Cabinet Maker 12th January 2018 Part 1 by Chloe Bowers

DESIGN

RETAIL

MANUFACTURE

New children’s furniture brand Little Folks Furniture will make its January Furniture Show debut this year.

Greenwood Retail’s Bernard Eaton delivers some retail intelligence on advertising offers.

Nick Williams of Sweet Dreams looks into why the luxury market is growing.

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CABINET-MAKER.CO.UK 01223 846 825 PUBLISHER Chris Manning chris@cabinet-maker.co.uk EDITOR Dan Squires dan@cabinet-maker.co.uk DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Dynasty Ballard dynasty@cabinet-maker.co.uk FEATURE WRITER Sally Gower sally@cabinet-maker.co.uk PRE-PRESS PRODUCTION Stuart West stuart@cabinet-maker.co.uk SALES EXECUTIVE Kacem Ellabbar kacem@cabinet-maker.co.uk OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Ali Podgorska ali@cabinet-maker.co.uk FOR ALL ADVERTISING & SUBSCRIPTION SALES ENQUIRIES: Chris Manning chris@cabinet-maker.co.uk Kacem Ellabbar kacem@cabinet-maker.co.uk

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DAN SQUIRES Happy New Year from all at Cabinet Maker! We hope you enjoyed the festive period and are ready to take on the year ahead with renewed energy and focus. And we begin with a few industry monitors, first being the recent BDO High Street Sales Tracker, which highlighted a particular positive December for the Homewares, including furniture, category. In fact it led the way with sales growth of 2.5%, practically in line with the previous year’s result of 2.6% growth. This, if anything, signals that consumers continued to respond to their ‘nesting instincts’ by kitting out the home ahead of Christmas. Furthermore, the latest British Retail Consortium Nielsen Shop Price Index indicated that Non-food prices fell at their fastest rate since January 2017, declining 2.1% year-on-year. This was welcome news to shoppers as the prior months have seen shop prices teetering on the edge of inflation, with December’s 0.6% decline pushing overall prices deeper into deflationary territory, the fastest fall rate since March. Statistics aside, January is always an exciting month within the furniture industry, especially with the upcoming January Furniture Show and AIS Show. Both are featured within the issue so take the chance to prepare yourself ahead of what is likely to be a busy end to the month. With new product releases, debut exhibitors, innovated technologies and a chance to meet new and current clients, both shows are firmly penciled in the diary. On a more concerning stance, there have been a few high profile insolvencies as 2017 came to a close, none bigger than Multiyork and Feather & Black. The latter was saved by Hilding Anders and retained the majority of its stores, whilst DFS snapped up some Multiyork stores and other assets. If anything, this highlights how tough last year was for some within the industry and should act as further warnings that the year ahead could be as challenging as the last. That said, with challenge brings opportunity and those that continue to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, are sure enough set to reap the rewards. It is also worth keeping up-to-date with tips and tricks that can help a business thrive. This leads to the introduction of Bernard Eaton, the managing director at Greenwood Retail, who delivers his first bit of industry intelligence exclusively for Cabinet Maker. It will be the first of many, so make sure you keep coming back to find out the next tip of the trade. For my part, as 2018 unfolds one topic that Cabinet Maker is looking forward to seeing unfold is a renewed focus on furniture product components and ingredients. Last year in the bed category, Sealy shone a light on this area by launching its own ingredients list for consumers and retailers. That initiative has to be applauded and should really be a clarion call for ‘all categories’ across the industry to provide full ingredients lists and complete transparency so that consumers can compare ‘like-for-like’ the products that they are considering for purchase. Lets face it, you wouldn’t buy a pizza without checking the ingredients first would you? So why, as an industry should we expect consumers to buy our products if they do not know ‘exactly’ what they are made of? It will be interesting to see what happens! Dan Squires Editor

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INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE NEWS

TRENDING

MANUFACTURE

OFF WITH A BANG

RETAIL

German bedroom manufacturer, Wiemann, is excited to be in attendance at the January Furniture Show, where it will provide visitors with lots of inspiration for the year ahead.

MODERN STYLE

Kingstown furniture is a proud, familyowned business with more than 40 years of supplying furniture specialists across the UK. What’s new for 2018?

TURNING UP THE LUXURY

Nick Williams of Sweet Dreams looks into why the luxury bed market is growing.

PRODUCT PROMOTION Furniture To Go

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JFS PREVIEW

With just over a week until doors at Birmingham’s NEC open for the January Furniture Show 2018, take a look at the final preview ahead of the event.

AIS PREVIEW: INDEPENDENT MINDS

A second preview ahead of the AIS Furniture Show, which takes place from 19-22 January.

ARE YOU INVISIBLE ONLINE?

Swan Retail looks at the way in which customers interact with your business as technology becomes more ingrained in our daily lives.

RETAIL INTELLIGENCE Greenwood Retail’s Bernard Eaton delivers some retail intelligence on advertising offers.

LAST WORD

Keith McKenna, managing director at Chair Choice, has the last word.

|NEWS MANUFACTURE

NEWS IN BRIEF

BLINDS BUSINESS E X PAND S

Family business Deal Direct Blinds has acquired a new 5,000sq ft premises after securing a £100,000 funding package from HSBC bank. Deal Direct Blind has opened a new production facility and showroom in Newcastle as well as confirming plans to expand its team next year.

Accounting scandal

Steinhoff International is currently the subject of an investigation into accounting irregularities that has seen the group confirm its accounts for 2016 and 2015 are to be restated as they are no longer reliable. The issues have prompted senior resignations throughout the group.

NEW APPOINTMENT Furniture and homewares retailer Dunelm has announced the appointment of Nick Wilkinson as its new chief executive. With effect from 1 February 2018, Nick joins from Evans Cycle from a similar role being the CEO for the past five years.

8 | 12th January 2018

Beds retailer expands

Independent beds retailer Sussex Beds has announced the opening of its new store in Tonbridge. Officially opening on 27 December 2017, the new 3,500sq ft showroom is located in The Pavillion and brings the family businesses store estate to nine.

Call for walkers The Furniture Makers’ Company is calling for walkers to take part in its 2018 100 mile sponsored walk from Milngavie in Greater Glasgow to finish at Fort William. Taking place from 21-26 April, 15 walkers will trek 15-30km per day. Priced at £350 per walker, each person will commit to raising £1,000.

Machinery under repair

Furnishings group Walker Greenbank has confirmed that its fire-damaged machinery is under repair.The company’s Loughborough Anstey Wallpaper business suffered a

fire on 5 December 2017, which damaged one of the factory’s printing machines and some stock. It is expected to be fully operational once completed.

