Furniture News BEDBUYER
HIGHGROVE REACHES NEW HEIGHTS Highgrove Beds will launch several new products at the Bed Show, including innovative and upgraded mattress specifications, backed up by exclusive show offers … www.highgrovebeds.co.uk
“It’s great to be getting back to some form of normality after the challenges of the past 18 months or so,” says Highgrove’s head of marketing, Shane Harding. “Those of us that love this industry really enjoy meeting customers and having the opportunity to showcase our latest products and promotions. “This year has been particularly challenging for many reasons, with material price increases and shortages affecting all UK manufacturers. The fact is that we’ve all got used to virtually zero inflation and prices that have been stable for years – and we’re now all faced with raw material and component prices being increased, often with little or no warning.” Despite this, Highgrove remains confident in the future of its UK operation, and has invested a further £500,000 in the new 25,000ft2 storage facility at its Liversedge site (which was completed during lockdown), to ensure the business has sufficient spring stocks to meet future demand. Shane is also confident that the business will continue to take market share, despite what is acknowledged as one of the toughest retail environments in many years. “We have now firmly bedded our three main brands into the marketplace: HG at the entry level;
Aston
our established flagship Highgrove brand taking up the centre ground; and Sanctum targeting the premium, handtailored sector.” In recent years, Highgrove has invested more than £600,000 in supporting high street retailers with high-impact in-store displays and additional PoS – including branded footmats and pillowcases – and these have proved extremely popular with stockists. Although the internet plays an
increasingly important role in the consumer’s decisionmaking process, Highgrove has made a tactical (and commercial) decision to support the high street, and its brochure collection is not available for internet trading. “We feel that consumers still want to try before they buy, and although internet sales continue to outpace retail, high-ticket comfort items will still be primarily sold in-store for many years to come – and that should be encouraged,” Shane concludes. Visitors to the Bed Show can expect exclusive offers
Highgrove’s high-performance website
VISIT HIGHGROVE ON STAND E20 AT THE BED SHOW 12
