A couple who transformed a market stall into a £10 million textile empire has triumphed in a legal dispute with their son-in-law, who sought to claim the entire family business after their daughter’s death.
From Market Stall to Multimillion Empire
Natalie Berg, 73, launched Fabric Land in 1971 as a market trader in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Over five decades, she and her husband Jeremy, 75, expanded it into a thriving chain with headquarters near Bournemouth, online sales, and high-street stores. The company supplies fabrics to theatrical departments of major cruise lines, including Carnival and Cunard.
Their daughter Marnie joined at age 16 and devoted 30 years to the business until her suicide in May 2022 at age 49. At the time, she was estranged from her husband, Darren Hill, and consulting divorce lawyers.
Son-in-Law’s Ownership Bid
Hill, who worked for Fabric Land from 2007 to 2022 as an executive manager, sued the Bergs for full ownership of the company, valued at £10 million. He alleged that during a 2004 family holiday in Vietnam, the couple promised the business to him and Marnie by the pool.
Hill described working long, unsociable hours for modest pay, even during holidays and illness, based on those assurances. His barrister, James Saunders, called the Bergs’ denial of any promises ‘extreme’ and suggested hostility stemming from blaming Hill for Marnie’s death.
Bergs’ Defense and Court Ruling
The Bergs denied any promises, with Natalie stating she built the business through hard work and had no intention of handing it over. Their barrister, Pepin Aslett, described Hill’s claim as a ‘spectacular “smash and grab”‘ of their assets, noting Hill was never a shareholder or director and had resigned in June 2022.
After a four-day trial at Central London County Court, Judge Nigel Gerald dismissed Hill’s claim as ‘unreal.’ He found Hill not particularly credible and rejected repeated assurances of ownership transfer.
‘Looking at things generally, I don’t find Mr Hill a particularly credible witness,’ the judge said. ‘The repetition of mentioning about the transfer of ownership… is something which I find to be not credible. There seems to be something unreal in the thrust of his claim.’
The judge acknowledged an informal family expectation of eventual transition but ruled no binding promises were made. He rejected claims over company shares and warehouses but allowed Hill, as administrator of Marnie’s estate, to recover unpaid dividends worth £50,000 to £100,000.
While noting the Bergs downplayed Hill’s contributions, the judge emphasized his lack of directorial role contradicted grooming claims.
