Big Furniture Group Magazine November 2022

Colin Boyce and James Leach, co-founders of Passage House Agency

Editorial

Dan Squires Managing Editor dan@bigfurnituregroup.com 07531 854718 | 01223 298489

Advertising

Gary Hall Sales Manager gary@bigfurnituregroup.com 0207 096 1010

Publisher

Stephen Smith Production Juan Morante GraphiC Design www.bigfurnituregroup.com

EDITOR´S NOTE

BigFurnitureGroupLtd UK registered company number 05484239 2 Jordan Street, Knott Mill, Manchester, England, M15 4PY Print: Buxton Press ISSN No: 2753-3387

Copyright © Big Furniture Group 2022 Issue No: 3

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Dan Squires Managing Editor

Welcome to November’s Big Furniture Group Magazine ”

This month is packed with news and features. From a full review of the recent NBF Bed Show to our Big Interview with the guys behind the Mattsons Beds push in the UK. There’s also a special interview with the owner of Land of Beds and Linthorpe Beds takes our Retail Focus spot of the month. With plenty of uncertainty still looming over the industry and wider world, our Big Question this month focusses on investment. The answers are encouraging and hopefully should inspire others to invest in their business as we move through tough times.

The magazine also includes the second part of our sustainability series with a look at three online brands and what they are currently doing in this area, while Gallery Direct sat down with us to discuss their latest developments to help and support their customers. GNG also took the time to share just why their Nectar Sleep brand is becoming one of the most exciting innovators in the furniture space.

That’s not all. We feature Rh45 on their latest company developments as they continue to grow their brand since its inception, while BH Made talks about its first inhouse show success. Then there’s the second installment from Made Smarter following last month’s feature where they showcase a number of case studies as to how they are helping SMEs embrace Furniture 4.0. To wrap things up, we have an insolvency special from Leonard Curtis, who shares six steps for furniture retailers to consider when under financial strain.

That’s enough from me, so enjoy our latest magazine. Oh, and if you have any news you want to shout about, drop me an email on dan@bigfurnituregroup.com We’d love to share your story.

Big on Social

The Big Interview with Colin Boyce and James Leach, co-founders of Passage House Agency

22. Gallery Direct continues to support customers with price drops on over 725 lines

Why is Nectar becoming one of the most exciting innovations in the furniture sector?

BH Made talks about its first inhouse show success

A recap and review of the recent NBF Bed Show

Retail Focus with Linthorpe Beds

Green Retail Part Two

38. Nimbus Beds are living the dream

40. Part two of how Made Smarter is helping SMEs embrace Furniture 4.0

42. Interview with Land of Beds

Rh45 talks recent developments

New Products: Nectar Sleep, Sonlevo, Sealy UK, Hypnos and Collins & Hayes

. The Big Question: what was the last digital and instore investment the business made?

Last Word with Leonard Curtis on insolvency tips

BIG INTERVIEW COLIN BOYCE AND JAMES LEACH

Colin Boyce and James Leach, the duo behind new company Passage House Agency, share an insight into their lives, future plans and why a bar stool is both their furniture item of choice.

RETAIL FOCUS

Linthorpe Beds talk about the investment and expansion of their online retail operations, sustainability and how the business is changing.

INTERVIEW SPECIAL Michael Murray, CEO of Land of Beds and Non-Ex ecutive Director at Associated Independent Stores (AIS), shares an insight into recent investments and how the business is overcoming recent challenges.

BED SHOW REVIEW

A recap and review of the recent NBF Bed Show.

Breasley appoints Mark Hughes as new Sales Director

Independent furniture retailer revamps exterior

Lukehurst has invested £250,000 at its Sittingbourne store on exterior upgrades.

The store on Eurolink Way has seen the outside of the building undergo refurbishment works to better match the instore environment on offer for customers.

Kathryn Lukehurst, Managing Director at Lukehurst, said they are ‘modernising the exterior’, which includes new cladding, LED lighting and new signage.

A statement from the company said: “Inc & Co Group acquired Maker&Son in a share purchase deal earlier this year. The Group had paid down large debts as well as supporting cash flow to support the business, restart manufacturing and fulfil all customers orders. A strategic financial plan was put in place by the board to manage creditors over a short period of time, however one creditor has not been onboard with our plan, despite our full commitment to fulfil all creditor obligations, including customer refunds, within a reasonable period, and therefore they placed the company into administration last week.

Mattress manufacturer Breasley (UK) Ltd has announced the appointment of Mark Hughes as Sales Director for the UK, with effect from November 2022.

New Sales Director, Mark Hughes will lead the sales development and growth of the UK market as Breasley (UK) Ltd continues to build on the recent investments made to infrastructure and product development. Mark was previously Sales Director for Millbrook Beds and brings over 32 years of experience to Breasley.

“Mark brings a solid foundation of experience across business development and sales growth within the mattress industry,” said Breasley (UK) Ltd Chief Operating Officer, Bob Badman. “Mark’s ambition and skill set is a perfect fit for us at Breasley as we look to further develop our customer focussed approach and continue to upscale the business.” “The role represents a challenge that I am greatly looking forward to and comes at an exciting time for the brand as it continues widespread investment. This signals a clear commitment to a future that embraces our retailers’ needs in today’s challenging climate,” said Mark.

“We’ve had a fantastic offer instore, especially since we put a new mezzanine floor in during Covid. But the exterior of the store didn’t match,” Kathryn said.

“It was a rather dull 1950s’ style warehouse. Sometimes people would wander in and be surprised, saying they had no idea how great it was inside. We really would like to raise public awareness and perhaps attract younger customers.”

Furniture brand begins restructure and remains fully committed

Sofas and beds manufacturer Maker&Son was placed into administration after a creditor failed to agree to its restructuring plan.

Benjamin Jones and Arvindar Singh, both of FRP Advisory Trading, were appointed as joint administrators of Maker&Son Limited on 3 October 2022.

Maker&Son, which has been acquired by Inc & Co group in a reported multimillion-pound deal, confirmed that despite the ‘forced restructure’, it remains ‘fully committed to the brand’.

“Although this has forced a restructure of the business, we are extremely confident in the future of Maker&Son and are fully committed to the brand. This new change will not affect customers’ orders or our manufacturers and with the brand and business now stable, jobs saved and no plans for redundancies; we’re excited for the new growth potential in the business with full support from all the team.”

Sofa retailer confirms Inverness store opening date

Upholstery retailer Sofology has confirmed that its first Highland store in Inverness will open in December.

The new store will be situated at Inverness Retail and Business Park, taking the vacant unit left by clothing company Outfit.

With progress being delayed, Sofology confirmed the new store will now officially open on 10 December 2022 and will feature a ‘similar look and feel’ to its newest concept store in Hedge End.

ScS delivers record sales; dining furniture refocus

‘Botanicals’ sofa range, and more recently with Ideal Home.

Furthermore, as part of finding the right partners to drive growth, ScS reviewed its furniture supplier base and on-boarded a number of new suppliers across the UK and Europe, reducing its reliance on the Far East as it aims to ‘improve product quality, reduce the environmental impact, and reduce lead times’.

including strengthening our teams as we look to drive the business forward in the coming years.

“Trading since the start of the new financial year has been subdued, with the challenges of high inflation impacting consumers’ disposable income. As previously reported, the sector is seeing softening demand as consumers defer spend on big ticket discretionary purchases.”

Upholstered furniture and floorings retailer ScS has reported a growth in sales as revenues reached record levels.

According to its preliminary results for the 52 weeks ended 30 July 2022, total sales rose 8% to £344.7m from £319.2m in 2021. Gross profit increased 6.3% from £147m to £156.3m, while underlying pre-tax profit resulted at £13.8m, up £5.6m from £8.2m year-on-year.

As for current trading, inflation and reduced consumer confidence has seen initial trading in the year tougher than it saw in the second half of FY22, with order intake for the first ten weeks of the new financial year down 7.8% on a like-for-like basis when compared to the first ten weeks to 6 October 2018 in FY19 (with FY19 being the last full year not impacted by the pandemic).

One year like-for-like order intake is down 14.4% on the prior year, with FY22 having benefitted from pent up demand as the UK recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the year, ScS launched a new ‘track your order’ tool on its website, supported members of its customer experience team to undertake City & Guilds accredited training, and invested in new technology for its contact centre which it will implement next year.

The retailer also saw the launch of 70 new furniture models and 88 new flooring options during the period, which included new range collaborations with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, the ‘LLB at Home’ collection, its new

“We also launched our new ‘quick delivery sofas’, with lead times of just two weeks, and worked with a number of suppliers to enable direct home delivery of product direct from supplier to customer. We are continuing to build and evolve this service to transform the speed that we can deliver to our customers,” ScS said.

During the year, ScS also introduced an area within a select number of stores called ‘The Dining Room @ ScS’. It brings its dining range together in a dedicated area of the store and has proven ‘successful’. The retailer has reviewed its product offering, ensuring a good mix of shape and range of materials, which is ‘proving popular’ with customers as dining sales increased by 28.5% on the prior year.

As for stores, ScS continues to trial its new concept design and will plan to rollout across more locations in the future following its three already relaunched. Meanwhile, one store in Southampton and one in Greenock were closed due to leases expiring and performances not meeting the levels required, while it relocated stores in Rotherham and Doncaster to more modern units in improved locations.

Steve Carson, Chief Executive Officer of ScS, commented: “We are pleased to be announcing results that are ahead of market expectations. The year saw the Group deliver record sales, maintain its strong gross margin and manage costs effectively, resulting in a 68% increase in underlying profit before tax, excluding business rates relief. We also saw excellent progress in year one of our refreshed strategy,

BFM partners with Planet Mark

The British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) has partnered with leading sustainability and net zero group Planet Mark to help its members and the country’s furniture industry meet its net zero goals.

Set up in partnership with the Eden Project, Planet Mark is an official partner of the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign, providing support in setting and reaching eco-targets for businesses. Companies are certified immediately when they sign up with Planet Mark based on their commitment to sustainability progress. To keep Planet Mark, an organisation must reduce their carbon footprint every year, commit to engage their staff and commit to communicate externally.

The move follows BFM’s work last year in producing the ‘Sentiment of the Sector & The Road To Net Zero’ report which gathered insights from two virtual round table events held to gauge opinion on the sector’s performance related to Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) factors.

BFM Managing Director, Sean Holt said: “Our recent research report showed that 75 per cent of the industry see the management of environmental challenges as a key priority. However, most felt the sector lacked a strategy to achieve net zero targets, with only 50 per cent of participants saying they knew what they needed to do to reach those goals. We believe Planet Mark will give members a road map to net zero and empower them to make that journey.”

