Furniture News #334

The essential guide to the UK domestic furniture and furnishings trade #334 Jan 2017

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www.furniturenews.net

Classic Furniture returns to the January Furniture Show, on stand 5-J50

BEST IN SHOW Your guide to the January Furniture Show

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NEW DIRECTIONS Designer Mark Gabbertas heads for the hills

DISRUPTING SLEEP Casper’s bed-in-a-box hits the local market

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The Carpet Specialists

SERVICE QUALITY VALUE 21/12/2016 16:39

S

B

etter. Faster. Smarter. Just as a new year brings opportunity, it also heralds fresh challenges and greater expectations. Sharpen the pencil, go lean, anticipate what may come to pass – yes, cut down on the tipple and commit to regular exercise, but also take the time to reappraise how you do business.

Perhaps, like Casper’s Je� Chapin, whose bedin-a-box brand is rapidly disrupting traditional retail, you’re looking to grow your customer base by establishing new markets (p28). Or, like designer Mark Gabbertas, you’ve had enough of the rat race, and are planning to depart for pastures new in a bid to develop your creative outlook (p22).

A less radical change is more likely – perhaps a commitment to steady evolution, refining product o�er, presentation and back o�ce operations to safeguard against the uncertainties ahead.

What I’m getting at is that January is a time to look forward, not back (the second part of our Year in Review retail feedback item, running from p88, notwithstanding). At Furniture News, we’re forging ahead with a sharp new magazine design and the launch of a new version of www.furniturenews.net – it’s now a responsive site that’s been engineered to suit mobile devices as much as desktops.

In typical fashion, almost half of this month’s issue is dedicated to the nation’s flagship trade event, the January Furniture Show, taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 22nd-25th this month.

Here, you’ll encounter around 450 furniture and furnishings brands from the UK and further afield.

The numerous exhibitors will present the products and services they’re hoping will guarantee them – and their customers – success in 2017. As usual, Furniture News will be there too, so feel free to pay us a visit on stand 4-F25.

Plenty of these exhibitors have such faith in their newest releases that they’ve entered this year’s edition of The Furniture Awards, which will see the

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event’s champion suppliers recognised by a panel of established furniture retailers and designers (p102) – watch this space for news of the winners!

Also in this month’s issue, look out for preview information on some of the other major sourcing opportunities coming up over the next few weeks – Top Drawer, imm cologne, the AIS Furniture Show and Spring Fair among them – along with a plethora of articles o�ering insight on best practice and new products.

We look at how the process of developing a creative identity varies from company to company, in an in-depth case study from Build, an awardwinning design agency that has worked with the likes of Virgin, Nike and Made.com (p284). We also discover how Michelle Hoines-White has breathed new life into the Ashley Manor and Alexander & James brands (p122), and quiz Paul Rom on his life in the trade (p304).

Elsewhere, read how Clare Jackson, founder of The Wooden Furniture Store, is bringing a personal touch to ecommerce (p34), and learn why the work of The Furniture Makers’ Company is as relevant as ever (p39). On top of that, there’s more expert advice, event news and product information than ever.

As always, my thanks go out to our contributors, advertisers and readers. I wish you all the best for the year ahead, whatever direction you may choose to take.

Paul Farley Paul Farley, editor-in-chief T 01424 776101 E paul@gearingmediagroup.com Twitter @FurnitureNewsED

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4 | Contents

INFORMATION

7

Partner Comment

14

News

22

Interviews

48

Events

82

Resources

88

Year In Review

99

January Furniture Show Preview

Editor-in-chief Paul Farley 01424 776101 paul@gearingmediagroup.com Twitter @FurnitureNewsED Editor designate Victoria Noakes 01424 776105 victoria@gearingmediagroup.com Twitter @Victoria_FNmag Advertising manager Sam Horscroft 01424 776100 sam@gearingmediagroup.com Twitter @FurnitureNewsAD Production manager James Ash 01424 775304 james@gearingmediagroup.com Deputy production manager

Production assistant Stephanie Reading stephanie@gearingmediagroup.com Copy administrator Steve Merrick 01424 776108 production@gearingmediagroup.com

feelings on leaving the capital (22)

Cabinetmaker Gavin Coyle discusses his new brand by Build (284)

Katie Bate katie@gearingmediagroup.com

Designer Mark Gabbertas reveals his

107 January Furniture

Show H1 128 January Furniture

Show H2

Proofreader Keith Fitz-Hugh Editorial director John Legg 01424 776104 john@gearingmediagroup.com

