To Pearlfisher followers,
As 2021 draws to a close, we are announcing the closure of our two smaller studios, in San Francisco and Copenhagen.
This is a significant move and we would like to give some context to this decision. The design industry, Pearlfisher included, has stayed buoyant during the economic uncertainty over the past 2 years and there is optimism and a renewed sense of energy about the future.
The agility that enabled so many of us to not just survive, but to thrive, during the pandemic will continue to manifest in how we do business in the future, and this is especially relevant to our choice of physical locations. Recent history has proved that it’s not necessarily where, but how we work, that is important. As such, we have made the decision to consolidate our American business from our New York studio and continue to run the rest of our global operations, including Europe, Asia and the Nordics from our London studio.
Our relationships and award-winning work, for clients such as Driscoll’s on the West Coast and Froosh in the Nordics, pre-date both our San Francisco and Copenhagen studios. We also benefit from the experience that we have built in these territories and we still see a real opportunity for brands, and for Pearlfisher, in the regions. We will continue to service and build powerful relationships in these areas and focus on our ambition to have a bigger global reach, not dependent on physical location.
Pearlfisher’s commitment to the US is as strong as ever. However, several factors all called into question our rationale for a stand-alone studio in San Francisco following 18 months working from home. This included significant changes in our SF Leadership team and a changing SF market dynamic, particularly when we are well placed to service the entire American market from our established studio in New York.
Unlike the other Pearlfisher studios, the Copenhagen business has been operating as a fully independent business under a licence model since its opening in 2016. Unfortunately, this model has not been working for some time, with the local studio proving to be commercially unviable, coupled with divisions within leadership. Therefore, after five years of continuous investment and support, we concluded that it is in Pearlfisher’s best interests to bring the Copenhagen licence to an end, serving final notice in October 2021.
Closing a studio is never an easy decision and we want to thank our teams and clients in San Francisco and Copenhagen for their continued support and collaboration. This industry has always been cyclical and we need to embrace this next phase and new ways of working with strong vision and leadership, and by operating in the most efficient way possible for our clients, teams and the Pearlfisher business. Concentrating on running our global business from our two hubs in London and New York is the right decision for us and we are positive about our newly consolidated future.
Mike Branson (Co-Founder & Group Chairman) and Jonathan Ford (Co-Founder & Group Creative Director)