New designs and new customers

Sham Alaq, Commercial Director at Sofa Factory – part of the Bentinck furniture group, shares an update on recent company developments and investments.

Sofa factory, part of the Bentinck’s group, continues to grow its sales and customer base in both independent, group and contract divisions due to new designs and the continued speed of delivery.

Following on for our last visit with the business, which then talked about how ongoing investment across its three core pillars – people, technology and sustainability, was driving growth, Sham Alaq, Commercial Director at Sofa Factory, shared an update on their progress.

“We are experiencing delays in the supply chain as all manufacturers are this year in foam, timber and fabrics, but due to investments previously made we are not expecting this to stop our continued growth due to our unwavering commitment to quick delivery. Every day is a challenge but careful planning has allowed us to continue to be a reliable supplier to our customers and we cannot see any reason why that should change. We have been delighted with the launches of new and upgraded models this year, with these placements already providing additional turnover.”

Operating as a family-owned company, based in Gateshead on the banks of the river Tyne and occupying a 129,000sqft factory sat in the middle of a seven acre site, Sham said that their understanding of customer needs has played a key role in their continued growth.

“The retail market continues to be unpredictable but our growth continues because we understand the value of retail customers and their reputations in these uncertain times, and this is something that is always at the forefront of our minds,” Sham said. “Without supporting our retailers with quality, commercial products supplied quickly, we wouldn’t be experiencing the success we are and we are thankful for the continued support of our retailer partners.”

The company is now firmly planning for the coming months ahead, which includes attending the January Furniture Show at the NEC for a second time, where they will unveil many new models and designs. “We look forward to welcoming both old and more new customers over the coming months and providing our trading partners with a fantastic selection for the new year,” Sham said.

Sleep.8 officially opens refurbished London flagship store

IKEA commits to zero-emission on heavy-duty vehicles

Sloane Stanley has announced the opening of technology-led sleep smart brand, Sleep.8, in its newly upsized and refurbished flagship store at 362-368 King’s Road in Chelsea, London.

The expanded store, which has more than doubled in size, has opened its new look 2,950sqft space on the King’s Road. Designed by an in-house team, the store provides bespoke solutions for sleep-related challenges through eco-friendly products which are hypoallergenic and plant-based, providing advice and support from specially trained consultants.

To compliment the boutique in-store ambiance, Sleep.8 has also

Carpet business opens debut showroom since Instagram launch

Independent carpet business DSC Carpet and Flooring has opened its debut showroom near Ashford.

The business, which has been established since 2020 after launching on Instagram, has opened the doors to its new store on Frith Business Centre, Frith Road, in Aldington. The showroom is open for appointment only as the business continues to grow, with plans already

collaborated with luxury lighting specialists, Timothy Oulton, another brand located on the King’s Road, on their lighting fixtures. This pairing provides customers with the ultimate creative inspiration for bedroom interiors.

Musi Chayla, Sleep.8’s UK CEO commented on the new opening: “We are very pleased to have launched our upsized Chelsea store, and it’s great to see the space come to life with the support of the Sloane Stanley team, and our exciting partnership with Timothy Oulton. Our upsized store will provide even more opportunity for customers, from both near and far, to get the sleep support they need. We are excited to continue our brand journey in an improved and enhanced space.”

Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has joined forces with four global companies by committing to EV 100+ to transition to zero-emission electric trucks by 2040.

Electrification of road transport is one of the key solutions to decarbonise the transport industry. Although the electrification of heavy-duty road transport is still in an early stage, it’s accelerating in many countries, together with the increasing availability of renewable energy sources.

earmarked to move into a bigger unit at the site in the future.

The company was founded by couple Jess Howes and Dan Cole, originally operating from their home before deciding to launch officially.

“Before, we were storing carpets in my car port at home, then we rented a garage for six months but we outgrew it in two months. Ever since, it’s become manic and we’ve just hired an apprentice as well,” the company said.

IKEA’s goal is to become climate positive by 2030. As a big transport buyer with more than 2 million shipments per year, IKEA has the responsibility to reduce its emissions and also the opportunity to show the way and speed up the decarbonisation of the transport industry.

“The key to accelerating the deployment of zero-emission trucks is to collaborate confidently across the transport industry and create clarity on the direction. The electrification of transport plays a big role in phasing out fossil fuels in the IKEA supply chain. We are joining EV100+ to magnify the movement toward sustainable transport. It is urgent and doable”, says Elisabeth Munck af Rosenschöld, Sustainability Manager, Supply Chain Operation, IKEA Supply AG.

NEWS Bensons for Beds acquires eve Sleep brand and assets

high quality in-house brands will help us widen Bensons appeal to a broader set of customers,

“With the backing of our owner, Alteri Investors, this is another indication that we are delivering on our pledge to fulfil the promise of the Bensons for Beds brand itself – not just as a retailer of market leading proprietary brands, but with a distinctive and coherent set of owned brand sleep solutions for any customer, both digitally and through our stores.”

Company is currently unknown and it is not expected that the appointment of the Joint Administrators will enable there to be any return to the shareholders of eve.

Beds retailer Bensons for Beds has confirmed it has acquired the eve Sleep brand, website and related assets after the business entered administration.

Backed by Alteri Investors, Bensons for Beds will acquire for an undisclosed sum the eve Sleep brand and intellectual property, the evesleep.co.uk website, and all creative, content and communication assets.

With significant customer recognition, especially with younger consumers, Bensons intends to retain eve Sleep as a standalone brand and re-launch evesleep.co.uk later this month.

The move to acquire the eve Sleep brand will widen Bensons’ appeal and is a measure of its ambition as it continues to invest in its retail, manufacturing, digital and distribution operations.

The acquisition also comes weeks after Bensons secured additional investment from owners Alteri Investors to drive its growth strategy and transformation plans.

At the time of that new investment, Bensons made it clear it would accelerate digital development and today’s acquisition of the eve Sleep brand from the administrator underlines that commitment.

“eve Sleep is a brand that we know resonates strongly with key customer groups and we’re looking forward to unlocking its full potential as it takes advantage of our scale and reach.” said Bensons for Beds chief executive officer Nick Collard.

“What’s more, bringing in eve Sleep alongside our own growing portfolio of

Alongside building strong sleep brands, Bensons is also investing in growing its store portfolio across England, Scotland and Wales.

Operating from 166 stores, Bensons aims to create a network of 180-190 physical locations over the next two years and continues to relocate into better units in the towns in which it already trades.

Gavin George, CEO of Alteri Investors, said: “It is encouraging to see Bensons continuing to strengthen its position in what remains a challenging market.

“eve Sleep is a strong brand name that resonates with a different demographic of younger consumers. Alteri is pleased to back Bensons’ management in the acquisition of a brand which will augment the group’s offer, widen its appeal and boost its digital credentials.”

Founded in 2015 as a direct-to-consumer sleep wellness brand, eve Sleep is based in Camden, North London.

eve Sleep has entered administration on 17 October after failing to secure a successful sale or other fundraising. A number of indicative offers were received; however, following further discussions and the facilitation of due diligence, discussions with respect to a sale of the Company or in relation to an equity or other such fundraising transaction have not been successful.

Consequently, eve appointed Matthew Ingram and James Saunders, both of Kroll Advisory Ltd, as joint administrators. The likely outcome to creditors of the

Cheryl Calverley, CEO of eve sleep plc comments: “It is heartbreaking to have to acknowledge that the best way to preserve value for creditors, those partners and suppliers that have helped us on this journey, is to now terminate the formal sale process and appoint administrators. Having seen the year start so brightly, with the efforts of the team over the past three years in rebuilding eve into a business fit for profitable growth coming to fruition, the frustration at the unprecedented downturn in the market over February and March was felt all the more keenly.

“Despite monumental efforts to restructure the business and reshape the cost base, the scale of eve was simply insufficient to withstand the economic tsunami that has gathered momentum over the past six months, and allow it to continue as an independent business. I want to thank, with all my heart the brilliant team here at eve, whose incredible loyalty, passion, and commitment to serve customers in our inimitable eve fashion through some very trying times, has been downright inspirational.

“On behalf of the board, I also want to thank shareholders for their loyalty and support; their position, and inevitable disappointment is keenly felt. Whilst it may be scant succor in the face of the current situation, we have moved heaven and earth to seek a way forward as an independent or acquired business, but ultimately prevailing market conditions just do not support that.”

eve Sleep recently reported a decline in half year sales as losses widen. According to its latest trading update for the six months ended 30 June 2022, total sales fell 16% to £11.6m from £13.9m against the same period last year. eve Sleep said that UK sales were down 18%. Gross profit declined 33% to £5.1m from £7.6m, while pre-tax losses widened from £2.3m to a loss of £4.6m, a movement of -£2.3m.

Big Bites

Abbeylands Furniture wins award

Irish furnishings company Abbeylands Furniture, trading as Scatter Box, has been recognised with the High Potential Exporter of the Year award. The Irish Exporters Association recently held the 2022 Export Industry Awards at Mansion House in Dublin. Caroline Horgan, CEO said: “It is a true testament and recognition of all the hard work put in by all our team at Scatter Box. A huge thank you to our loyal customers. We value your trust and confidence in us and sincerely appreciate you!”

XXXLutz to acquire home24

Austrian furniture retail group

XXXLutz has announced plans to acquire online German furniture retailer home24 SE. “The acquisition is intended to provide long-term, strategic and sustainable financial support for home24’s growth strategy. It shall also strengthen and help expand home24’s market position as a pure-play home and living e-commerce destination,” a statement said.

ACID appoints new ambassador

ACID has announced that Christine Dunford of Triclimb has accepted an invitation to become an ACID Ambassador. ACID CEO Dids Macdonald, OBE., said: “Christine’s tenacity in standing up for her IP

rights has been awe-inspiring. We couldn’t be more delighted that Chris has joined the ranks of our impressive Ambassadors.”

H&M opens new home store

Fashion and homewares retailer H&M has announced the opening of a new furnishing store in Essex. The new store, which sits next to its existing clothing shop at Lakeside shopping centre, features H&M’s home range including furniture, textiles and decorative products. The space covers a total of 8,000sqft with the extension bringing H&M’s retail space to over 40,000sqft at the site.

Bedding business seeks investment

Bedding business Ava Innes has announced it is looking to raise around £150,000 of investment to support future growth. The first round of investment will go towards expanding across the UK and into the US market. Ava Innes, which is currently based in Elgin, said that the funds will boost production and sales for its wool duvets and Scottish wool pillows.