136 January Furniture Show H3

Publisher Nigel Gearing Accounts Wendy Williams 01424 774982 wendy@gearingmediagroup.com

January Furniture Show returns to the NEC this month (99)

Subscriptions subscriptions@gearingmediagroup.com Annual Subscription Rates UK-£65 Europe-£85 RoW-£95 Repro, print and distribution Acorn Web Offset Ltd

Gearing Media Group Ltd 4 Red Barn Mews, High Street Battle, East Sussex TN33 0AG ISSN No: 1475 - 3731

© Gearing Media Group Ltd 2017 General information No part of this publication may be reproduced without the specific prior written agreement of the Publisher and may not be stored on any type of retrieval system. Furniture News/ Gearing Media Group Ltd accepts no responsibility for variations in colour reproduction. Special colours (Pantone etc) can be catered for with prior arrangement.

Some elements of the editorial content in this publication are submitted by the trade, however, all efforts are made to ensure that the editorial remains true to fact and unbiased.

Monies may have been accepted to offset the costs of colour reproduction. Gearing Media Group Ltd reserves the right to alter without prior notice any content other than customers’ advertisements. No correspondence will be entered into regarding altered or adjusted editorial content. The editor’s decision is final. All material submitted for inclusion in Furniture News is done so entirely at the owner’s risk and no responsibility is accepted for the safekeeping or return thereof.

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Contents | 5

ON THE COVER

The essential guide to the UK domestic furniture and furnishings trade #334 Jan 2017

|

www.furniturenews.net

Classic Furniture returns to the January Furniture Show, on stand 5-J50

BEST IN SHOW Your guide to the January Furniture Show

NEW DIRECTIONS Designer Mark Gabbertas heads for the hills

DISRUPTING SLEEP Casper’s bed-in-a-box hits the local market

CoverFinal.indd 1

20/12/2016 11:50

Cabinet supply giant Classic Furniture returns to the January Furniture Show with a swathe of new launches.

Read more on p202

CONTRIBUTORS The creative power behind DM Midlands’ upholstery brands revealed (122)

Casper’s Jeff Chapin brings the bed-in-a-box to the UK (28)

07

150 January Furniture

Show H4 188 January Furniture

Show H5 228 Out & About

Paul von der Heyde, Manufacturing Guild Mark chairman

82

230 Beds & Bedroom 250 Living Room 254 Dining Room 258 Furnisher

Dr Mark Wright, WWFUK Global Forest & Trade Network manager

84

266 Trade Services 284 Designer Belgian manufacturer Paul Rom on his life and loves (304)

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304 Last Word

Mike Murray, Land of Beds MD

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Partner Comment | 7

The mark of greatness

T

he Manufacturing Guild Mark has been the mark of excellence, distinguishing Britain’s top furnishing manufacturers, since 1993.

Awarded by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the mark is the highest accolade UK furnishing manufacturers can achieve. Unlike other guild marks, which reward a specific product or range, the Manufacturing Guild Mark is bestowed upon a company.

I’ve long said that to be a holder of the mark is to be an exemplar of the UK furnishing industry. But why should a UK furnishings manufacturer want to achieve the Manufacturing Guild Mark? What is there to gain?

Well, in addition to awardees reporting that they’ve benefited from press coverage, increased recognition and a boost to staff morale from the mark, the audit has been designed to be a more practical and pragmatic quality management assessment than ISO9001, providing holders with analysis of the internal goingson of their business.

The audit, which is independently carried out by an expert from the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA), ensures that a company demonstrates high standards across all aspects of the business, including manufacturing, design, product quality, marketing, finance, commitment to training, employment conditions and sustainability.

Following the review, a manufacturer receives an in-depth report that includes invaluable feedback as to what aspects of their business are operating efficiently and what areas they could improve upon. Holders are then re-audited every three years to ensure they retain their high standards.

Currently, 18 British manufacturers hold the mark, including manufacturing goliaths such as Bisley, Ercol and Hypnos Beds. However, operational success isn’t limited to large manufacturers of well-known goods alone. Archetypes come in all shapes and sizes and a

mark can be awarded to companies manufacturing for the mass market, high street or a niche sector, just as much as it might go to high-end producers.

The kudos value of the mark in overseas markets should not be taken lightly, either. The UK has a great tradition of fine furniture, bedding and furnishing design and manufacturing. While imitations are often manufactured overseas, there is an increasing demand for the real thing. Coupled with the current fiscal benefits to companies abroad due to the weak pound, UK goods are even more alluring than ever.

