Meghan Markle ‘has built a penthouse without building a foundation for it’, claims expert who reveals ‘red flag’ on ARO
MEGHAN Markle is facing a major ‘red flag’ with her new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard (ARO).
It’s been six months since the Duchess of Sussex teased her new business venture on social media and, according to reports, she’s still struggling to hire a permanent chief executive.
Back in March, Meghan – who shares a grand mansion with Prince Harry, 40, in Montecito, California – turned heads with the soft launch of American Riviera Orchard.
The duchess sent a gift basket of branded items including what appeared to be jams and preserves, to her friends, with one pal commenting: “Breakfast, lunch and dinner just got sweeter.”
Fans of the former Suits star – who’s mum to Archie, five, and three-year-old Lilibet – have been excitedly awaiting her curated collection.
But, despite over 600,000 followers on Instagram, the business is yet to produce a single item for sale.
It’s claimed any candidates for the position of CEO have been put off by the high turnover of staff at Meghan’s charitable foundation, Archewell, founded in 2020.
Archewell representatives declined to comment, but close sources to Meghan say the claims are false.
Matt Yanofsky, a PR and brand marketing expert, said the news was a big concern to those considering investing in Meghan’s latest venture.
“I would have major concerns if I were an investor,” he told The Times. “If I’m an investor, I’m saying to her, ‘you need to find a CEO with a direct business plan that’s going to show profitability, or at least a revenue plan, within the next 60 to 90 days. Otherwise, I’m taking my money out’.”
The recent news that Josh Kettler, Harry’s chief of staff, left his role after just three months, is yet another warning sign for prospective employees of ARO, says Matt, who claims Meghan, “has built a penthouse without building any foundation for it.
“I’d be happy to eat my words and best of luck to her, but as of right now, [ARO] seems like it’s the wrong product with the wrong people.”
According to People magazine, the duchess is working hard behind the scenes on the full launch of the brand which, despite all the scrutiny, is expected to take off later this year.
Meghan famously shut down her website The Tig upon marrying Harry in 2018, which covered fashion, interiors, restaurants, travel and more.
The lifestyle blog was packed full of stories from the former actresses’ life, and a possible insight into what ARO has in store.
As of October, the ARO website remains sparse with no option to buy products, and the Instagram page is yet to give any sneak peeks of the much-anticipated items.
But what can fans expect to snap up if Meghan’s brand takes off?
According to a trademark application submitted in February, there’s plans to sell kitchenware, jellies, drinkware and jams, which only Meghan’s closest circle of pals have sampled so far.
Meanwhile, the duchess has finished filming a cooking show – thought to complement ARO – set to feature on Netflix soon.
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Guests can get the lowdown on the Royal Family including all-things Harry, Meghan, William and Kate.
Our expert panel will be The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson, The Sun’s Royal Photographer Arthur Edwards and ex-BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond.
The trio will share some of their favourite stories about the Firm, lifting the lid on what it’s like to work with them, and some of their biggest scoops to date.
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