Headlam strengthens board

Floorcoverings distributor Headlam has announced the appointments of Robin Williams and Jemima Bird to the Board as Independent NonExecutive Directors. The company is still in the process of appointing a permanent Chief Financial Officer. “While the Board is keen to make an appointment, it will not rush unnecessarily, with the Company having a very competent and comprehensive finance team in place supported by Patrick Butcher as Interim Chief Financial Officer,” the group said.

La-Z-Boy announces key changes

Upholstery manufacturer La-Z-Boy has announced some key changes to its leadership team with two members of staff being promoted. Mark Draper, who has been the managing director of La-ZBoy UK for the last two years, has been promoted to the role of vice president of International. In his new role, Mark will be responsible for the commercial aspects of all the La-Z-Boy businesses outside North America. Richard Greenwood will replace Mark as managing director of La-Z-Boy UK. He has been promoted from his role as sales director – national accounts UK, a position he has held since May 2021.

Charlie Harrison recognised as a future Leader

Furniture Village’s Commercial Director, Charlie Harrison has been presented with a Next Generation Award by Family Business United. The award recognises members of the next generation who have made significant contributions to their own family business. Charlie said: “This year marks my 20th anniversary at Furniture Village. Working alongside my father, day in day out for the past 20 years has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I’ve learned from the best. It’s an honour to steer the business into the next generation, doing right by our customers, our suppliers, our partners and our planet. It’s been a phenomenal ride, here’s to the next 20!”

French Bedroom wins award

French Bedroom has been named Best eCommerce Customer Service at the Ecommerce Awards 2022. The judges were impressed with the well-plotted customer journey strategy, positive customer reviews, high Trustpilot scores and how French Bedroom combined automated investment and personal human interaction.

ON

BIG SOCIAL

A look at what’s been going on over social media channels. Share your news with us and email

dan@bigfurnituregroup.com

Loaf

We welcomed Shanelle Brown to the Loaf Family recently as our Purchase Order Administrator. Shanelle enjoys a bit of interior design and travelling but her two big loves are Eastenders (she just can’t miss an ep!) and being a self obsessed cat mum! We are super excited to welcome Shanelle to the Loaf Family. We value the talents and ideas of everyone on our team, especially our new hires. We can’t wait to see what Shanelle will make happen!

some of our key partners from Millbrook Bed Company? It is great to be able to welcome Ross and Edward to our head office and to hear about Millbrook’s product range.

EZ Living Furniture

Store number 17! Our brand new store in the Crescent Shopping Centre in Limerick has opened its doors. The team have done an amazing job on this store!

Looking forward to welcoming every one to the Crescent Shopping Centre Limeric.

Lebus Upholstery

We have launched a few new models on our website. One of which is the modern Clive sofa collection. A smart tailored, transitional model featuring deep split high backs for greater lumber support and style, framed with piping that adds to the tailored look and finished with wide racy low arm rests.

Designer Contracts

Our commercial director Louise Walters was presented with the ‘2 million bottle certificate’ from Texfelt at the Harrogate Flooring Show a couple of weeks ago! That means we have now diverted more than 2 million plastic bottles from our oceans through the sale of Springbond underlay. The environment is something we’re totally committed to and we’ll continue to strive for better within the company and flooring industry. Congrat ulations to all the team who continue to make things happen!.

Stacey Williams - DFS Group

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Group Senior Resourc ing Manager at DFS! After 10 years working in the most amazing brand that is Sofology, I’m super excited to add an other couple of brands into the mix and work with the incredible teams at DFS and The Sofa Delivery Company (part of the DFS Group).

Land of Beds

Happy hump day! What better way to start the morning than meeting with

Kris Wood - Mammoth UK

With over 100 international caps, a World Player of the Year title and the England Women’s all-time point-scoring record to her name, Emily Scarratt is quite rightly regarded as rugby royalty. As part of the all-conquering England team currently on a 25-match winning streak (at the time of writing), she will shortly be heading to New Zealand where the Red Roses are hotly tipped to win the World Cup.

BIG INTER VIEW

WITH

COLIN BOYCE AND JAMES LEACH

Colin Boyce (CB) and James Leach (JL), the duo behind new company Passage House Agency, both take our Big Interview spot this month where they share an insight into their lives, future plans and why a bar stool is both their furniture item of choice.

Can you share a bit about yourself and your background?

CB: I live in Oxfordshire and have worked in the industry since 1999. I became an agent 10 years later when I met the guys at Furmanac. This was the best thing that happened to me during my career. I’m still an agent for Furmanac. I also work for other manufacturers too.

JL: A furniture agent operating within the UK, started out retailing furniture sales, warehousing & transport, store management. Then on to a sales role for a bed manufacturer and then fulfilling the dream to become a furniture sales agent.

What is your current job role and key responsibilities?

CB: I work for my company, which is called The Bed Agent which I set up in 2009. I represent manufacturers and work with retailers to develop business. More recently, myself and James have set up a new company

called Passage House Agency, which we are working together on a very luxurious Swedish bed manufacturer, Mattsons.

JL: Travelling the country and dealing with furniture retailers and interior designers. Selling, training and brand building.

What do you love about your job?

CB: Freedom, chasing and creating.

JL: Knowing that each day is different to the next.

What time is your alarm clock set for?

CB: Unless I have to get up very early, I don’t use an alarm clock. I have a 7-year-old, who has never slept as much as he probably should.

JL: Unfortunately, my alarm clock is my two daughters and there is no set time! The routine always involves an espresso to get going!

Why did you choose to work in the furnishing industry?

CB: I didn’t make a choice, it just happened. I got a call from a recruitment agency who read out the job description for a rep for Slumberland and it just sounded like a great job and so I applied.

JL: I was asked to help out at a furniture store and really enjoyed the industry and the products, help create a home for clients is very rewarding.

Who do you most admire in the industry?

CB: Anyone that has created a business by their own wits. I know a few fantastic agents that spotted opportunities and took a risk to launch unknown manufacturers.

JL: People who bring innovation to the industry such as cutting-edge manufacturing, like Simon Spinks from Harrison Spinks. Designers like

Staffan Tollgard that have vision and are creative, and mentors like Alberto Schiatti from Schiatti Agency.

Any special moments during your career?

CB: Many, but the most important was meeting John and Gee Hillard, the owners of Furmanac. Together we created the Hestia brand and the first range of products that were best sellers for many bed stores.

JL: There are many fond moments like working with clients to help grow their business, working as part of a sales team and also being able to travel to some incredible locations across the UK and Europe.

What is your favourite item of furniture you own?

CB: Cleo sofa from Sits, it’s massive! We can all lay about on it.

JL: My bed! I spend many nights staying away and relish the moment to get back to it.

What do you think is trending within the industry at present?

CB: We are all working hard on our green credentials, but really, I think most people want to buy really nice products from really nice stores, with the other end of the market left to price point.

JL: The environmental story is clearly a large part of where brands and manufactures should be focusing their attention and also the reduction in use of man-made materials, which is why the Mattsons collection is such an amazing story.

Future plans?

CB: Building existing business and spending time with clients in Topsham, where our wonderful trade showroom is.

JL: Our future plans are to continue to provide a high level of service to our clients and keep them updated. We’ll be looking to showcase the Mattsons range at the Milan furniture fair in 2023.

What do you enjoy most outside of work / free time?

CB: Taking the kids fishing and camping.

JL: Being able to switch off from work and spending time with my family and friends. The past few years have been challenging and it feels like the world has gathered more pace. It’s good to be able to enjoy our time outside of work otherwise what’s the point?

What might someone not know about you?

CB: I’m a pretty decent guitarist.

JL: That I’m a Leo – ready to blaze a trial and make a name, something we’re planning on achieving with Mattsons.

If you had a different career, what would it be?

CB: Can’t imagine that!

JL: I’d probably have gone into football coaching. I’m still playing (at my age!), well both Colin and I are. I love the game and think I understand it and I’d relish the opportunity to pass on my understanding to others.

Finally, if you were an item of furniture, what would it be?

CB: An old bar top in a classic old pub, helping people to make decisions and to have fun times too, just by being something to lean on.

JL: A bar stool. It’s where all the fun is had isn’t it?

Price Drops with Ready to Deliver Stock

Gallery Direct, whose catalogue has style and affordability at its core, are constantly looking at ways to help and support their customers. With this in mind, they recently undertook an extensive market review and managed to drop the price on over 725 lines, including a substantial assortment of their key ranges, with an average reduction of 24%.

Peter Delaney, Managing Director, told us “Our design-led products are always developed to offer value for money, but we realise that this is even more important than ever with the current tough trading climate, so our review came at a really key time, and we were delighted to be able to offer ongoing price drops on such a wide range of products.”

“We have also managed to maintain prices across the majority of our other products,” continued Peter. “There will be no price increases at this stage on five entire categories, furniture, outdoor, wall décor, accessories, and textiles, plus our House Collection Sofas and Sofa in a Box products. The amounts for carriage paid orders also remains the same, £250 for textiles, lighting or accessories and £750 for all other product categories, and there is no minimum order. And to help with single parcel deliveries, we have introduced two new weight brackets, under 1kg and under 5kg, to help with smaller deliveries.” Gallery’s catalogue features over 6,000 lines, including furniture, outdoor living, home accessories, lighting, textiles and wall décor, as well as made-to-order upholstery and

beds. They have two huge warehouses here in the UK, in Sittingbourne and near Chesterfield, where they have the vast majority of their stock lines ready for quick delivery, so there is still time to order for the festive season and winter sales. Customers can even have in stock sofas and sofa beds for Christmas, including the UK made Sofa in a Box Collection.

Gallery’s Sofa in a Box collection is handmade at their Wiltshire manufacturing unit and sold off-the-shelf from stock. There is a choice of models, each in its own carefully selected range of fabrics, offering styles to suit different interiors. All feature the same innovative design which allows easy delivery to any room in any property, even when access is tight and awkward. The sofas and chairs are delivered flat packed in a box. Assembly is unbelievably quick and easy, with no tools required thanks to the easy lock mechanism.

All Gallery’s made- to-order products, including sofas, chairs, sofa beds, bedsteads, headboards, mattresses and divans, are also hand crafted by their highly skilled team at their factory

Sofa in a Box Model 1 Scatter Back

in Wiltshire. The upholstery is offered in a choice of up to 75 fabrics and all the made-to-order lines have an incredible 4 – 6 week production lead time.

James Hudson, Commercial Director, told us “We pride ourselves on the range of quality affordable products we offer. And we are constantly designing and developing new lines. We have an exciting new collection launching in January 2023, which will include a fantastic selection of furniture.”

“We’ve got a new range of dining and living furniture which has a nod towards our classic Spire, and a painted collection which offers an updated farmhouse look,” continued James, “as well as more apartment living lines, an extension to our popular Wycombe and Hudson ranges, and a selection of new dining tables and cabinets in a choice of two finishes. There’ll also be more seating, including more choices for our Neyland, new dining chairs to complement the tables, and a stunning armchair in walnut.”