BED MAKER PARTNER S WITH NATIONAL RE TAILER Bed manufacturer Sealy UK has announced the launch of a new collection exclusively for retailer Bensons for Beds. The new ‘International Collection’ features bodybalancing technology and breathable Aurora® foam with Sealy working in partnership with the British Chiropractic Association (BCA). Featuring a combination of the latest patented textile technologies to offer a bodybalancing effect, as well as breathable, zoned comfort and bounce-back for added pressure relief, the collection aims to offer a ‘world of comfort’ and also includes upholstered bed bases with matching headboards. The beds within the range

include the Sealy Riviera, Sealy Maldives and the Sealy Monte Carlo, which are available across Bensons for Beds’ 270 stores in the UK. Neil Robinson, sales & marketing director at Sealy, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Bensons for Beds to provide the very latest cutting-edge technologies via our exclusive International Collection. “The new range sees some of our most sumptuous mattresses to date, combining luxurious fabrics with added comfort zones to promote high quality sleep, complemented by striking designs.”

w www.sealy.co.uk

RETAIL

Former Steinhoff CEO apologies for ‘big mistakes’

The resignation of Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste was accompanied by an open letter to employees apologising for his ‘big mistakes’. The letter seen by Cabinet Maker states a first apology for the bad publicity he has caused Steinhoff recently, as well as being ready to accept the consequences of his behaviour. Stated within the letter, Jooste said: “I have caused the company further damage by not being able to finalise the year-end audited numbers and I made some big mistakes and have now caused financial loss to many innocent people. “It is time for me to move on and take the consequences of my behaviour like a man. Sorry that I have disappointed all of you and I never meant to cause any of you any harm.” The former CEO goes on to encourage people to ‘live the Steinhoff dream’ and affirms that other board members, including COO Danie van der Merwe, CFO Ben la Grange, treasury and finance exec Stehan Grobler and IT corporate services Mariza Nel had nothing to do with any of his ‘mistakes’. Steinhoff, which owns UK brands Bensons for Beds, Harveys and Poundland, recently announced plans to restate its 2016 financial records as part of an ongoing investigation into accounting irregularities, stating they were no longer reliable.

w www.steinhoffinternational.com

|N E W S MANUFACTURE

RETAIL

UPHOLSTERY BUSINESS EXPECTS TO RETURN TO PROFIT BY 2018

British bed brand expands retail showroom estate

Upholstery specialist Wesley Barrell has reported a loss but expects to break even by next year. According to its latest filed accounts for the year ended December 2016, company losses during the period amounted to £237,036, with the business also confirming that management accounts detail further losses for the period to October 2017. Despite the downturn in performance, the company expects to break even by the

year end of December 2017 and return to profitability during 2018. The return to growth will be

fuelled by its 2017 expansion, which saw the company open two new showrooms as well as acquiring an online fabric business. Furthermore, stated within the report, the company said that its parent company Wessex Bristol (Investments) Ltd would not seek to recover the £125,000 owed during the next 12 months. Adding to this, other creditor HMRC, which is owed £370,000, will take no action to recover the amount until Wesley Barrell has the resources to settle them.

w www.wesley-barrell.co.uk

British bedmaker Rest Assured has announced the opening of two new retail showrooms following the successful launch at Cousins Manchester. The new spaces at Cousins furniture stores in Dudley and Tyseley will see the manufacturer showcase a brand new collection of pocket spring mattresses, complemented by a new range of upholstered bedframes, chairs and ottoman storage benches, as well as its core range of storage divan bases and headboards. The nine bed ranges will each showcase the Radiance collection, the Serenity collection and the most recent British Wool Collection. The first Rest Assured showroom opened in Cousins Manchester earlier this month, which marked the start of a number of planned retail partnerships for Rest Assured in 2018. Matthew Shotton, retail director at Cousins, said: “We’re delighted to be the first retail partner to open a Rest Assured showroom.” Mark Robinson, sales director at Rest Assured said: “The showrooms offer us the chance to showcase our latest products, including the British Wool Collection and our recently launched range of lifestyle products that complement our beds.”

w www.rest-assured.co.uk

MANUFACTURE

S W I S S F U R N I T U R E F I R M PA R T N E R S W I T H UK HERI TAGE RE TAILER

RECORD YEAR FOR FURNITURE TESTING

Swiss-based office furniture company Vitra has announced the opening of its largest UK dedicated consumer retail space. Taking a space at furniture retailer Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road, London, Vitra is situated on the first floor and features areas including an extensive Colour and Material Library, Lounge Chair Atelier and further Vitra collections. Heal’s is the first retailer to show Vitra’s Lounge Chair Atelier. The new store is the first UK retailer to showcase the updated and improved comfort version of the Soft Modular Sofa by Jasper Morrison as well as other designs including Edward Barber and Jay

10 | 12th January 2018

Osgerby’s Mariposa Sofa. Sabina Miller, head of buying at Heal’s, said: “We are delighted to launch the ‘at home with Vitra’ concept at our flagship store on Tottenham Court Road. Vitra stands for the same values of design and craftsmanship that Heal’s stands for and is a great brand fit for our customer base. “We worked closely with the team at Vitra to showcase the best of what they have to offer including iconic pieces such as the Eames Lounger chair, as well as the best of modern design, such as the Barber & Osgerby Mariposa sofa.”

w www.heals.com

Research and testing organisation SATRA Technology has reported a record year of trading in its furniture department. SATRA said that due to its record year of trading in its furniture testing department, it has invested in new technology and staff including a new Universal Fatigue Tester for testing chairs, cabinets and beds, which will double the current testing capacity in that department. The group also confirmed that Phil Weal has been promoted from senior technician to systems coordinator and is responsible for calibrations, quality, health and safety, maintaining the ISO 17025 accreditation with UKAS and driving continuous improvement in the quality and integrity of the work produced by SATRA. SATRA is planning to recruit further technicians in 2018 and another technologist to support

the expanding customer base. Geoff Bindley, SATRA’s furniture testing business manager, said: “We are delighted with the growth in furniture testing at SATRA this year. Due to the expanding resources and demand, we have invested in our team with internal promotions and the recruitment of two new technicians during 2017. ‘This is a very exciting time in furniture testing and certification at SATRA, as there is growth in the whole market. In 2017, we have seen that table and bed testing work has tripled, cabinet testing has doubled, chair testing has grown and we have launched the SATRA Diamond product certification programme. “We have a great team and are all looking forward to a busy and successful year in 2018.”

w www.satra.com

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DESIGN

Office furniture group to acquire European furniture brand US-based office furniture specialist Knoll has announced plans to acquire Danish luxury furniture firm Muuto for $300m. In a statement, Knoll said that the acquisition further advances its ‘strategy of building its global capability as a go-to resource for workplaces and homes’, including the commercial contract, decorator to-the-trade and consumer markets. Pennsylvania-based Knoll said that Muuto expands the range of price points it currently covers as well as significantly expanding the company’s mix of International sales from 15 to 20%. Muuto will continue to operate as an independent company headquartered in Copenhagen and will maintain its independent brand identity. The acquisition of Muuto is expected to be completed in January 2018 and will provide an opportunity to strengthen client and dealer relationships in North America and Europe as well as further expand Muuto’s reach to Millennial designers and purchasers in the “resimercial” and residential markets. Andrew Cogan, Knoll president and CEO, said: “Muuto is a ‘resimercial’ design-driven, creative Scandinavian brand representing global style for the workplace and home. We have been tracking their explosive emergence on the workplace and residential scene in both Europe and North America for some time now.” “Muuto products pair seamlessly with the range of modern Knoll designs, offering an expanded breadth and depth of affordable luxury products that reflect today’s evolving workstyles and trends in residential design, with particular appeal to a younger generation of architects, designers and clients and those seeking a homier, more relaxed aesthetic.” Peter Bonnén and Kristian Byrge, founders of Muuto, said: “Knoll is the perfect permanent home for Muuto. The culture and team we have assembled to run the business are aligned with the values upon which Knoll was founded almost 80 years ago.”

w www.knoll.com RETAIL

Heritage retailer grows sales towards £17m

Department store retail chain Bradbeers has reported a second straight year of turnover growth as sales climbed towards £17m.