And holders have told us what a difference a ‘Great British’ award – with its associated prestige and heritage – has with overseas markets.

But what benefits are there for companies that trade with holders of the mark? Well, they can rest easy knowing that the manufacturer is compliant with all relevant standards, and that quality control procedures are in place – the review even checks a company’s financial stability. It is a complete MOT of that company.

We have done the due diligence so retailers, specifiers and distributors don’t have to.

There is also a story for sales staff to tell consumers – that they’re championing the UK manufacturing base and in doing so supporting our national economy. A powerful message – a quality stamped endorsement for the brand and product offer.

In summary, if you’re a UK furnishing manufacturer, you should be striving to attain the mark. And if you’re a retailer, distributor or specifier, you should be working with companies that hold it.

Paul von der Heyde is the chairman of the Manufacturing Guild Mark, which is awarded

by The Furniture Makers’ Company (www. furnituremakers.org.uk/excellence)

Media partners

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Official media partner

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NORTH

29th - 31st January 2017

Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh

THE FURNITURE AND INTERIORS EXHIBITION FOR NORTHERN UK All RoAds Point noRth! sitting next to edinbuRgh AiRPoRt And with gReAt RoAd links to the Rest of the uk.

noRthPoint is the destinAtion foR All RetAileRs

looking to do business in A RelAxed setting And with An oPPoRtunity to enjoy the City of edinbuRgh duRing theiR stAy.

CONFIRMED EXHIBITORS 14th DECEMBER - Breasley • Salus Beds • Royams • Sealy UK • Divano Sofas • Somnus • Call Srl • Highgrove • Moresleep • Kaydian Designs • Dura Beds • Satori Home • Global Furniture Alliance Ltd • Silentnight • Rest Assured • ProtectA-Bed • Health Beds • Bedtastic Upholstery • Sweet Dreams • Sherborne Upholstery • Valuemark Furniture • GCL Bedroom Furniture • Scanthor Upholstery • Relyon • Myers • Sofa Factory • Bluebone • Mini Divani • Owl Action Upholstery • MFS Ltd • LPD • RWS Furniture Distribution • The St. Andrews Bed Company • The St. Andrews Sofa Company • M A Living • The Furniture Company • Maysons Bedroom Furniture • Celebrity Motion Furniture • Sanctum • Dunlopillo • Divania International • Wiemann • Lebus Upholstery • Deepsleep Beds • Gilt Edge Beds • Posture Flex Mattresses • Heritage Furniture • Ancient Mariner Furniture • Deluxe Beds • Spring Craft • HoneyB • Highgate Beds • Kingstown Furniture • Slumberland • Kayflex • Classic Furniture • Shankar • Aristarchus • Furmanac • Furniture Repair Distribution

www.northpointshow.co.uk info@northpointshow.co.uk

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27th and 28th - February Chelsea FC, Stamford Bridge, LONDON

Over 30 exhibitors from Belgium, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK, showing a wide variety of fabrics for upholstery, beds and soft furnishings including, jacquards, wools, tweeds, silks, velvets, chenilles, cottons and linens, as well as backing fabrics and FR coatings.

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For information and to register your attendance to: www.londonfabricshow.uk contact Mike Dimond by email to: mikedimond@bfm.org.uk

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14 | News

DFS chairman to step down

Ikea UK reports fifth year of growth Ikea has announced total sales of £1.72b in the UK for the financial year ended 31st August 2016 – the fifth consecutive year of sales growth, and a YoY increase of 8.9%.

Market share grew by 0.5% to 8.2%. The company aims to double the size of its UK business by 2020.

Growth has been driven by a focus on improving the multichannel experience, enhancing existing stores, opening a new store in Reading, and trialling four new Order and Collection point formats. Another new store will open in Sheffield this year.

Online sales saw an uplift of 31%. “Our stores and website have a different, although

Richard Baker, the chairman of DFS since 1st July 2010, is to step down this spring.

The process to appoint a new chairman is being led by senior independent director Luke Mayhew.

Richard comments: “It will be two years from DFS’ IPO next spring and it will be a good time to pass on the baton of chairing this great British company. The transition to a public company has been successful – DFS has an experienced board and a strong management team. I will remain fully involved while my board colleagues look for a new chairman.”

integrated, role to play,” says Ikea UK country retail manager, Gillian Drakeford.