Gallery have also developed a new mattress collection which will be launched in January, and they will be introducing a selection of new fabrics for their Made-to-Order upholstery. They will be exhibiting at the January Furniture Show, where they will showcase their SS23 Collection.

All their current products are on their website, www.gallerydirect.co.uk.

Clients can log in to check stock, see prices, place and track orders, and if you are not a client currently, but would like to be, it is easy to apply for a trade account on the website. To find out more about Gallery’s extensive range of products, visit their website or contact their sales team, www.gallerydirect.co.uk/our-sales-team. www.gallerydirect.co.uk 01795 439159 sales@gallerydirect.co.uk

Chartham Armchair

Maddox Dining Table & Whitley Chair

Ferndale Dining Table & Bench

Hadston Sideboard Antique Gold

Why is Nectar becoming the most exciting innovation in the furniture sector?

Darren Crowshaw, UK Sales Director at Nectar Sleep, explains just why the brand is becoming one of the most exciting innovators in the furniture space.

Nectar Sleep will drive pre-sold customers into your stores from their website. The customers are presold on the brand, price, quality, value, warranties and reviews, the only thing they want to do in store is to try the product before they buy. The extensive in-store training documents are at your disposal, so upselling the customer to the exclusive range could not be easier. The concept is simple and completely unique.

Nectar is the largest boxed mattress brand in the US. This unique in-store concept has grown prolifically since it was launched in 2018 and has been successful in the top five retail chains in the US. The UK Sales Director, Darren Crowshaw, who is heading up the UK team to mirror the US strategy comments: “We have had a great response to the range so far, which is unsurprising because it is a unique and exciting concept. The training assets and experience that we can draw down from the US team is a huge advantage for us and we are already seeing an accelerated sell through in-store. It’s a critical step towards linking the gap between online and in-store trading.”

Nectar have created the exclusive retail range with sustainability as a core focus, which is why they have partnered with Climate Partner to measure, reduce and offset their carbon footprint. Their ethos when creating a product is to make it once, use robust materials and make it so that the customer is happy with it. They are so confident that their mattresses do all these things that they offer a unique, industry leading, Forever Warranty and a 365-night sleep trial to all their products.

Nectar also create a second life for their mattresses. Any mattresses that are returned good-as-new from their 365 night-trial are refurbish and re-sold and we donate the rest to the British Heart Foundation, giving the products second homes, and funding life-saving research. To date, Nectar’s used mattresses have raised £430,000 for the charity.

To underpin their industry leading guarantees, Nectar always ensure they work with industry leading supply partners. Primarily, Nectar have partnered with NBF Bed manufacturer of the year finalists GNG Group to manufacture their products. The range features their graphite infused, breathable Nectatex® Foam, manufactured by the leading British foam supplier Vita Comfort UK. The products also contain Nectacoil® springs, which are manufactured by Spinks, a subsidiary of Harrison Spinks, winner of the NBF Bed Manufacturer of the year.

“There is so much to talk about and it is so easy to become a partner. Become a stockist now to make sure your staff are trained and engaged, ready to maximise the opportunity in the January Sales,” Darren added.

www.nectarsleep.co.uk

Best of the Beds

The recent National Bed Federation (NBF) Bed Show has been hailed as a great success with high visitor numbers and plenty of interest and buying activity over the two days of 20th – 21st September at the Telford International Centre.

The 12th Bed Show didn’t disappoint. There was a noticeable buzz around the stands with new product innovations on display, sustainability at the heart of most conversations and a general ‘feel good vibe’ from both visitors and exhibitors alike.

With sustainability in mind, there were a number of exhibitors showcasing their latest sustainable efforts, including Harrison Spinks, who also won Bed Manufacturer of the Year. With well-established sustainability credentials, the Leeds-based manufacturer has built further on those in the past year with initiatives ranging from product-related innovation to tangible end-of-life processes. Meanwhile, Hypnos’ Project Zero – their carbon-negative concept bedis part of its ongoing mission to inspire sustainably sleeping as well as its commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2030. They aslo picked up the Component Product of the Year trophy for its Himalaya Nettle, Cotton and Kapok Fibre Comfort Layer. Completely new to the bedding market, this product demonstrated that comfort layers could be effectively and sustainably derived from nature, making it suitable for vegan products or mixing with other protein-based natural fibres such as wool.

David Baldry, Group Managing Director of Hypnos, commented: “We had a phenomenal time at the Bed Show where we debuted some ground-breaking industry firsts to an overwhelmingly positive response. This included Project Zero, our carbon-negative concept bed, dedicated to our ongoing mission to inspire everybody to sleep sustainably. This concept served as the inspiration for our Pillowtop Origins Collection and the Luxury No Turn Origins Collection. Both feature an entirely plant-based sustainable layer of Himalayan allo (Himalayan nettle), kapok and CottonConnect cotton fibres. We even won an award at the show for this, receiving the ‘Component Product of the Year’ for this sustainable comfort layer. We also revealed that we’re the first brand in the UK to source certified British wool from Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), meaning we support farms that meets this established and globally recognised standard.”

Other sustainable efforts when exploring the stands included Nectar Sleep where they demonstrated its commitment to sustainability, with the use premium materials in their products to ensure that they last. Furthermore, the brand

The buzz we felt in the halls is backed up by the numbers too. ”

has partnered with Climate Partner to measure, reduce and offset its carbon footprint, while products are also delivered in FSC certified boxes and vacuum packed using recycled polythene.

As for Vogue Beds, their focus was on presenting its vegan inspired range, including the Vegan Mattress Collection, which has been certified by The Vegan Society and features hypo-allergenic fillings, constructed to allow maximum airflow which regulates body temperature. The Oban Bedframe accompanies the Vegan Mattress and is made from rubberwood. Vogue said: “The most important part of the Vegan Story is not what we associate vegan with, mainly food products. This mattress contains no animal products, even the oil required to lubricate the manufacturing process of springs do not contain any animal products. Our mattress range is not only Vegan but is benefiting for the environment. All the fillings are made from recycled plastic, and not only is this mattress recyclable it’s also sustainable.”

With many brands displaying their latest innovations, we caught up with a number of them who shared their views following the show. First up, Sealy UK. “The NBF Bed Show is a staple event in our calendar, it’s a great place to launch new product and this year was no exception for us. It was the perfect opportunity to showcase our Sealy Posturepedic range and introduce a range of new Sealy Classics models to the market. Overall, we feel like the show was a huge success and we shall look forward to exhibiting again next year!”

Sleepeezee shared a similar view: “It was fantastic to be back at the NBF Show at Telford. We had a really successful show and were pleased to be recognised as a finalist in the Bed Manufacturer of the Year category. We were grateful to have the opportunity to meet up with our retail partners, old friends and colleagues at the industry’s biggest trade show. The Sleepeezee team worked extremely hard in presenting a truly excellent stand, which remained busy throughout and we received great feedback on all new product launches.”

Nectar Sleep’s Darren Crowshaw added: “We are continually encouraged by the reaction we are having to the Nectar range and concept. We had a consistent flow of key customers coming to the stand to hear more about this refreshing, innovative addition to the bedding, and indeed the furniture market.” While GNG’s Stuart Hibbert said: “GNG enjoyed an excellent couple of days at the NBF Show, meeting both new and old customers. The introduction of the New Komfi Unity Collection really went down well, with retailers looking for products that offer outstanding value for money during what could be a challenging year ahead. The Sonlevo Truegel range continues to gain momentum with additional placements across the UK. Receiving our Bed Manufacturer of the year Finalist Award was the icing on the cake and will drive our highly motivated team onward to achieve even more.”

Retailers, both independents and national chains, explored the stands with enthusiasm and positivity, with Fabio Perrotta, Director of Commercial Buying at Dreams, highlight the show as a big success. “The Bed Show is always a fantastic place to explore emerging innovations and how the category is shifting; prompting new ideas for our portfolio and how we can evolve our range of great quality products for customers. It was also great to meet potential new suppliers, as well as catch up with existing partners in person and celebrate with them being awarded the NFB National Bed Retailer of the Year for the second year running.”

In-between the two-day showcase came the Bed Industry Awards Gala Dinner, which was hosted by TV and radio presenter Colin Murray. Last month we did a full round up of all 11 winners but just in case you missed it, you can see them in our winner’s side panel. To conclude what has been a successful show for the beds industry, Jessica Alexander NBF executive director, reflected: “What an amazing event it turned out to be. I know that our visitors and exhibitors really enjoyed the opportunity to meet up and network after such an extraordinary year - economically, politically and historically. The place looked great – and felt great.

“The buzz we felt in the halls is backed up by the numbers too. We were really pleased with the visitor numbers, in a year when many exhibitions are seeing a 20% downturn, our numbers were on a par with the last few years, with well over 1,200 attendees over the two days. Most of our exhibitors were reporting plenty of interest and buying going on.

“The Bed Show is now well established as the preferred launchpad of new collections, innovations and marketing plans for the majority of companies in the sector. We can’t wait to be back in Telford next year with show dates of 26-27th September, plus our Gala Dinner and Bed Industry Awards celebrations.”

www.bedshow.co.uk

2022 Bed Industry Awards Winners

An independent panel of judges selected 11 winners from a shortlist of finalists comprising NBF members, their sales agents/reps, and supporting bed retailers. This year’s winners were:

Elevate Ultra Turing Plush mattress by Sealy UK for Bed Product of the Year;

Himalaya Nettle, Cotton and Kapok Fibre Comfort Layer by Hypnos for Component Product of the Year;

Harrison Spinks for Bed Manufacturer of the Year;

John Cotton Nonwovens for Component Supplier of the Year;

Neil Steed at Shire Beds for NBF Member Sales Agent/Rep of the Year;

Dreams for National Bed Retailer of the Year;

Mattress Online for Online Bed Retailer of the Year;

Now to Bed for Small NBF Retail Champion of the Year;

Glasswells for Large NBF Retail Champion of the Year;

Dreams for Best Marketing Campaign; and Glasswells, Bury St. Edmunds, for Outstanding Bed Store of the Year.

Retail Focus Linthorpe Beds

Cherelle Curtis, Managing Director & Tara Corcoran, Trainee Senior Manager of Linthorpe Beds, talk about the investment and expansion of their online retail operations, sustainability and how the business is changing.

Online Retail Operations

Like many retailers, we saw how the impact of Covid changed the face of how consumers shopped, and the continuation of this trend in the past 12 months. High levels of customer service, combined with delivering expert advice is always something that has been a top priority for Linthorpe Beds, it is a key component of our brand and so it was vitally important that our online customers enjoyed the same level of expertise and great experience that our customers enjoy instore. As a business we have made significant investment in recent months and continue to do so.