According to its latest filed accounts for the year ended 29 January 2017, total sales rose 1.8% to £16.7m from £16.4m in 2016. Gross profit also increased 9.2% to £7.1m from £6.5m, whilst pre-tax profits rose by £1m to £2.1m from £1.1m year-on-year, an increase of 90.9%. The swell in profits marked its highest return in around a decade and the first time profits surpassed the £2m milestone in reportable records. Established in 1837, Bradeers, a family run chain of department stores with two dedicated furniture stores, operates across New Milton, Hedge End and Romsey.

w www.bradbeers.com

FOR BEST RESULTS CHOOSE GREENWOOD “80% of Annual Business in 3 Weeks! I Have Nothing But Praise for Greenwood!” Tim Halfhide, Bringy Furniture, Chelmsford

“Sale No.8 Beat the Last Six Sales!” Philip Heath, Sturtons & Tappers, Bournemouth

“Our Sale Was Such a Great Success!” Charles Summers, M.D., Eyres of Chesterfield

“You ‘do a Greenwood’, then you get a bounce afterwards. It’s happened time after time!” Ryan Pollock, Right Price Furniture, Coleraine

“DON’T HIRE A MARKETING COMPANY UNTIL YOU’VE SEEN GREENWOOD” FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GREENWOOD SALES. Take a look at our website or call us now on 01565 650101, or, send an e mail enquiry, and we’ll gladly contact you to discuss the exciting possibilities we can offer you, without obligation...

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GREENWOOD RETAIL LTD Britain's Leading Experts in Retail Sales Promotion sales@greenwoodretail.com

www.greenwoodretail.com 12th January 2018 | 11

Just two sales tips… RETAIL

Department store retailer confirms senior appointments Department store retailer Debenhams has announced the appointment of Steven Cook as its new fashion and home director. Officially joining in early January, Steven will lead the two sectors as well as overseeing its buying, design and merchandising divisions. Debenhams has also confirmed that Richard Cristofoli, formerly Debenhams’ marketing director, has been promoted to managing director of beauty, beauty services and marketing. Furthermore, Debenhams has confirmed that retail director Ross Clemmow will broaden his role as managing director for retail, digital, food and events. The new appointments form part of Debenhams’ restructuring strategy within its core divisions of beauty and beauty services, fashion and home, and food and events.

w www.debenhams.com

MANUFACTURE

SKILL S SHORTAGE LE AD S TO AVERAGE FURNITURE WAGE INCRE A SE RETAIL

Sales and profits reach nine year high Home furnishings retailer Harry Corry has reported a fourth successive year of turnover growth as sales climbed back towards £45m.According to its latest filed accounts for the year ended 28 February 2017, total sales rose 7.2% to £44.3m from £41.3m in 2016. Gross profit increased 9.9% to £25.5m from £23.2m, whilst pre-tax profit resulted at £4m, significantly rising from its recorded profit of £1m last year, a growth by 300%. Year end cash also rose from £4.6m to £6.2m. Stated within its report, the company said that the sales growth was largely due to increased footfall and basket size, whilst its Euro sales also delivered growth due to currency fluctuations that resulted in an increase in gross margin by 1.3%. Its pre-tax profit of £4m was the highest profit for the business since 2009 when profits stood at £4.1m. Turnover was also at its highest in nine years when sales also reached £44.3m. Belfast-based Harry Corry, which has been established since 1968, operates from 50 stores across the UK and Ireland.

w www.harrycorry.com

14 | 12th January 2018

The furniture industry has seen a rise in the average wage, says new data from the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM). According to the BFM’s latest wages survey of production occupations, average wages across the furniture sector have increased by 4.1% since 2016. It brings the average hourly rate across skilled and unskilled workers to £10, a record high and possibly reflects the 75% of companies of which reported

employees in 22 production occupations, with a large proportion of the employees working on a payment by results basis. Mike Dimond, BFM director of employment and membership affairs, said: “Our survey has revealed a number of interesting results, with the industry skills shortage being a driving force for wage increases. “Going forward, a number of factors look set to impact on 2018 wages, foremost among them being pension

an increase countrywide, the average hourly wage rose more steeply in the north - up 5% on last year’s figures. It covers nearly 4,300

conducted in December 2017, covered nearly 4300 employees in 22 production occupations.

difficulty recruiting caused by a skills shortage with 58% stating this was having the effect of forcing up wages for certain occupations. The BFM’s annual report revealed that while there was

auto-enrolment (79% of those surveyed cited this), the apprenticeship levy (42%)*, raw material costs (88%) and the National Living Wage.” The survey, which was

w www.bfm.org.uk

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MANUFACTURE

DESIGN

FURNITURE SPRINGS MANUFACTURER RE CEIVE S GOLD AWARD

Mattress maker installs new display systems

Specialist manufacturer Siddall & Hilton Products Limited has been awarded a FIRA Gold Certificate for their furniture springs. Siddall & Hilton Products utilise their in house laboratory and rigorous quality procedures (which were recently audited for compliance with ISO9001:2015) to comprehensively test wire material, all production stages and finished springs. Commenting on the award, the company said: “Springs

are a fundamental upholstery component and the issuing of the FIRA Gold certificate will further reinforce customers’ confidence that Siddall and Hilton Products is the reputable supplier of reliable, high quality springs.” Established for over 117 years, Brighouse-based Siddall & Hilton Products supply UK and European upholstery manufacturers with a wide portfolio of spring products.

w www.sandhp.com

RETAIL

Boxed mattress brand raises further funding

Mattress-in-a-box brand Simba Sleep has raised a further £40m in a new funding round as the company prepares to expand. The series B round of investment comes from previous investors Nigel Wray, chairman of Saracens rugby club, Wharton Asset Management and Swiss bank Lombard Odier and was led by new backer Atami Capital. Simba said that the investment will fuel its global expansion whilst also confirming that some of its 35 markets, including the UK, are close to recording profits and that it is targeting revenue to grow by a sixth in the next two years from £41m forecast for 2017 to £267m by the end of 2019. The capital injection takes total funding of the two-year-old startup to £58.5m, with the company adding that the investment will ‘also be used to broaden new product development globally’. This year, the brand has expanded its presence within Europe by launching in France, Spain, Germany, Turkey and Romania, and has accelerated its footprint across Africa, Asia, Middle East and Australia. James Cox, chief executive and co-founder, said: “This fourthround investment ensures innovation remains at the core of our business ethos and aligns with our global momentum. “By the end of 2017, we will have presence in over twenty global retail outlets and will have achieved 350% year-on-year revenue growth. We’re also on course for profitability in our core markets in early 2018 as well as exponential growth in the large £10bn US and £11bn Asian markets.”