“Our customers are increasingly using both channels to complete their purchasing journey so we’ve focused on ensuring this experience is as seamless as possible.

“Our online business now makes up 13.4% of our overall sales.

“In addition to this, we still see an increase in people coming to our stores (+3%) in visitors over the past year.”

Investment in bedrooms, and the launch of UK-standard bed, mattress and linen sizes in 2015 saw mattress sales increase by 18.8%, the biggest growth product in FY16.

Dunelm buys Worldstores Dunelm has purchased etail giant Worldstores – including Achica and Kiddicare – for £8.5m.

The purchase of the WS Group – comprising Worldstores Ltd, Worldstores Kiddicare Ltd and Achica Ltd – was carried out through a whollyowned subsidiary, Globe Online. The WS Group currently generates annualised revenue of around £100m and employs around 650.

Worldstores was established in 2008

by Richard Tucker and Joe Murray, and is one of the UK’s largest online retailers of products for the home and garden. Achica is a members-only online store offering furniture, homewares and accessories, while Kiddicare is a multichannel retailer, selling nursery

Hillarys to open first showroom British manufacturer and retailer Hillarys has chosen Bristol to launch its first showroom. The window dressing and carpet company is to open the store on White Ladies Road this month.

Marketing director Susan White says: “Our business may have changed and grown significantly since it began as a cottage industry with its founder, Tony Hillary, fashioning made-to-measure blinds from the garage of his home, but the heart of our business is still about offering quality, value-for-money products and outstanding service in the comfort of a customer’s own home through our network of 1400 advisers.

“Research shows us that there is still a proportion of customers who want to see and touch the products before they buy, in a traditional retail environment.”

supplies and merchandise for children and young families.

John Browett, CEO of Dunelm, comments: “We are excited by this opportunity to accelerate the growth of our internet operation, more than doubling its size, and enhancing our position as the destination homewares retailer in the UK, both online and offline.

“Between the store network, broad product range and strong brand that Dunelm has built and Worldstores’ extensive homewares and furniture offer and unique platform for nextday delivery and flash sales, we will strengthen our leading position as the UK’s Home of Homes.”

Worldstores’ founders comment: “We’re delighted to be working with Dunelm, in whom we have found a partner who shares our vision for our company and brands, and is backing our ambitious plans for growth.” The WS Group management, including the founders, will continue to run the business.

Dunelm is looking to improve performance by sharing product ranges, harmonising terms and extending the multichannel proposition, the benefits of which it expects to be in the region of £10m per annum over the short to medium term. The company plans to inject up to £15m into WS Group to fund historic working capital and to manage disruption.

AHF makes gains despite losses Turnover at employee-owned furniture and floorcovering co-operative AHF grew by 22% to £23.7m in the year to 31st March 2016 thanks to a combination of LfL sales growth and new store openings, the retailer reports.

EBITDA remained broadly unchanged at £0.4m (from £0.44m in 2015), while yearend cash holdings were £2.3m (up from £1.8m in 2015) – £0.4m of the operating cashflow was used to fund the opening of new stores in Hayes and Thurrock.

An overall loss of £292,540 (up from £56,535 in 2015) is attributed by MD Matt Heskith to costs incurred through depreciation and refurbishments, while strong comparatives were set by concluding store contracts from Central England CoOperative in the previous year.

At year end, the business operated from 13 out-of-town stores and five concessions.

Post year-end, the business has opened a further out-of-town store in Thurrock.

Whilst turnover growth has been improved by the new stores to the tune of £3m, the key driver of profitability has been the LfL growth of 7%.

“We are continuing to invest in our back office and store infrastructure to provide sound foundations for our future,” explains Matt. “We’ve opened 13 new stores in the last five years, and the newest openings, coupled with investment and associated depreciation, hampers profitability in the short-term, but sets the business up well for the future.”

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News | 15

FIRA employs new team members Alex Huckle, Karen Weeks and Darren Hone

FIRA International has welcomed new employees across its testing, ergonomics and communications departments.

The testing department recently welcomed two new starters. Firstly, Darren Hone joined as quality manager. Darren has spent most of his career within a testing environment, and joined FIRA from ALcontrol Laboratories, where he was site manager for one of its UKAS-accredited ISO 17025 testing sites.

The second addition to FIRA International’s testing team is Laura Winch, who has joined as sales coordinator. She will be FIRA’s first point of call for incoming testing enquiries, advising callers on options available to meet their specific needs, and which tests will meet particular British or European standards.