The belief of delivering an exceptional customer service experience for our online shopper is something that the team have embraced. We have restructured our online retail operations team, headed up by a dedicated Online Retail Operations Manager. We continue

to build strong partnerships with suppliers and have employed the expertise of external ecommerce specialists, this illustrates our commitment to this vision. As we approach the end of 2022, as a team, we are all incredibly proud of the achievements we have made and look forward to an exciting 2023.

Recent investments?

It’s been a busy and exciting time for the company. We have invested in changing up our branding with our shiny new vans and a new navigation system. More efficient routing and deliveries, managing resources and time/reducing costs. We have invested in more staff and expanded our delivery postcodes due to demand for our service which has been brilliant! On a personal level my son Jonah came for work experience week, which was fantastic for him, and I take a lot of pride in how our company invests in young people. We also work with apprentices, something I believe all companies should do. We have changed from van leasing to outright purchase and importantly, we have invested in a new member of staff who has vast experience in internet sales management. We have brought him on board to join our internet team to move forward not only our existing website but also a new additional site. We have partnered with Equity who are a specialist external digital company and are providing an excellent insight to the online market.

Future plans?

The next few months will be exciting and as new initiatives launch, we will be sharing them with our customers loyal and new, so that a great night’s sleep will be even more accessible and affordable. We are currently in the process of developing a new additional website, which is due to launch in the near future. This will enable us to dedicate the Linthorpe Beds website towards a more local family-based audience, whilst our new website can be more focused towards national customers.

On sustainability, what is your business doing on this topic?

With one of our founding aims to discover what it means to be a sustainable furniture retailer we have been looking into the sustainability of our business and our products for quite some time. Our entire building has been stripped back to introduce energy saving features such as wall, floor and roof insulation and LED lighting, however we feel that there is still a huge amount more that we can do. Back when we started the business we were talking to our suppliers about sustainable materials and while many suppliers were already using FSC certified timers the idea of using foam alternatives was far from most supplier’s list of priorities. The saying that every cloud has a silver lining I think is particularly apt to the rise in the cost of foam throughout the Covid pandemic that has forced many suppliers to look towards more sustainable alternatives for their upholstery and we’re delighted to be on the journey with them. Over the next few months, we’re working on writing a sustainability report on each of our products that we’ll be able to share with our customers.

What is your mission?

Our mission is simple, we believe that everyone deserves the best night’s sleep and our sleep experts in all of our stores are passionate about delivering the best service every step of the way for our customers. Our familiar slogan is well known across Teesside, and we shout loud across our region that everyone should “Rest your head on a Linthorpe bed”! This hard work and determination to deliver the best customer service starts from ground level and our warehouse operatives ensure our made to measure beds and mattresses are of the highest quality. We also believe that even when you’re on holiday you shouldn’t compromise on sleep and we do campervan, caravan and narrowboat mattresses. We are one of the few companies who offer made to measure at affordable prices.

On sustainability, what is your business doing?

Sustainability is important to us all and at Linthorpe Beds we have implemented various initiatives and continue to look at ways to improve our carbon footprint. Recent examples in include recycling initiatives in the business and offer customers the option of taking their old mattress away to be processed in a way that benefits the planet. We recycle packaging in our warehouse daily (we’ve recently had a bailor installed) and work collectively with the bedding industry to keep up to date with new ideas on how to keep our company operating in a sustainable way. In addition to this we are currently reviewing how our price tickets are displayed and working on solutions to reduce the amount of paper is used throughout our stores. It’s getting the balance right between providing our customers with the information they need versus the amount of paper we use to do that. We are more efficient with planning and routing deliveries and all vans have a tracking system so we can measure and track our carbon footprint and improve on this daily. We are not quite paperless yet but use less paper and also looking at condensing tickets throughout the stores, so we use less paper/printing materials to also help. We also utilise direct home deliveries from manufacturers instead of delivering goods into us to also save on carbon footprint. We work with suppliers on delivering goods into us to also deliver with full vans or on a van that is also going to stores in locations nearby.

How has recent business been?

We’ve managed to retain a lot of our growth over the pandemic where we saw sales surge on our website. Although our stores weren’t always open, we are pleased with our conversion rates. We feel more and more customers are

committed to their purchases, with a lot who wish to invest in improved sleep. With an increased online presence both with our website and social media channels this has been further developed with our home interior partnership work and we have seen results with influencer promotions. We have welcomed local celebrities and personalities in to our stores over the last year and have seen new audiences reached. The sky’s the limit and we can’t wait to develop this further!

What would you change in the industry?

I think like many industries, we’ve had to adapt to the changes Covid brought to how customers shop and research they do prior to purchase, and have continued with this pattern, so changes in the industry are dictated more by customer demands as opposed to the wants and needs of the retailers. There is still the real benefit to come and try out the products in person and the wide selection of products our stores carry is evidence of this choice customers still prefer, however the benefit of detailed online product descriptions is of high value when helping the customer with their purchase decisions. Our helplines and friendly sleep experts are always on hand to help, which means we often get recommended through word of mouth with repeat customers showing our brand loyalty which means the world to the whole team. I think the industry can be seen as traditional but actually so much is changing all the time with exciting new products we can’t wait to bring to our customers.

What challenges do you currently face?

The challenge of the internet industry is ever increasingly strong hence the reason for developing an extra internet site to move with the times. The obvious rises of furniture inflation and wage increases are at

FEATURES

and those roots are reflected in the personal touch we demonstrate. Our welcoming stores and expertise are a great reason to visit, combined with our well known and trusted reputation, across the region and beyond, competitive pricing and innovation, customers are confident in making us their preferred retailer. Long may it last! A high proportion of our customers are returning for their second, third or even fourth generation of bed/mattress. They know that they will be treated with respect and as an individual and that LBC will strive for excellence. As long as we deliver upon their expectations, we will hopefully continue to have customers recommending us to their family and friends. We are extremely proud of our company as a whole and although we may be small, we are mighty! We won’t settle until everyone is resting their head on a Linthorpe bed!

the forefront for everyone’s challenges. We mitigate this as much as possible by using any discount the supplier provides, buying our products “better” and further by introducing an interim wage increase to help alleviate any pressure of the cost of living and keep our staff morale high. Many industries are facing challenges with the cost of materials, the energy crisis, and the impact of cost of living, however, at Linthorpe Beds we are committed to absorbing as much as possible so that we continue to deliver value for money and exceptional customer service.

Do you have any staff you would like to pay special thanks or recognition?

We’re proud of all of our staff and management who work together for our business. From our sleep experts in store to our company directors, managers, admins, delivery team and internet department, everyone plays their part. It’s been a huge team effort to drive our business forward. Our store managers have really welcomed me to their teams and this partnership has worked really well in creating valuable content to share across our social media platforms. I’m so proud of our internet team for this collective effort. I especially love the passion and drive our company directors have, their drive and determination to make the business successful really does help motivate our whole team. Our rating on trust pilot is something we are all collectively working on maintaining too and is bringing us up with our competitors.

Why do you think customers choose your business?

We love how loyal our customers are and are always delighted when we get their repeat custom year on year. To be recommended through word of mouth is testament to the hard work and dedication of the whole team, our product selection and the expertise we have in helping our customers get the product that is right them. As a family business we are proud of our Northeast roots

We won’t settle until everyone is resting their head on a Linthorpe bed! ”

FEATURES Green Retail

In the second of our four-part series, we take a look at a number of furniture retailers and what they are doing in terms of sustainability. Next up, Wayfair, Made.com and Mattress Online.

The topic of sustainability is not anything new but its importance is ever relevant and continues to grow. You may have seen a greater choice of sustainability-led products within the furniture industry over the past few years, from bottle-filled mattresses to fully recycled components at the core of new products. This is fantastic and long may it continue. Alongside product innovations, businesses are also adapting new ways of working to make their operations greener.

As consumers are becoming more sustainability-focused in their purchase journey, it is important for all businesses to keep the eco-movement moving, growing and evolving.

In the second instalment of our fourpart series, we take a look at a number of furniture retailers and what they are doing in terms of sustainability. This article explores what some online retailers are doing in this area as we focus on Wayfair, Made.com and Mattress Online.

Wayfair

Wayfair says it has changed and evolved significantly over the past 20 years. From a small internet start-up to a global ecommerce destination for home, their commitment to helping others create the feeling of home has remained. “This commitment encompasses the “homes” that we all share - from our local communities and towns to the planet we all depend on. We are committing to investing in our shared home and reducing our environmental impacts,” the retailer said. As part of this commitment, Wayfair has set long-term goals to reduce

its Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 63% by 2035 from a 2020 baseline. This looks to reduce their footprint from its global facilities and managed vehiclesthe areas of its operations where they have the most direct impact. “We’re already reviewing robust renewable energy, energy efficiency and electrification projects to address these emissions. In the meantime, we have invested in renewable energy credits and renewable energy guarantees of origin that fund approximately 8,300 megawatts of renewable energy generation across North America, the EU, and UK,” Wayfair added.

As for Scope 3 emissions - the upstream and downstream emissions of its value chain, Wayfair is aiming to create programs that engage suppliers and partners to address the notable emissions associated with the products that it sells and transports. Last year, Wayfair invested within its UK and EU fulfilment sites with new machinery, reaffirming its commitment to environmental impacts, particularly in packaging and waste reduction.

The new machinery adds protective corners to existing transit cartons across its UK and EU fulfilment locations. This solution has reduced in-transit damage rates and contributed to a 39% reduction in wooden pallet utilisation. It also reduced plastic usage by more than 2,200 pounds a month, as the new machinery removes the need for added foam corners in transit cartons.

For small-parcel items, Wayfair has replaced plastic poly bags with ‘easy-to-reseal’ paper bags in both the UK and Germany. “This reduces non-recyclable waste while improving the customer experience in the event the item is returned,” Wayfair said. “Altogether, replacing poly bags in the UK and EU has resulted in a plastic reduction of more than 13,000 pounds in the past year.

“In 2021, our Packaging Engineering teams collaborated with suppliers to improve packaging for about 620 popular items in North America, the EU, and the UK, avoiding damage during delivery for more than 100,000 units sold. Our field research has continually shown that strong, protective packaging is key to reducing shipping damage, which ultimately leads to waste. So, we’re actively working to make our packaging more effective and sustainable.

“This includes only partnering with corrugated box suppliers that are certified for responsible sourcing. We’re also looking to minimise unnecessary materials used

The UK currently throws away 7 million mattresses each year and it is estimated that only 19% of mattresses are recycled.