Mattress and pillow manufacturer Dunlopillo has begun to install its new display systems through its network of independent furniture retailers. The new point-of-sale display systems makes use of a large TV screen, illuminated graphics and framed graphics to digitally the benefits of Dunlopillo Latex and the overall sleep experience. Fabric swatches and information lecterns complete the display, with Dunlopillo, which is part of the Steinhoff group, investing a significant sum to boost the technology feature. Paul Little, Steinhoff UK Beds’ sales and marketing director, comments: “Our Dunlopillo Royal Sovereign mattress has been awarded Which? Best Buy for three consecutive years thanks to the numerous sleep benefits delivered by Dunlopillo Latex. “With this in mind the decision was made to significantly invest in our brand via our new point-of-sale display system which clearly and elegantly displays the benefits of Dunlopillo and our accolade from Which?. “Our first installations look fantastic in situ and have been very well received by our customers.”

w www.dunlopillo.co.uk

1. Encourage customer to try out La-Z-Boy. 2. That’s it.

w www.simbasleep.com 12th January 2018 | 15

|N E W S Lie back and think of the sales figures.

DESIGN

Upholstery maker reveals new launches ahead of JFS Motion furniture specialist La-Z-Boy UK has announced the launch of its new living collection. The new city living collection will be officially unveiled at the January Furniture Show and features new models in its popular Originals Collection and Comfort Studio Collection, as well as a contemporary range of upholstery new to the UK, Urban Attitudes. The latter is more compact in size, designed for city living, and features exclusive new fabric and leather swatches, including bold patterns, textures and colourways. Furthermore, La-Z-Boy revealed plans to launch a cabinet range as well as a fully redeveloped bed and mattress offering during 2018. Dave Darragh, sales director, said: “We’re delighted with how the new products are looking. We have begun to really develop the aesthetic of our ranges, to have a distinctive La-Z-Boy look while offering fashion-forward style elements. “There will be a number of key products which will be showroom must-haves.” La-Z-Boy UK will be located in hall 5, stand E30 at the January Furniture Show 2018 from 21-24 January at the NEC, Birmingham.

w www.la-z-boy.co.uk 16 | 12th January 2018

MANUFACTURE

UPHOLSTERY MAKER APPOINTS APPRENTICES Upholstery manufacturer Westbridge Furniture has announced the appointment of five new apprentices following a successful education partnership. The new apprentices will join Westbridge’s Furniture Upholstery Apprenticeship programme following a successful partnership with the Traineeship programme at Coleg Cambria. All of the successful candidates aged 16-18 who live in Wales, recently took part in the Westbridge Academy through the Traineeship programme at Coleg Cambria. It involved eight weeks on a Traineeship, four weeks working on their employability skills at Coleg Cambria and four weeks on placement in Westbridge Furniture on the Deeside Industrial Estate. Nick Arundell, HR manager

for Westbridge Furniture Design said: “We are delighted to be working with both Coleg Cambria and North Lancs Training Group in helping us set up and run our first ever apprenticeship programme. Through an initial Traineeship Programme, designed and tailored by Coleg Cambria to meet our company’s specific needs, we are extremely pleased to have found five enthusiastic young pioneers. “In two years’ time the apprentices will be fully qualified upholsterers; having gained a skill and qualification for life and hopefully a long and successful career. Following the early success of the Traineeship Programme, we have decided to bring forward our plans to run a further course in January 2018 to recruit an additional six apprentice upholsterers.”

w www.westbridgefurniture.com

RETAIL

Furniture industry figure sadly passes away

The founder of independent furniture retailer Hafren Furnishers has sadly passed away. Mike Morgan, who established Hafren Furnishers in 1965 while having a local milk round – gaining the name ‘Mike the Milk’, died on 9 December 2017. His entrepreneurial skills saw unprecedented business growth in Mid Wales, and from the early days Hafren have supplied customers all over the country. Hafren now operates from one of the largest retail showrooms in the country. Mike was a hugely respected figure in the industry over the last 50 years, always supported by his wife Anna. His three children Paul, Charlotte and Tim all play an active role in the business, which continues to thrive after 53 years. The funeral will take place at St. Idloes Church Llanidloes at 1pm on Friday 22 December 2017.

w www.hafrenfurnishers.co.uk

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RETAIL

Flooring retailer rethinks beds strategy for New Year boost

Furniture retailer to undergo EU investigation

within its UK core sales, other than reporting a decline. Currently, beds account for 8.1% of sales, down from 9.1% last year, in the UK as it aims to grow market share with early signs ‘encouraging’ since the re-range. Bed departments in Carpetright stores fell during the half year period from 253 to 249 stores. Total Carpetright sales rose 2.6% to £228.1m, with underlying pre-tax profit down from £5.1m to £2.1m, which was impacted by beds refocus.

w www.ikea.com

Flooring and beds retail chain Carpetright has confirmed it is running ‘several store tests’ to promote its ‘Sleepright’ brand as its beds division undergoes shakeup. Detailed within its latest half year trading update, Carpetright said that bed sales had declined due to the clearance of discontinued lines as it ‘changed the entire range’. As part of this refocus, the company has re-ranged the entire category rather than ‘drip feed’ the products over a longer period, which has caused disruption to the division. This was largely due to staff having to ‘familiarise themselves’ with the entire new full price products as well as conduct a clearance beds offer, which has ‘taken longer than envisaged’. However, with the bulk of the change completed, as well as running tests in several stores to promote its ‘Sleepright’ brand to offer a clearer way to shop for beds, Carpetright said that by the start of January next month it would have a ’much better range of leading brands that are familiar to consumers’. Carpetright did not give a figure of how the beds sector did

w www.carpetright.co.uk

MANUFACTURE

FIRE AT FURNI TURE WHOLE S ALER Furniture wholesaler Heartlands Furniture Wholesale has suffered a severe fire at is warehouse in Smethwick. The incident took place around 8:30pm on 28 December 2017 at its premises in Cranford Street. Around 40 firefighters from seven crews including fire services from Ladywood, Aston, West Bromwich and Woodgate Valley attended the scene and managed to bring the fire under control throughout the night. The fire has destroyed the 10,000sq ft storage unit. An investigation into the cause

of the fire is underway and is being treated as arson. West Midlands Fire Service tweeted upon the break out: “Seven appliances and one aerial appliance dealing with a severe fire at a furniture storage unit on Cranford Street, Smethwick. Crews are dealing with a severe fire in a furniture storage unit and will be in attendance for some time.” It is understood that nobody was injured as the investigation continues. The business has confirmed that it has ‘lost stock and one building’.

