvency.

Mohamad Amini, president of Samson’s Chinese manufacturer Lacquer Craft, stated that the acquisition would allow Samson to extend its operations into Europe.

Samson has appointed Mark Symes as managing director of the British company. Symes has been associated with Willis & Gambier for more than a decade and is well connected with the company’s existing customers and retailers.

Samson, which primarily manufactures wood furniture, intends to expand Willis & Gambier’s sales in Europe. While Samson’s brands are distributed globally, its international reach is small compared with its US presence.

Willis & Gambier was bought two years ago by its management and had about $70 million (£42.6 million) in sales in 2006.