Mattress Online

during the packing process, increasing the amount of readily recyclable materials in our packaging, and continuously investing in our packaging innovation research.”

A final note includes Wayfair’s ‘Shop Sustainably’ feature that allows customers to search over 500,000 sustainable products offered on its platform. From furniture to decor, each of these products meets specific environmental, health, indoor air quality, or community-related certifications and standards.

With this search functionality, every Wayfair shopper can now filter search results across 10 sustainability-specific categories. These include ENERGY STAR Certified, Environmentally Preferred, GREENGUARD Certified, Hypoallergenic, Local Community Empowerment, Made Clean, Organic, Recycled, Reclaimed Wood and Water Efficient.

Made.com

Made.com has made four key commitments as part of its ongoing sustainability pledge. These include responsible timber sourcing, responsible textile sourcing, responsible packaging and responsible end of life.

Starting with timber sourcing, MADE says it is committed to ensuring timber is sourced from responsibly managed forests to avoid deforestation. They trace timber back to forest level and select well-managed routes/sources, as well as using recycled wood where possible. Last year, more than 60% of MADE’s timber came from more sustainable sources, while their 2025 goal aims to reach 100%. With textiles, MADE said it wants to create less environmental impact with its two key textiles – cotton and polyester. By 2025, MADE aims to have both 100% sustainably sourced.

From listening to customer feedback, MADE plans to eliminate all unnecessary plastic from packaging and ensure that what it uses is recycled and recyclable. Last year MADE reduced total packaging by 27%, including the reduction of the amount of polystyrene and plastic use as part of its packaging by 27%. Again, with 2025 as the benchmark aim, MADE intends to achieve 100% recycled or recyclable packaging.

The final segment of MADE’s sustainably action plan is end of life. The retailer is encouraging customers to donate old, unwanted furniture by making the process easier. During 2021 in the UK and France, MADE launched its partnership with Geev, a giveaway platform that gives unwanted products a second life as well as a charitable donation. By 2025, MADE will have invested more in its returns operations in order to repurpose, refurbish and recycle preloved pieces. This initiative has delivered 270+ eligible donations via GEEV since launch.

“Our ability to manage our supply chain allows us to mitigate the impact of our activities and the products we sell. We design products with their longevity in mind and we believe that our approach in this aligns strongly with the core values of our predominantly millennial customer base, who are increasingly focused on transparency, sustainability and integrity to inform their brand choice and purchasing decisions. By offering give-away and take-back schemes we want to empower our customers to join us on our journey to becoming a truly responsible business,” MADE said.

Mattress Online

Mattress Online has long been in the sustainability mindset and back in 2015 the retailer launched a non-profit mattress collection and recycling service, pledging to recycle 40% of all mattresses by 2025. So far, they have saved more than 100,000 mattresses from landfill and a third of all their customers take up the offer.

In addition to saving more than 100,000 mattresses from going to landfill, in the last year alone (2021-22) they’ve prevented 19,000 mattresses from going to landfill. Over the past five years that’s a 344% increase in recycling, and between 01/01/22 and 31/08/22 alone, 9,988 mattresses were recycled (22.59% of all orders).

Steve Adams, CEO, said: “All our plastic polythene mattress bags are made from 100% recycled content and are 100% recyclable, and our staff all wear uniforms made from ethically sourced materials. In early 2022 we were recognised for our efforts and won the Modern Retail Sustainability Award. We continue to investigate the use of reusable hessian packaging to move away from plastic as much as possible.

“Additionally, 22% of our mattresses are chemical-free, 26% of our mattresses include recycled materials, and 23% of our mattresses are vegan-friendly. The UK currently throws away 7 million mattresses each year and it is estimated that only 19% of mattresses are recycled. Mattress Online recognises that it’s not enough for us to just engage in a sustainability initiative in silo, we want the whole industry to make it easier for customers to recycle.”

Steve also co-chairs a retail advisory forum with other manufacturers and suppliers from across the board, working on a collective approach to tackling recycling challenges in the bedding industry. To further drive change in the industry, CEO Steve Adams has joined the Sustainability panel of the National Bed Federation (NBF). The panel works with the ministerial department at The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to make an extended producer responsibility (EPR) statutory across the industry.

On packaging, MADE said there’s a delicate balance between protecting products in transit to prevent damage (which creates waste) and overpackaging (which also creates waste). www.wayfair.co.uk - www.made.com - www.mattressonline.co.uk

Nimbus Beds are living the dream

For most 16 year old’s, plotting the next part of your journey after leaving school can either be to continue in education or get a job in the real world. For George Sinclair, he began to live out his dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur with his own business. This was back in 2014 where George opened his first premises in Thornton, Fife, under the name Fife Bed Warehouse, which would eventually rebrand to what we know it as now, Nimbus Beds. Fast forward to February 2022, and George has opened his second store in Cupar, the business’ first on a retail park.

After several months in their newest location at South Road Retail Park in Cupar, Fife, George revealed that the year has been a strong one for business. “Business has been fairly steady this year. It’s been weird as we have nothing to compare the first year with our new store against but when we first opened our new store, the business we done over two weeks, it would take two months to get to that before.

“I think I’ve never really been in a position to open a second store until now. To be honest, it maybe wouldn’t have happened so fast if my team didn’t pressure me into it. They said to me last year that I better get my finger out and find a second store or we will just be a one store business forever. To be honest, it was the push I needed as it made me find the site we are at now.”

George said it has always been a dream of his to open a store in a

George Sinclair, Company Director at Nimbus Beds Ltd, talks about the year so far following the launch of their second store.

retail park and rub shoulders with retail giants that typically occupy these spaces. Even from such a young age, George had buying and selling in his blood, starting as a sixyear-old. “My dad gave my brother and I £50 to buy and sell. I went to car boot sales and started buying up Singer sewing machines, and stored them in my shed. All Saints came in and bought them all - my job was to find them more.

“For us, the second store is a big jump but I have a fantastic team. It has always been my dream to be in a retail park.”

The other site on Strathore Business Park will continue to operate as normal, while the second store will include ‘innovative and fun’ features including nap rooms and sleep rooms so customers can try the bed properly before purchasing as George says “shopping for beds can be sometimes boring”.

“The new store has positioned the business in a totally different light and now we are seen to be a more premium brand,” George added. “It has always been a major goal for the business to be in the retail park before I turned 25, as that would be a 10 year anniversary of starting the business. We smashed this goal two years early, when I turned 23.”

With the store firmly settled into life at a retail park, George admits he’s noticed a consumer shopping trend where the weekends are not necessarily the busy times any more. “Weekends used to be flat out, however we feel since lockdown, consumer shopping trends have changed and we have found that we could be really busy mid-week and quiet at the weekend. Then the next week it’s the opposite.”

With an eye on the future, a possibly further expansion, George is keeping his ‘cards close to my chest’ for now, so watch this space.

www.nimbusbeds.co.uk

It has always been my dream to be in a retail park.

The real life impact of Made Smarter’s adoption programme on furniture manufacturers

Since Made Smarter, the movement to increase the take up of digital technology among manufacturers, launched its adoption programme in the North West in 2018, it has supported more than 2,500 businesses.

By offering expert, impartial technology advice, digital transformation workshops to help manufacturers take their first steps, and matched funding to invest in technology, 140 SMEs in the furniture sector have embraced the benefits of digitalisation. Many of those are using technology to solve business challenges and meet increased demand. Here are few grasping the opportunity:

Integral Surface Design makes

made-to-measure PVC foil wrapped doors and furniture components at its plant in Skelmersdale, and has a warehouse and logistics centre in nearby Burscough. It has experienced 10% year-on-year growth since 2012 to achieve a turnover of £10m and boasts a team of 85 people. But intense global competition has driven the business to embark on a digital transformation.

Having already identified efficiencies and reduced costs by linking business operations, including sales, manufacturing and accounts, through a custom made ERP system, ISD is taking the data-driven approach one step further by embedding a digital IT infrastructure in a new warehouse and logistics centre, and linking it up to its headquarters and manufacturing hub. Using matched funding support from Made Smarter, ISD is implementing a solution which includes a new barcode system and upgrading its ERP software. This will give the business complete visibility of all operations in real-time and enable the warehouse to be managed remotely.

By digitalising workflow, previously paper-based and time consuming jobs are eliminated, increasing the productivity of the entire workforce. It will enable warehouse operatives and delivery drivers to optimise picking and delivery routes, and give the sales team faster access to information, allowing them to spend more time nurturing customers and developing new opportunities.

Meanwhile, data analysis and AI tools will enable the business to monitor industry trends and help the business be more responsive to fashion trends. The investment supports ISD’s strategy to enter a new market selling additional ranges of doors and enable a more agile response to new opportunities.

Dave Hourigan, Digital Transformation Manager, said: “The furniture and fittings industries face unique challenges in a fiercely competitive global market, where there are ever increasing demands for a greater range and complexity of products and services. We have identified an opportunity to enter a new market and, with the help of Made Smarter, have put data and systems integration at the heart of that solution. This new venture offers us an opportunity to lay the digital foundations for a warehouse and logistics hub. Integrating the two sites through digital communication will enable better management of stock, orders and distribution and establish full oversight of our operations.”

Crystal Doors makes bespoke vinyl wrapped furniture components from its factory in Rochdale. It has been on a journey to digitalise its operations to remain competitive but also to achieve its ambitious net zero emissions, which it did this year.

The business has benefited from three key areas of the Made Smarter service: a digital transformation workshop; organisational and workforce development (OWD), an essential tool to successfully implementing emerging technologies into a business; and matched funding for a technology project. The workshop, which helps manufacturers select the right approach, how much to invest and which technologies will bring the greatest benefits, analysed the company’s products, services, processes and people to find practical solutions to overcome challenges.

Armed with a digital roadmap, Crystal Doors was able to invest in a data and systems integration project to establish a network of sensors connecting their

machines through the cloud onto a dashboard. This is enabling Crystal Doors to gain insights into how its machines are performing and identify potential inefficiencies, saving money and reducing emissions.

Richard Hagan, Managing Director and Owner, said: “Crystal Doors’ digital transformation started with Made Smarter. From the first meeting, their insight and advice have been invaluable in refining our project to become as focused and impactful as it is today. By capturing data from all our operations, we can make informed decisions that enable a more efficient factory, which reduces our environmental impact and helps our bottom line. The support from Made Smarter catapulted us along our journey.”

Made Smarter also supported Crystal Doors to embed new skills within its organisation which doubled the pace of the transformation. Ben Horn, Digital Transformation Programme Manager at Crystal Doors, is leading the project and commented: “Our digitalisation plans are ambitious and will introduce technologies and concepts that are brand new to the workforce,” he said. “The cultural change has to be handled properly. We don’t want anyone left behind, so the training and transition needs to be as easy and intuitive as possible. Upskilling our staff is key to its success.”