Swedish furniture giant IKEA is to become the subject of an investigation from the EU relating to its Dutch tax arrangements. According to reports, Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, will announce an official probe into IKEA after a report by the Greens in the European Parliament, published in February 2016, revealed that the retailer has allegedly avoided paying €1bn in EU taxes. The report highlighted that IKEA had created two separate corporate groups within a number of companies in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein and used them to move money and profits over a period from 2009 to 2014 to take advantage of a Dutch tax scheme. In light of this, the EU are to launch an investigation to see whether or not IKEA has broken any rules and forms part of a much wider scheme where almost 40 companies have been ordered to pay billions of euros relating to tax deals, including the likes of Amazon, Apple and Starbucks.

Visit us at the January Furniture Show. Sit back. Relax.

w www.heartlandsfurniture.co.uk 12th January 2018 | 17

|N E W S RETAIL

MANUFACTURE

Furniture retailer purchased out of administration

T E C H N O LO G Y S U P P O R T S G R O W T H AT FITTED FURNITURE FIRM

Administrators of furniture retailer Feather & Black Limited have confirmed the sale of the business to bedding and mattress group Hilding Anders International. Allan Graham and Matt Ingram, both of Duff & Phelps Ltd, Joint Administrators of Feather & Black Limited has secured the successful sale of the majority of the business and its assets to Hilding Anders International, securing 104 UK jobs. Under the terms of the sale Hilding Anders has acquired 17 out of a total of 20 stores saving 104 of the 123 employees across the business. Three stores – and five concessions within Multiyork stores – will however be closed. The Feather & Black brand will be retained and continue to have a presence on the UK High Street. Allan Graham, Joint Administrator, Duff & Phelps, stated: “The majority of the stores have been sold to one of the best known brands in the bedroom furniture sector securing the future for Feather & Black and a large number of its valued employees.” Pepyn Dinandt, chairman and Group CEO, commented: “I am very excited by this opportunity to re-enter the UK market with F&B. F&B has a strong market position, excellent customer loyalty and a deep heritage within the UK market. “We will build on F&B’s solid platform and grow the business across both stores and eCommerce. We will continue with F&B’s current customer and product positioning whilst also looking at further ways to improve our productivity and profitability.”

British fitted furniture manufacturer Daval has recently attended an event that help businesses embrace technology. In conjunction with Connect Yorkshire, a not-for-profit organisation that helps Yorkshire businesses grow, the ‘how technology can influence business’ event took place on 5 December 2017. Attended by owners from some of the region’s most successful companies who were either Entrepreneurs in Residence or members of Connect Yorkshire, this roundtable was chaired by Nick Butler, chief executive of Connect Yorkshire. Simon Bodsworth, managing director, Daval said: “Technology can be used to inspire customers and get rid of grey areas in

expectations. I think it is our investment in technology that has been key to our continued growth, welcoming expansion across our software and machine capabilities. By doing so, we have guaranteed the preservation of our flexible nature and in todays unforgiving market, it is essential that both business and brand remain agile. “Our technological investment has doubled Daval’s remit for production, as well as support a more proficient system for increased sales and decreased material waste. By combining our machinery and respective software, we have intelligently reduced the time it takes to develop and market new products by approximately 50%.”

w www.daval-furniture.co.uk

w www.featherandblack.com

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MANUFACTURE

Promotions not enough to save furniture business

S A L E S M A R G I N A L LY D O W N D E S P I T E OVERSEAS GROWTH Balmoral Furniture, the trading name of County Antrim headquartered furniture and beds supply business Moffett & Sons, has reported a slight decline in turnover. According to its latest filed accounts for the year ended 31 March 2017, total sales fell 0.9% to £10.2m from £10.3m in 2016, a first fall in turnover following two consecutive years of growth. Within the UK, its core market, sales dropped 4.5% to £8.3m from £8.7m, whilst overseas sales improved 26.6% to £1.9m from £1.5m last year. Gross profit was also down

20 | 12th January 2018

by 3.3% to £2.9m from £3m, whilst pre-tax profit resulted at £401,122 compared to £641,218 recorded last year, a decline of 37.4%. Year end cash rose from £1.2m to £1.6m, with total net assets also increasing to £4.4m as a results of retained post tax profits for the current year. Established in 1946, the family run business said within its report that it has implemented a website revamp as well as revising its company and marketing brochures to strengthen the brand.

w www.moffett.co.uk

Northumberland-based furniture retailer Dickinsons Furnishers has entered administration following a December wind down. Steve Ross and Allan Kelly of RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed Joint Administrators to Dickinsons Furnishers Limited on 3 January 2018. Dickinsons, which can trace its roots back to 1878, operated from shops in Hexham, Alnwick, and Carlisle, which closed in September, with its head office and warehousing also based in Hexham. The company had been wound down and ceased to trade during December 2017, making its 39 staff redundant, after failing to keep the business tradable. Steve Ross, partner at RSM and joint Administrator, said: “The Company has seen a significant downturn in trade on the back of well publicised reductions in consumer spending throughout 2017. It held a number of sales in the lead up to our appointment and unfortunately there was no opportunity to continue to trade. The business has therefore been closed. Regrettably all staff are in the process of being made redundant. “We fully appreciate that this will cause significant concern for those customers; we would advise those customers to contact RSM in the first instance.”

w www.rsmuk.com

DESIGN

This is no ordinary pocket spring!

Bed manufacturer reveals benefits of logistic technology Bed manufacturer Silentnight has revealed the benefit of technology that has improved its logistics and environmental practices. Barnoldswick-based Silentnight first integrated BigChange Transport and Delivery Management technology within its operations in 2013, with the system saving 400,000 litres of fuel worth £500,000 as well as cutting CO2 emissions by over 1million kilos. The system combines back-office delivery planning, a proof-ofdelivery app for drivers, defect management and real-time tracking of tractor units and trailers. Silentnight has continued to upgrade its BigChange platform and plans to introduce a paperless delivery practice by replacing paperbased manifests and delivery notes. This is being rolled out to all customers across the next 12 months. Drivers are being equipped with the latest Samsung tablets that manage receipt of delivery instructions, electronic proof of delivery with photo capture, timesheets, electronic start-of-day vehicle walkaround checks and a daily driver debrief. Silentnight rewards drivers with a bonus twice a year to recognise their efforts to reduce fuel use, improve safety and cut carbon emissions. The inbuilt telematics, integrated with the vehicle tachograph, captures detailed insight on driver behaviour, including metrics on speeding, harsh braking and cornering. Robert Livingstone, group logistics director at Silentnight, said: “BigChange technology has ticked so many strategic boxes for us; it’s driving tangible savings, transforming customer experience and is a key part of our sustainability drive. “It has no doubt contributed to the prestigious 2017 Sustainability Award we received from the Furniture Markers’ company. In a market where all manufacturers are under cost pressure through the supply chain, these savings allow us.”