Moving to FIRA International’s ergonomics team, Alex Huckle has joined as an ergonomist. Alex recently qualified as a design ergonomist with a first class degree in Design Ergonomics from Loughborough University. His research background spans design and ergonomics/ human factors and includes digital human modelling, cognitive ergonomics, inclusive design and the application of anthropometrics in both vehicle and multiuser system design.

Alex will be heavily involved in FIRA’s Ergonomics Excellence Award, which recognises companies that design and manufacture ergonomically outstanding products, especially those that meet and generally exceed the requirements of British and European standards.

Finally, Karen Weeks has joined as marketing communications and PR executive. With six years’ experience within a membership organisation, Karen will be working to ensure FIRA members are aware of the latest knowledge and research available from the association, and how they can input their views on industry standards and other regulations through FIRA’s work with Government and other bodies.

Sleep deficit costing up to £40b a year A lack of sleep among the UK working population is costing the economy up to £40b a year – equating to 1.86% of the country’s GDP – according to researcher Rand Europe, which states that sleep deprivation leads to a higher mortality risk and lower productivity levels among the workforce, which, when combined, has a significant impact on a nation’s economy.

A person who sleeps less than six hours a night on average has a 13% higher mortality risk than someone sleeping between seven and nine hours, researchers found, while those sleeping between six and seven hours a day have a 7% higher mortality risk. Sleeping between seven and nine hours per night is described as the “healthy daily sleep range”.

In total, the UK loses just over 200,000 working days each year due to sleep deprivation among its working population.

Productivity losses at work occur through a combination of absenteeism, and cases in which employees are at work but working at a sub-optimal level.

Marco Hafner, a research leader at Rand Europe and the report’s main author, says:

“Improving individual sleep habits and duration has huge implications, with our research showing that simple changes can make a big difference. For example, if those who sleep under six hours a night increase their sleep to between six and seven hours a night, this could add £24b to the UK economy.”

To improve sleep outcomes, the report outlines a number of recommendations for individuals, employers and public authorities.

Individuals should set consistent wake-up times, limit the use of electronic items before bedtime, and exercise during the day.

Employers are urged to recognise the importance of sleep and the employer’s role in its promotion, design and build brighter workspaces with facilities for daytime naps, combat workplace psycho-social risks, and discourage the extended use of electronic devices after working hours. Meanwhile, public authorities are advised to support health professionals in providing sleeprelated help, encourage employers to pay attention to sleep issues, and introduce later school starting times.

BFC presents new manifesto The British Furniture Confederation (BFC), the UK’s furniture industry representative body which seeks to ensure all Government policies and initiatives support a thriving sector, has published its 2017 manifesto, calling for strong action from Government.

The manifesto has been sent to ministers across the Government and features clear, implementable calls for action to bolster the industry.

“The BFC’s mission is to sustain a strong and influential dialogue with Government, ensuring that its policies support a thriving UK furniture industry,” says BFC chairman Jonathan Hindle. The manifesto was developed in response to an industrywide survey conducted shortly after the EU referendum. Completed by almost 150 companies, it identified a number of key challenges and opportunities for the industry.

The challenges identified include slowdown in business, material increase in costs, and recruiting well-trained staff.

Opportunities included improved advice about specific export markets and their legal requirements, ensuring competitive trade agreements are in place, and more financial encouragement for export, such as tax breaks.

The manifesto outlines the BFC’s specific action plan across four key areas – skills and training, exporting, the flammability regulations, and sustainability.

Jonathan adds: “We must keep on reminding the Government of the importance of British furniture manufacturing to the economy - an industry of around 8000 businesses employing upwards of 106,000 people across the UK and producing more than £10b-worth of product.”

Christmas ball raises £400 The Furniture Makers’ Christmas Ball at Mitton Hall raised in excess of £4000 for the industry’s dedicated charity. More than 100 people from across the industry attended the event at the 15th century Manor House near Clitheroe in Lancashire.

Ball organiser and chair of the The

Furniture Makers’ North West fundraising group, Jan Turner, says: “It was a terrific night with a champagne theme, great food, and a live band in a glorious and very Christmassy setting.” The northern fundraising group’s next major event is Northern Bigshots on 20th April.

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16 | News

French fifth For its fifth edition, Paris’ Espritmeuble attracted more than 10,000 visitors, with an 18% increase in the number of visitors recorded on the Monday evening of the show.