Made Smarter is now keen to reach more SMEs across the furniture and home goods supply chain. They have produced a free guide to help demystify digitalisation and drive technology adoption. The downloadable guide showcases the benefits of digital technology, how to get started, the top five technology trends across the sector, and case studies of businesses supported by Made Smarter.

To download the free guide visit: https://www.madesmarter.uk/resources/guidedigital-technology-in-the-home-goods-and-furniture-manufacturing-sector/ madesmarter.uk

Who doesn’t love a challenge?

Michael Murray, CEO of Land of Beds and Non-Executive Director at Associated Independent Stores (AIS), shares an insight into recent investments, what’s trending and how the business is overcoming recent challenges.

As the title of this article asks, it’s fair to say that there have been numerous challenges out there in the furniture industry of late. Supply chain issues, increased costs, the energy crisis and cost-of-living to name but a few, are all impacting businesses in one way or another. Routes around these challenges are difficult to map out but with a positive attitude and an eagerness to embrace and engage such tough times, the path ahead came lead to opportunity. That’s the mindset of Michael Murray, CEO of independent beds retailer Land of Beds and Non-Executive Director at Associated Independent Stores (AIS). In fact, the first few words spoken at the start of this interview was ‘Who doesn’t love a challenge?’

Michael said: “With challenge comes learning and with learning comes knowledge. Over the years, we have learned that being able to navigate choppy waters successfully requires resilience, self-belief, and determination to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead. As an independent business our key strengths lie in being entrepreneurial and adaptable. I am excited to see what the future holds and the opportunities it will present – one thing is for sure there will be opportunities – it’s how you take them that counts.”

One of the biggest challenges that Michael is seeing is the ever-increasing uncertainty amongst shoppers who are facing a ‘squeeze on their disposable income’ as we face uncertainty in the financial landscape.

“However, fewer customers shopping does not necessarily mean less business,” he added. “Consumers will still need to spend on necessities such as beds and bedding, therefore, we need to make sure that customers’ needs are at the forefront and that our conversion rate is high. Despite the uncertain times we all find ourselves in, the resilience and innovative skills shown by people and businesses during the pandemic gives me great hope for the future.

“Preparation is key, as is the need for a coherent, strategic business plan. Although no textbook or life experience could have prepared us for the impact of Covid, I was fortunate to be able to glean insight and experience from both my dad and grandad who themselves have first-hand navigated businesses through recessions, market crashes and military conflicts. Their experience and now my own in leading a team during a very turbulent period, gives me confidence that Land of Beds can respond to, overcome, and learn from challenges. These will all help us lay a solid foundation for future success.”

Building on its ongoing success has been a real positive story for Land of Beds. Since the day the business was set up, Michael said their mission has always remained the same – ‘to help as many people as possible sleep better’. “Our job is to provide our customers with the best suited product, at the most affordable price possible – customers now more than ever want excellent value. To achieve this, staff development and training is crucial. As such, we have heavily invested in this area over the last couple of years as we believe training not only leads to a productive workplace with increased sales conversions but helps with job satisfaction, engagement, and staff retention. As a family business, we are big enough to enjoy economies of scale, but small enough to personally know each individual stakeholder.”

In keeping with recent investments, back in May this year the retailer launched ‘The Land of Beds Way’, a unique formula designed to give all the benefits of shopping with a traditional, local retailer but with the economies of scale associated with national retailers. This approach allows the business to deliver a consistently high standard of service as proven by their 98% secret shopper scores. Since introducing ‘The Land of Beds Way,’ they have seen an increase in basket value and conversion rates across the whole business.

Other investments include reviewing its inhouse digital marketing strategy following online shopping habits exponentially growing over the last two years. Following an internal audit, Land of Beds has recruited a new head of digital marketing, while also increasing its strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Google, and Facebook in addition to inhouse initiatives to elevate the brand to a wider audience. “When we interact with customers our success rate is relatively high, therefore, we now need to focus on growing our brand awareness,” Michael said. “We have also been working hard to increase our product categories with complementary offerings such as bedding, pillows, and linen. We want to become the go to place for all things bedrooms.”

Land of Beds are not done with investing yet. Michael revealed that their inhouse development team have been working ‘tirelessly over the last few months’ and are now coming to the end of a significant project, which will see the launch of its new Land of Beds platform. He explained: “Coupled with this will be a new, customer facing website using proprietary technology that we will launch early next year. These additions plus improvements to our internal systems will improve all aspects of our logistics and service offerings and help us to deliver our goal of bringing the elements of a successful, independent retail business online. Our new platform and website, combined with 50 years of experience, will help us to achieve our mission and will enable us to differentiate from some of the pure play ecommerce businesses currently out there.”

Another key area for the business is customer service. “Regardless of available budget, consumers all seek value as the differentiator on service choice or product. Through our internal service metrics, we work diligently to ensure that all our products offer value and quality. We prioritise strong relationships with our partners, as we believe it is important for retailers and suppliers to be in alignment on customer service. Customers no longer look to just buy a product from a company, but to buy into the company,” Michael said.

And one mindset that is common in consumers in today’s furniture world is sustainability, a topic that Michael and the Land of Beds takes very seriously. “We continually reflect on how our business affects the environment, the community, and society. As such, sustainability is a fundamental part of our strategic business plan. We strive to adopt more sustainable practices, including encouraging our suppliers and partners to reflect on their social and environmental responsibilities by asking key questions such as how they are improving their supply chain emissions and measuring what affect their business is having on the climate.

“As part of my role as non-executive director at AIS (Associated Independent Stores), the UK’s largest furniture buying group, I have been involved in looking at the organisations sustainability credentials and how we work with the whole supply chain. Through my work with the NBF (National Bed Federation), I have been an active member of a consultation party exploring the stages of a product’s lifecycle, particularly the end-of-life options and processes. New customers repeatedly ask us about what we are doing towards helping and protecting the environment suggesting the environmental and social practices of a company has an impact when choosing to buy from them. Therefore, I believe that all businesses should be investing in sustainable credentials. In fact, it would not surprise me if those who do not plan for this area are out of business within the next 10 years.”

The coming months are going to be challenging for all but that doesn’t mean there can’t be success stories, much like the one you’ve read here. Land of Beds are navigating the uncertainty extremely diligently and will no doubt emerge an even stronger business once the world rebalances. In his closing statement, Michael says this to you: “Whenever there is a crisis there will be opportunities. Make sure your businesses are ready and waiting to take them. But no matter what, always make sure any decision aligns with your values, keep perspective on what’s important and try to be kind to yourself.”

Do you love a challenge? www.landofbeds.co.uk

With challenge comes learning and with learning comes knowledge. ”

FEATURES

Picture Proud

Jason and Jay Knapton, Co-Founders and Directors at Rh45, talk about why their pictures make them so proud and the vast range of images available to customers.

Since the launch of Rh45 back in 2019, the business has continued to grow and shake up the art space. The company regularly commissions and works with artists, graphic designers and photographers to create bespoke images fresh from their minds as well as working with their existing profiles. It’s all part of their core message, that they can make art and pictures to be proud of displaying, and of course, selling.

“Every element, from the frame, print and embellishment of our pictures is made in-house, at our West Yorkshire facility. All our pictures are printed directly on to glass so there is no bowing or fading with crystal clear clarity and definition,” Jay said.

Jason added: “We can also print our art onto Perspex. This means no fragile, breakable glass, with the same great finish as our glass prints, but with the ability to transport and deliver. Our liquid art really stands out.”

Why do they stand out? Rh45 uses the finest resins, pigments and other materials, as well as ‘unique liquid art techniques’ that they have created throughout years of experimenting.

“Our liquid art technicians are artists, who we have meticulously trained so that each picture is embellished to a high standard,” Jay said. “We use only the highest quality materials including resin, pigments, crushed mirror, glass and Swarovski crystals. This makes our pictures really stand out over and above any other picture manufacturer. We love to collaborate and see the results from our vision to the end picture. This means our pictures cannot be seen anywhere else and are unique to Rh45.”

From being unique to offer a vast range of images, Rh45’s catalogue is ‘extensive’ and features over 1,000 images. Jason revealed more: “Our catalogue includes many different ranges such as Flowers and Trees, Animals, Football and Rugby, Build Your Own Bar, Scenery and many, many more. There really is something there for everyone – including some of our best-selling prints in our Whitby range.”

Delving a little deeper into two of their ranges, the Football and Rugby range and Build Your Own Bar, Jay continued: “We have a large selection of football stadiums where you can choose from the standard father and son stood outside, to a fully personalised service of adding family members, hairstyles and names and numbers on to the shirts too.

“With our “BYOB” Or ‘Build Your Own Bar’ section, this is also quite the novelty, with a range of different drinks, cocktails, champagnes and glasses for your customer to mix and match to create their very own bar. We have the ability to make subtle changes to our images, so isolated colours like a brolly or a car can be changed to suit an interior.”

Striving to be ‘not just another picture company’, Rh45 is continually working on new images and ranges. Jason concluded: “If you choose us as your picture supplier you will never be bored and we’re always with the times. We love creating new images to suit the latest trends and crazes. You should feel proud of the pictures you sell and we are the Evolution of Art.”

New Products

Sonlevo

The Sonlevo TrueGel range is setting a new standard. It’s the first gel mattress to be developed in the UK using revolutionary Gel technology – its unique grid system is 80% air. TrueGel gives maximum support, minimises pressure and is never too hot and never too cold, for the best night’s sleep possible. For over 40 years GNG has been dedicated to helping people sleep better, with the latest in innovation, materials and design. From side-sleepers to star-fishers, nappers and night owls, to those who suffer in pain - we have something for everyone. Everything we do is researched, designed and manufactured by us in the UK. Given the heightened focus on sleep and wellbeing, this new premium range represent a real opportunity for retailers to expand sales into lucrative new areas.

www.sonlevo.com

Nectar Sleep

At Nectar Sleep we are committed to sustainability, which is why we use premium materials in our products to ensure that they last. However, we are also aware that all products have an environmental impact, which is why we have partnered with Climate Partner to measure, reduce and offset our carbon footprint. The products are also delivered in FSC certified boxes and vacuum packed using recycled polythene. We also create a second life for our mattresses. We refurbish and re-sell those that are good as new from our 365-night trials and we donate the rest to the British Heart Foundation. To date, our used mattresses have raised £410,000 for the charity.

www.nectarsleep.co.uk

Sealy

Sealy have introduced a brand new collection of stylish headboard designs and divan fabrics. Designed to complement the Sealy Posturepedic range, the collection offers a variety of full height and strutted headboards, finished in three luxurious qualities. Choose from a modern textured velvet, a cosy textured wool-blend fabric or a contemporary tweed look.

www.sealy.co.uk

Hypnos

With the latest Origins Organic Collection, ethical, luxury bed manufacturer, Hypnos has created a supremely transparent, ethical and sustainable range of luxury organic mattresses. This latest collection offers a unique sleep experience that celebrates the prestigious heritage and beauty of organic by sourcing organic fibres that meet the world-leading Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and independently certified by the Soil Association.