• • • •

Premium quality innersprings, with a distinctive, progressive design

Receptive to Individual body weights

Pocketed innersprings help reduce partner disturbance and roll-together

High-quality wire from our vertically integrated wire-drawing process Featuring the Intelligent Pocket spring that adapts to you

Helix Pocket Spring provides a special combination of responsiveness, comfort, and support, making the springs highly receptive to individual body weights and shapes

Tel: 01455 841 257 sales@voguebeds.co.uk voguebeds.co.uk Kingsfield House, Arthur Street, Barwell, Leicestershire LE9 8GZ

w www.silentnight.co.uk

RETAIL

Profits and sales down at independent retailer

Devon-based independent furniture retailer Prestige Furniture has reported a decline in both sales and profits. According to its latest filed accounts for the year ended 28 February 2017, total sales fell 5.2% to £1.8m from £1.9m in 2016. Sales have been yo-yoing for past six years with its lowest reported turnover at £1.7m and its highest at £2.2m back in 2011. Gross profit was also down 7.7% to £774,177 from £839,690, whilst pre-tax profit resulted at £179,178, declining by 37.1% from its recorded profit of £285,819 last year. Year end cash remained consistent with the previous year at £130,000, with net assets also static at £1.5m. During the year the business reduced its bank loan debt from £139,828 to £118,205.

HALL 5 - STAND C45

w www.prestigefurniture.co.uk 12th January 2018 | 21

|NEWS RETAIL

Profits down at carpet retailer due to beds investment Carpet, floor coverings and beds retail group United Carpets has reported a reduction in profits due to investment within its beds division and online operations. According to its latest trading update for the six months ended 30 September 2017, total sales fell 4.9% to £9.7m from £10.2m against the same half year period last year. Like-for-like sales rose 2.9%. The group posted a pre-tax profit of £589,000, down 7.9% from £640,000 whilst distribution costs and administrative expenses increased from 55.8% of revenue to 56.4%, due to recruitment to support the its growing online presence and beds operations. During the period United Carpets opened one new store bringing its portfolio to 58 across the UK. As mentioned, the group has continued to investment in its beds department, which currently accounts for 8% of total store sales, with beds being sold in 80% of its store network. The group said that after several years of very strong growth, bed like-for-like sales in the period improved at a more modest rate of 2.1% with the investment aimed to sustain future growth. Its core market of flooring saw a like-for-like sales growth of 2.9% during the period. Paul Eyre, chief executive, said: “Investment to support the Group’s online activities and Beds operation reduced profits slightly in the first half although this is being offset by operational actions that are already beginning to bear fruit in the second half.”

w www.unitedcarpetsandbeds.com

DESIGN

Home furnishing retailer rebrands with new logo Failsworth-based independent home furnishing retailer Housing Units has developed a new brand identity. In partnership with The Market Creative, Housing Units has launched a new logo, colour palette, typography and tone of voice. Strapline “the home department store” will sit alongside the new square-shaped logo that has moved to the abbreviation of Housing Units, ‘hu’. The lighter typeface enhances the new contemporary look for the brand, which is complemented by a richer more premium green. White replaces previous gold accents. The Market Creative has applied the rebrand to Housing Units winter campaign, introducing red to the colour palette to communicate sale activity. Working with Chief Productions, the marketing agency created two 10-second TV ads, highlighting living room and dining room furniture and will run on ITV Granada until the end of February. The rebrand will be rolled out across all touchpoints in 2018. Sue Benson, managing director at The Market Creative said: “We needed to communicate the extent and premium quality of what Housing Units has to offer. “We have achieved this by embracing the concept of a department store and using a richer, more confident colour palette. The fresh new look is contemporary and helps to tell the full story of Housing Units.” Nick Fox, CEO of Housing Units said: “We are made up of an amazing selection of departments. This new look is a celebration of how each of them is filled with amazing expertise, and everything our customers could possibly want to furnish their homes.”

RETAIL

w www.housingunits.co.uk

Weak Christmas prompts profit warning

MANUFACTURE

Department store retailer Debenhams has reported a decline in Christmas sales leading to a profit warning. According to its latest trading update for the 17 weeks to 30 December 2017, group like-for-like sales fell 1.3%, whilst also down 1.8% on constant currency. UK like-for-like sales fell 2.6%, although international sales rose 2.1%, as did digital sales, up by 9.9%. Debenhams said the early weeks of the quarter were ‘disappointing’ as the market ‘remained volatile and competitive’, whilst revealing that the first week of its post-Christmas Sale was ‘below expectations’ despite further markdown investment. The retailer added that if the current conditions persist, it expects full year 2018 pre-tax profit to be in the range of £55m to £65m, down from previous analyst forecasts of around £83m. Sergio Bucher, chief executive of Debenhams, said: “The market has been challenging and we have responded in order to remain competitive, which has impacted our profit performance.”

w www.debenhams.com 22 | 12th January 2018

US FURNI TURE MAKER SE T TLE S L AW SUI T Furniture manufacturer La-Z-Boy Incorporated has reached a settlement agreement over a civil lawsuit. Michigan-based La-Z-Boy confirmed the settlement with Megdal Associates and will pay the company and others associated with it the combined sum of $13.5m, bringing the dispute to a close. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the parties settled the legal dispute with no admission

of liability, wrongdoing or responsibility by any of the parties involved. The settlement, which follows a verdict returned against La-Z-Boy back in 2016, brings an end to past Megdal claims of royalty obligations for components supplied in respect of certain power units. The agreement was reached on 21 December 2017.

w www.la-z-boy.com

|NEWS DESIGN

MANUFACTURE

Children’s furniture brand to make JFS debut

F U R N I T U R E B U S I N E S S I M PA C T E D B Y B R E X I T S AV E D F R O M A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

New children’s furniture brand Little Folks Furniture has confirmed it will be exhibiting at the January Furniture Show. Linked Resourcing, creators of the brand, are debuting at the upcoming JFS, which takes place from 21-24 January 2018 at the NEC in Birmingham. Little Folks Furniture will be located in Hall 5, J-45, and is showcasing a selection of designed beds and furniture, utilising its specialist experience of manufacturing and supplying this market sector. The operational and warehousing facilities are based in Wiltshire and include a state of the art test house. Little Folks Furniture will exhibit both a mid-sleeper system and the Fargo High Sleeper System, which comes in multiple options for work, rest and play. Christopher Lusty, co-founder of Little Folks Furniture, said: “Our first job was to listen to some very wise retailers. The feedback was straightforward. “Well made, safe beds designed for children and particularly using the trending painted finishes–and avoiding pine and chipboard! “That was the basis for the range development–which is now stocked in Wiltshire and from where we operate a direct fulfilment service for retailers.”

