Who doesn’t love a story about a famous person getting too big for their boots? In the case of these stars that’s what happened when they put the day jobs to one side and decided to flex their entrepreneurial muscles. Here we present when celebrity businesses go wrong.
The Beatles: Apple Boutique
By 1967 the Beatles had become global superstars, aroused the passions of thousands of teenage girls round the world and released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, possibly the album that has had the biggest influence on popular music since. The previous year John Lennon infamously said they were “bigger than Jesus”, a statement that turned out to not be true, as unlike Jesus turning water into wine, they were unable to transform their Apple Boutique concept into a successful shop. The Baker Street store sold merchandise and clothing, although shoplifting was a big problem and the business lost money at an alarming rate. It closed after seven months in July 1968, and in what could be described as a Messianic act of generosity, on the day of its closure the Fab Four gave all the remaining stock away for free.
Robbie Williams: Farrell
This isn’t the first time the man cruelly labelled “the fat dancer from Take That” has branched out. Back in 2001, when he was in full Sinatra-crooning mode, he co-founded Century, a private members’ bar in the West End. While Century is still going strong (albeit sans Williams and after a re-launch), his foray into fashion hasn’t gone so well. He started his menswear line Farrell - named after his grandfather Jack Farrell - in 2011, and in August 2013 he opened a pop-up store in Covent Garden, scheduled to last six months. Six weeks later it closed, with staff dismissed instantly and the label filing for bankruptcy. His accountant can only hope his most recent swing album, Swings Both Ways, will make up the shortfall.
\n\nPrince: NPG Store
In 1994 Prince – who at this point had changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol – opened a shop in Camden Lock named after his band, the New Power Generation. It was painted purple naturally, and had all sorts of Prince memorabilia, from guitars to tea light holders emblazoned with the symbol of The Artist Formerly Known As Prince. A huge crowd gathered outside for the grand opening, which he attended with his then wife, dancer Mayte Garcia, but items were expensive and the shop only lasted two years.
Ronnie Wood: The Harrington
In 2000 Ronnie Wood and his now divorced wife Jo ploughed millions into members’ club the Harrington in South Kensington. It incorporated a luxury spa as well as a bar, and was conceived as a haven for Wood’s rock star friends. Two years later the entire Wood family were barred, facing charges of owing in the region of £16,000 in rent. He even had to put in a court order to get some of his possessions back, including guitars and his very own paintings (which are mostly of the band members. Yet they’ve never chosen one of his art works as an album cover. Just saying). But before any of this happened, back at the turn of the millennium Wood was involved in a scuffle on stage at the Brit Awards. A very drunk, very confused Brandon Block took to the stage while Wood and Thora Birch were presenting an award, having been tricked by his table into thinking he’d won. In a cringe-inducing feat of machismo Wood poured a drink over him only after he was safely within reach of the bouncers, and then invoked the name of his pal Vinnie Jones to help the situation after Block had been led off stage. We can’t imagine what went so wrong with the Harrington.
\n\nMadonna: H&M
It’s hard to believe that there’s anything Madonna’s failed at, but that’s what happened when she collaborated with high street store H&M in 2006. Her shiny, synthetic-looking tracksuit (insert Material Girl joke here) had such poor sales the clothing label opted to give them away for free on their MySpace page. Luckily her M by Madonna range fared better the following year, despite her still managing to sneak in some glistening jogging bottoms.
Damian Hirst: Pharmacy
Damian Hirst’s Notting Hill restaurant emulated a real life chemist, complete with pill-shaped bar stools and waiting staff dressed in surgical gowns designed by Prada. The premise angered the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, who forced Hirst to change its name to Pharmacy Restaurant & Bar in case it confused anyone searching for an actual pharmacy. Despite wowing critics and being packed with Hirst’s celebrity pals, expansion plans failed to materialise and the restaurant was sold to a Fortune 500 company nine months after it opened. Initial backing came from communications giant Matthew Freud, who tactfully explained that “what happened was it became a very, very shit restaurant”. Even if Hirst never sold another artwork his financial future would be far from uncertain, however that hasn’t stopped him from re-launching Pharmacy as a juice bar in the Qatari desert.