Offering the ultimate comfort with integrity, the range uses the finest ethically produced materials which are expertly combined with traditional craftmanship to create supremely comfortable, luxury mattresses with an optional deep-filled comfort layer secured by leather lace ties.

Whilst Hypnos already offers retailers a compelling and proven portfolio of ethical products, the Origins Organic Collection boasts the finest attention to detail, trusted certification and the use of traceable, ethical organic materials and, in an industry first, a powerful endorsement by the Eden Project, Hypnos’ sustainability partner.

A charitable donation from the sale of each mattress will be made to the Eden Project to help combat climate change and provide care within Hypnos’ communities. This Organic collection celebrates the relationship with the natural world, to offer a truly ethical, sustainable product that’s pure ethical luxury.

www.hypnosbeds.com

Collins and Hayes

Collins & Hayes are proud to introduce you to BE Collins & Hayes. Beau and Beckett can be styled as a tailored or a casual slip cover to create your perfect look. With relaxing comfort, a lifetime promise on all frames, fabrics machine washable at 30 degrees and fillings selected with sustainability in mindBE Collins & Hayes has it all!

www.collinsandhayes.co.uk

THE BIG QUESTION

Jade Farthing - Haskins Furniture

When I was appointed Director of Haskins Furniture, investing in our showrooms was really important to me. Being a young woman, I love interior design and love seeing new colours and trends coming through. It wasn’t that long ago, 10 to 15 years maybe where we displayed sofas in rows and hung dining chairs from the ceiling! However, now with more inspiration from social media or home and life stye magazines, customers want to be immersed in that aspirational life that they see elsewhere. Especially if they intend on spending thousands of pounds. I want customers to come to my store and think ‘Wow, I want that whole room in my house’! I have been slowly moving through our showrooms, painting, and updating the displays. It seems, just as we get around the whole store, we have to start again. One employee who has been with us 50 years thinks that he has painted every wall more than three times!

We have had three new stunning studios installed over the last 12 months; Ercol, Enchanted House and Orla Kiely, but not only that, we are investing in the showrooms as a whole. We are replacing all our lighting to LED, not only for commercial reasons but the lights we have chosen help to give a true indication of the fabrics and materials. We have re painted Hypnos, Relyon and Dunlopillo and refreshed the displays. It is incredible how much a little refresh can motivate the sales team and peak their desire to sell a product.

We can’t get away from online sales, but I believe our showrooms are still one of the most important selling tools, so I will continue to invest and ensure that when customers visit us, they don’t want to go anywhere else.

Kathryn Lukehurst – Lukehurst

The last major digital investment was implementing our internal retail management operating system. We previously ran a very archaic paper based system (which worked) but was time consuming, inefficient and costly. We have deployed a web based sales, stock and purchase order management system which is also fully integrated to our website and it streamlines our business from taking an order to stock in the warehouse. All staff use ipads or laptops in store direct with the customer. We have recently taken this one step further and through our retail system partner in the new year we will be implementing “man size” iphone style terminals in store for customers to browse our online collections that are additional to what we are showing in store thereby enhancing our offering digitally. These terminals are six foot in size and will be intuitive and interactive for customers to use. We are also undergoing a major re-development of the exterior of our Sittingbourne store.

Tara Corcoran – Linthorpe Beds

The last digital and instore investment has been to our website to make it more user friendly and create more sales. We are working on staff development and have a new operations manager starting to help the team create those vital sales opportunities. We hope we will see significant growth when we see the results of this latest investment.

This month we’re asking retailers, what was the last digital and instore investment the business made and why has this been important?

Paul Glasswell - Glasswells

During the summer we invested in new members of staff to join our growing web and digital marketing team, to maximise online opportunities and grow our skill base in-house. This has allowed us to communicate with customers, and potential customers, more regularly through emails, blogs and social media, generating more visitors to the website. Our web team works hard to persuade a customer that it is worth coming to visit one of our fabulous stores, by ensuring our website and social channels showcase the huge choice, value and expertise that Glasswells has to offer.

Glasswells always invests profits back into the business to make improvements to the overall shopping experience, be it store refurbishments, investment in staff training and tech or switching to eco-friendly alternatives. We offer customers a place that they can browse comfortably for a few hours, with immaculate displays and expertise. Currently we are working on refurbishing the stunning atrium area at our Ipswich store, inspired by the extensive works already completed at Bury St Edmunds. The design will include an imposing feature wall, to showcase products across all of our home furnishing departments, incorporating digital display screens, improved lighting and refined signage. First impressions are very important and this investment is sure to create a real wowfactor when customers enter the store.

Wendy Martin Green - Peter Green

Our latest digital investment at Peter Green is a subscription to Canva. This wonderful graphic design tool is only a few pounds a month but slices our time creating graphic pieces in half. It is a drag and drop system and allows you to edit, silhouette photos and place them on a transparent background.

Templates are designed to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and much more. Even though I have a comprehensive training in the Graphic Arts the templates and tools provided in this program are beautiful and also allow lots of room to get your creative juices flowing.

Our latest in store investment has been the creation of our new Commercial Contracts Conference Room, which we use to greet our customers and discuss their plans. We decided to show off our skills both as designers and suppliers by creating a biophilic environment. Biophilia means to mimic the outside. Studies have shown that organic shapes, plant life, natural textures and light can be beneficial the occupants and naturally increase productivity. We are so proud of our new facility which showcases wool carpeting mixed with sisal flooring, dark wood blinds, bent wood office furniture and solid wood cabinets.

Paint colours were picked from photos of wild places and one wall is papered in a daring design of tropical leaves and monkeys.

Nigel Lomas - Harvest Moon Interiors

Digital, when we first started online before the turn of the century it was simple. Hardly anyone else was there, furniturethat’ll never sell on the internet! It was exciting, brand new and like the wild west, no sheriff in site. Well, it did sell and wow, each year got better. Problem was all the big boys noticed and that’s where we are now, touch crowded.

Initially we did Google Ads ourselves and that too was easy to do, but by now you need a Google degree to play with it. So, we got a young Google credited agency to revamp our ad campaign, that’s where the investment cash goes, but it seems to work and we are getting more serious enquiries again. We still answer the phone personally 24/7 and that’s the other key to success, well it is in ours and we’ve been at it since 1995!

Investment in the store, one word. People. We needed a new Saturday format and found a lovely girl that knew nothing about furniture. But she had lived in six countries, scrimped and saved to get to Oxford, got a degree then a PHD in philosophy. Perfect, young, enthusiastic and a knowledge sponge, that’s it. Saturday is now a great day in store again. She loves selling and we love her. People, that’s the investment to make. It also helps to have over 40 pieces of tetrad on display!

Steve Adams – Mattress Online

Our last digital investment was our bespoke and in-house developed website - known locally as Hollywood - the new platform has allowed us to make significant improvements to the customer experience and for our team gives us vital insights into purchase behaviour and access to continuous data to keep ahead of the competition. The latest instore investment was our first Mattress Online branded store in Alderson Road, Sheffield. It was an important milestone for us not only as it is part of our brick and mortar strategy of growth but also for us to increase the local footprint, create more new jobs and it gave us the opportunity to promote some of our fantastic existing retail team..

Last Word with Leonard Curtis

Neil Bennett, Director at Leonard Curtis, who has been working in turnaround and restructuring for over 38 years and is a specialist in the retail sector, shares six steps for furniture retailers to consider when under financial strain.

Furniture retailers benefitted during the pandemic as customers switched their spending from holidays to home improvements. However, this is unlikely to continue as the world gets back to normal. And with rising material and energy costs affecting consumers and retailers alike, we are seeing significant numbers of furniture companies experiencing cashflow pressures.

At Leonard Curtis we’ve most probably encountered every conceivable financial issue facing businesses, and one factor remains the same in every case. When it comes to saving a business, identifying the warning signs early is invaluable. By knowing what to look out for – and what subsequent steps to take – a business has more time to react to any issues. The longer it takes to acknowledge financial difficulties, the quicker they accelerate. By the time a business is unable to pay its debts, options are often very limited. But even at this stage, it’s important to bear in mind that distress does not necessarily mean disaster.

For those concerned with their company’s cashflow issues, here are six steps to help take back control:

1. Take a step back

It’s difficult not to panic in times of financial distress. But taking a step back from the situation usually makes it easier to identify possible solutions as well as reducing the risk of making rash decisions that exacerbate it further. We recommend all key stakeholders are brought together as part of this process – playing their part to secure a stronger financial footing. We are most often approached at this stage – giving those who are closely involved some breathing space as well as the necessary specialist advice. At these initial meetings, key issues that affect a company’s finances are analysed and solutions developed to tackle the most pressing financial concerns.

2. Liquidate unnecessary assets

It’s almost always necessary to be proactive when faced with significant financial problems. One approach is to liquidate any non-essential assets – helping to raise cash, satisfy creditors and overcome the worst of the debt-related issues.

It’s essential to have a clear understanding of which tangible assets are not vital to your business. As well as offloading any non-essential or old stock, liquidating the likes of equipment, tools, vehicles or property assets, can provide a potentially vital lifeline.

3. End non-essential relationships

When a company is under severe financial pressures, tough decisions must be made for its longer-term interests. This could mean letting go of relationships with trusted suppliers and customers. This can be a difficult and distressing process, but it is advisable to make these tough decisions whilst the decisions are yours to make.

4. Look into restructuring

Restructuring a business can give it a new lease of life – refocussing on areas that deliver more sustainable returns. To present a viable route forward for a company and its finances, a full-scale restructuring plan should be created – including details of debt management and consolidation strategies.

5. Get specialist advice

Getting specialist advice on the most pressing areas at the right time can make all the difference in terms of successful debt management and overcoming cashflow pressures. Trusted impartial and expert advice is always available for companies in all levels of distress. This third-party support and guidance makes a significant positive impact on the outcome.

6. onsider all the financing options available

Companies without strong credit ratings – and those rejected for loans by mainstream lenders – should consider alternative finance options to potentially overcome funding issues. Invoice factoring and discounting, asset financing and refinancing are all viable considerations.

www.lcbsg.co.uk