Swindon-based furniture business WJ White Ltd has been rescued out of administration. Julie Palmer and Sally Richards, from insolvency firm Begbies Traynor, were appointed as joint administrators on 18 December 2017. Following the appointment, the administrators immediately completed the sale of the company and its assets to WJ White Contract Furniture Ltd, securing the jobs of all 48 employees. Products made by the company were mainly sold via its London showroom, but sales hit

w www.littlefolksfurniture.co.uk

RETAIL

Furniture business closes showroom to focus solely online Independent furniture business Solid Wood Beds has closed its showroom in Huddersfield. Solid Wood Beds said that it would continue to operate solely online after being ‘let down’ by suppliers and UK Customs, prompting the business to permanently close its store in Milnsbridge. Due to supply issues, some customers have branded the business a ‘scam’, a reputation the company denies, which is also behind the move to close, as well as increasing rates. In a pre-Christmas statement, the company said: “Due to rents being too high, staff and UK customs completely unreliable, and due to the fact that I am sick to death of being accused of being a scam merchant, I will no longer be operating out of a showroom and everything will be order only. “For all those people that have been let down by UK customs not releasing the container of furniture in time for Christmas, then I am genuinely sorry for the inconvenience and upset that it has caused you. “Whatever the pain and suffering that this has caused you then please times it by 1,000 and that is exactly how I have felt about this situation.”

w www.solidwoodbeds.co.uk 24 | 12th January 2018

a “steep decline” following the Brexit announcement. Julie Palmer, who is regional managing partner for Begbies Traynor in the South West, said: “The company began to experience financial difficulties following the Brexit vote, and suffered a subsequent fall in demand. Furthermore, the high fixed costs associated with the business, such as its production factory, made its variable demand difficult to manage. We are now optimistic that it can now look to 2018 with optimism.”

w wjwhite.co.uk

DESIGN

JFS to run first series of design seminars Organisers of the January Furniture Show have announced its first series of seminars for professionals in the furniture and interior design sectors. In partnership with the Society of British & International Design (SBID), on Tuesday 23 January, industry experts will share their indepth knowledge and experience across a wide range of subjects with show exhibitors and visitors. Taking place at 2pm, Colour Talks, presented by the new SBID Colour Council, will explore the power of colour in order to bring further knowledge and inspiration to the interior design industry. Co-chairs of SBID Colour Council, Carolina Calzada Oliviera and Neil Edwards, will introduce this latest exciting SBID initiative - a forum for knowledge, research and education in all aspects of colour and will cover History to Trends, Costs to Benefits, and Wellbeing to Productivity. Guest speakers will then discuss different aspects of colour. Applied Colour Psychology expert Justine Fox will present Material Colour: Psychology and Trend. Marianne Shillingford, Creative Design Director at Dulux will shed light on Colour for Smarter Spaces. At 11am Ian Cathcart of Franklite Ltd will run a Continuing Professional Development Course – Lighting – (worth 2 CPD points). All about Light and Colour, the course will cover various lighting technologies and the human response to shades of white light. Colour temperature and colour appearance are all considered, along with the means of measurement and values associated with artificial light. The seminars will take place in the SBID Space in Hall 2 – stand C90.

w januaryfurnitureshow.com

|NEWS RETAIL

MANUFACTURE

Rival makes three complaints over carpet retailer price advert

Carpets and beds retailer United Carpets has been told to clarify pricing presentation after a rival retailer made three complaints. United Carpets displayed three sales promotion price labels, seen in store during June 2017, which featured both square metre and square yard prices. Carpetright challenged whether the “per square yard” price claims in the ads were misleading, because they believed the ads created an impression that they represented further savings against the “per metre square” prices. United Carpets responded by stating that they ‘had never received a complaint from a customer about this issue’ and that it ‘was a legal requirement that the price was expressed per metre, and they had met this requirement by including the per metre price on all their labels’. However, following an investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority, the ASA deemed two of the three ads as misleading due to the layout and presentation of the price statements. The ASA ruled: “We told United Carpets (Franchisor) Ltd to ensure that future ads did not use different quantity units in a way that presented prices in a misleading manner.”

w www.asa.org.uk

BED MANUFACTURER WINS TWO GOLD AWARDS British bed manufacturer Relyon has won gold awards for its Mothercare Airflow Pocket Spring Mattress. Somerset-based Relyon, part of the Steinhoff group, won the ‘Best Sleep Product’ and ‘Best Safety Product’ at the 2018 Mother and Baby Awards. Sponsored by ASDA and George and celebrating its 24th year, the prestigious awards were held at London’s Westminster Park Plaza to highlight the very best baby and pregnancy products available. The panel of mums, who tested an extensive selection of highly innovative products for reliability, quality and value for money, loved everything about the Mothercare Airflow Pocket Spring Mattress, from its removable cover and air flow technology. Paul Little, Steinhoff UK

Beds’ sales and marketing director, commented: “To be recognised for manufacturing the best sleep and safety product at the Mother and Baby Awards was an incredibly proud moment for us. “Developed with Mothercare for outstanding breathability, practicality and above all safety, it’s simply the best mattress available for a baby.” Fiona Robinson, Mothercare trading director, added: “To win not one but two 2018 Gold Mother and Baby Awards is an amazing achievement. “We are so pleased to be able to give parents peace of mind that with our product their baby is sleeping not only on the best quality mattress but also the safest.”

w relyon.co.uk

MANUFACTURE

RETAIL

UK COMP ONEN T S FIRM E XPAND S WITH US ACQUISITION

Upholstery retailer acquires some Multiyork stores

Buckinghamshire-based plastic and fibre products supplier Essentra plc has announced the acquisition of US components manufacturer Micro Plastics. Based in Arkansas, US, Micro Plastics is a manufacturer and distributor of nylon fasteners and other plastic components for a wide range of industrial end-markets and will be reported under the company’s components division. Essentra said that the acquisition provides an entry platform into the ‘attractive’ Mexican market as well as expanding its current product range, which includes components for the furniture 26 | 12th January 2018

industry. Paul Forman, chief executive, said: “The acquisition of Micro Plastics is consistent with our strategic objective in Components of identifying value-adding acquisition growth opportunities to consolidate our position as an expert manufacturer and distributor of a wide range of low cost components. Within Essentra’s group of component divisions, it specialises in extruded plastic parts for the furniture industry.

w www.essentra.com

Upholstery retail specialist DFS has announced the acquisition of a number of Multiyork stores and intellectual property for a sum of £1.2m. Under the transaction the Group has acquired eight store leases, with six stores intended to be converted to trade as Sofa Workshop, and two intended to be converted to DFS. The members of the Multiyork retail teams at the eight transferred stores have been offered roles within the Group as part of the acquisition. In a statement, DFS said: “DFS Furniture plc is pleased to announce that the Group has acquired certain store leases, assets and intellectual property of Multiyork Furniture Limited, primarily for Sofa Workshop. Alongside the acquisition of store leases, DFS has also acquired all intellectual property rights of Multiyork, including the Multiyork trademark, product designs, domain names and marketing databases.” Multiyork will continue to be traded by the administrators until 18 February, under a licence from DFS, at which point trading under the Multiyork brand will cease.

w www.dfs.co.uk

|NEWS MANUFACTURE

RETAIL

BFC URGES THE GOVERNMENT TO CONDUCT FRESH FIRE REGS RESEARCH

Steinhoff’s European division secures fresh funding

The British Furniture Confederation (BFC) has urged the government to conduct fresh research into the recent issues relating to furniture fire regulations highlighted by the media. In a full statement, the BFC said: “The British Furniture Confederation (BFC) has always said that the industry’s first and foremost concern is for people’s safety and has long been pressing government for reforms to the current legislation and standards, in order to simplify testing, iron out anomalies and improve compliance, while also helping to reduce the amount of fire retardant chemicals needed for compliance. “It is extremely disappointing that no progress has been made in over a year, after the government announced it needed time to consider the many conflicting responses to its proposed changes to the current standards. “The BFC opposed the government’s proposals for amending the standards because it felt that they would fail to deliver the desired result of maintaining fire safety levels while also minimising the use of flame retardant chemicals. In an effort to kickstart the process of

much needed reform, the BFC submitted its own proposals in July, after consulting widely. To date we have had only a standard response acknowledging their receipt. “We will be reiterating our call to BEIS to address this increasingly contentious issue, especially in the light of more recent claims questioning the overall effectiveness of the standards and potential harm to health of FR chemicals. “The Government urgently needs to call a halt to escalating scare mongering by announcing a fresh programme of robust research and evaluation into these claims. Everyone affected - the furniture industry, fire officers, consumers - needs and deserves proper clarity and effective, enforceable regulations and standards which protect people from the potential dangers caused by both fire and harmful chemicals. “Meanwhile the industry will continue to obey UK law by meeting the current UK regulations on flammability and following the requirements of REACH regulations regarding use of any chemicals to meet those standards.”

w britishfurnitureconfederation.org.uk

RETAIL

FCA grants authorisation

Rent-to-own furniture and electricals retailer PerfectHome has been authorised as a consumer credit firm by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Over the last three years, Temple Finance, trading as PerfectHome, has been working on progressing towards authorisation. It was granted on 14 December 2017. Full story online, search PerfectHome.

w www.perfecthome.co.uk 30 | 12th January 2018

The owner of Steinhoff International’s European division has secured a new loan to support UK growth. The Steinhoff UK Manufacturing and Retail business today confirmed that they have secured a new £180m two year independent finance facility through Pepkor Europe that replaces in full the planned investment from its ultimate parent company Steinhoff International NV, which is currently undergoing investigations into accounting irregularities. The loan has been secured from a US hedge fund provided by investment firm Davidson Kempner. The new facility will be used to support the future growth of the retail manufacturing divisions, with factories in Bridgend, Huntingdon, Wellington and Taunton. This independent facility provides long term stability to the manufacturing and retail businesses within Steinhoff UK including Relyon, Pritex, Steinhoff UK Beds, Steinhoff UK Upholstery, Harveys and Bensons. Alan Chapman UK manufacturing CFO said: “The trading strength of the UK businesses and Pepkor Europe has meant that we have been able to quickly develop new financing arrangements which means we are not now dependent on working capital support from our ultimate parent company Steinhoff International NV”.

w www.steinhoffinternational.com

MANUFACTURE

NEW BEDDING BRAND LAUNCHES A new bed linen specialist has launched in the both the UK and US markets under the brand Third. The company, which was founded by entrepreneurs Jonny Teeling and Will Peirce, has launched its first bed linen collection as well as forging two main partnerships in the process. Third has been designed to bring greater transparency and sustainability standards to the bed linen market, while simplifying the purchase process for customers. The collection of 500 thread count, long-staple cotton bedding is designed to optimise the third of your life spent in bed.

Since its launch, Manchesterbased Third has established a partnership with boxed mattress brand Leesa Sleep, where it supplies its Third X Leesa white sheet set. The company has also joined forces with the charity 42nd Street, which supports young people aged 11-25 with their mental health. For every sheet purchased, a subsequent donation is made to the charity. Jonny Teeling, co-founder of Third, said: “We launched Third to help our customers (and our staff) create an escape from the daily stresses of life.”

w www.thirdliving.com

NEC Birmingham 21st - 24th January 2018 www.westbridgefurniture.com

|N E W S Lie back and think of the sales figures.

DESIGN

w www.la-z-boy.co.uk 16 | 12th January 2018

MANUFACTURE

Design said: “We are delighted to be working with both Coleg Cambria and North Lancs Training Group in helping us set up and run our first ever apprenticeship programme. Through an initial Traineeship Programme, designed and tailored by Coleg Cambria to meet our company’s specific needs, we are extremely pleased to have found five enthusiastic young pioneers. “In two years’ time the apprentices will be fully qualified upholsterers; having gained a skill and qualification for life and hopefully a long and successful career. Following the early success of the Traineeship Programme, we have decided to bring forward our plans to run a further course in January 2018 to recruit an additional six apprentice upholsterers.”

w www.westbridgefurniture.com

RETAIL

Furniture industry figure sadly passes away

The founder of independent furniture retailer Hafren Furnishers has sadly passed away. Mike Morgan, who established Hafren Furnishers in 1965 while having a local milk round – gaining the name ‘Mike the Milk’, died on 9 December 2017. His entrepreneurial skills saw unprecedented business growth in Mid Wales, and from the early days Hafren have supplied customers all over the country. Hafren now operates from one of the largest retail showrooms in the country. Mike was a hugely respected figure in the industry over the last 50 years, always supported by his wife Anna. His three children Paul, Charlotte and Tim all play an active role in the business, which continues to thrive after 53 years. The funeral took place at St. Idloes Church Llanidloes on 22 December 2017.

w www.hafrenfurnishers.co.uk

BS3227_La-Z-Boy_Cabinet Maker_420x297 DPS_Jan. .indd 1

08/01/2018 11:54

BS3

New Collections. First look.

We think you’ll like what you see. Take an exclusive look at our contemporary new ranges at the January Furniture Show (Hall 5 Stand E30). This is La-Z-Boy as you’ve never seen it before. Recline and enjoy the show.

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Established in 1988, CIMC Ltd is a leading provider of furniture, lighting and accessories in the UK. Explore our new furniture and lighting collections for Spring 2018. Join us at the following trade shows:

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For further information visit our showroom or contact us on: 01162875288 www.CIMChome.com

03/01/2018 15:17:25

MAK E R O O M

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TH E AI S FU R N ITU R E S H OW

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Kindred will be displaying at the AIS furniture show in Birmingham from the 19th to the 22nd January 2018 *19th - 20th AIS Members ONLY

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