The show’s organiser says the visitor rate was made clear on the first day of the fair, with a 26% rise in visitors compared to 2015.

The stated aim of this edition was to support distributors in developing their sales

and customer relations. Of note was the daily Flash Services conferences dedicated to distributors, as well as consumer groups, led

by Laetitia Faure from the trend agency Urban Sublime, which awarded the Grand Prix de l’Innovation for this edition.

The Espritmeuble exhibition will return to Paris Porte de Versailles from 3rd-5th December.

Scottish show promises fine hospitality The 39th annual Northpoint show, organised by the Scottish Furniture Representatives Association, will take place at Edinburgh’s Highland Hall from 29th- 31st January.

Last year, the event reported the attendance of 227 buyers.

In recent years many of the SFRA membership have taken on larger sales territories incorporating parts of England and Ireland, so the show now welcomes many retailers from these areas.

Donna Speirs, buying and marketing director of retailer Archers Sleepcentre, says: “Starting off with one branch in 2001 and

now with 11 branches and a growing online business, the Northpoint show is an integral part of our plans for every new year. It is also an opportunity for our branch managers to view new products being launched by our suppliers.”

The annual SFRA Presidents Dinner will take place on the Monday night at the Edinburgh Marriott, and will provide a unique evening of entertainment provided by the Faulty Towers Dining Experience, who have performed in London’s West End, the Edinburgh Fringe and as far afield as The Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Sign up to receive the Furniture News e-newsletter at www.furniturenews.net to keep abreast of the latest news, analysis and events

THE HARD SELL British consumers do not favour interactions with employees attempting to actively sell them items whilst they are shopping, with over two thirds of consumers admitting they are put off by retail attendants making sales pitches, according to a study conducted by PoS manufacturer Display Mode (www.displaymode.co.uk). A total of 2008 UK-based consumers, aged 18 and over, were quizzed for the poll. All recipients had been actively sold to by a sales assistant in-store.

Assistants polled separately revealed that just one in every 50 active selling interactions actually ended in a purchase.

Leon Edwards, MD at Display Mode, says: “With the pressure facing retailers right now, this research shows that there is a significant opportunity to drive customer engagement with the right type of intervention in store. If they work harder to make the staff member’s interaction more helpful and human, I’m sure they’d see better results.”

Infographic created by wholesaler Manchester Furniture Supplies (www.manchesterfurnituresupplies.co.uk)

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MlilyV

The

legend

of

Comfort

mlily.uk

Don’t miss out!

Visit our stand in hall 5, 5F60 at the January Furniture Show (NEC) from 22-25 January 2017

Meet a Manchester United legend on the stand and another Manchester United suprise awaits you!

sales@mlily.uk FN 334_Section1A.indd 17 MlilyV2.indd

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18 | News

Heritage appoints sales representative

Reza Hussain has joined fast-growing cabinet furniture supplier Heritage Furniture as a sales representative covering the Midlands, south and mid-Wales, and the South-east.

With over 15 years’ industry experience, and having formerly represented a major cabinet wholesaler, Reza is set to bring notable skills and connections to the role. “I’m looking forward to making contact with Heritage’s growing stockist base,” says Reza, who will be present on Heritage’s stand – 4-D70 – at the January Furniture Show, where the company plans to introduce four new ranges.

Adds MD Saeed Mohmed: “We’re hoping to achieve strong growth, maintain and develop new relationships with retailers in the territory, and build an even larger stockist base for our high-quality products.”

Flair recognised at Family Business Awards Flair Rugs was recognised at the 2016 Midlands Family Business Awards, an event bringing together a host of like-minded businesses and business leaders to celebrate their collective successes in the year just gone.

Flair was listed as Highly Commended in the Family Business of the Year category, a shortlist holding a number of names prevalent on the region’s business scene.

The result has consolidated Flair’s position as one such name, and the awards, held in the University of Birmingham’s Great Hall, further enhance the company’s growing reputation and profile within the UK rug sector.

Despite continued growth in size, sales and colleague numbers, the company states that it has always stayed true to its values as a

business that was created some 32 years ago.

Gareth Davies, sales and marketing director, comments: “The whole Flair family deserves credit for an excellent year culminating in this award, and we now look forward to an exciting 2017.”

Magniflex to open UK office Italian mattress brand Magniflex is reentering the UK market with the opening of its first UK-based office in Chiswick, West London, this month.

Keen to replicate its recent successes in the US, Magniflex has been given the seal of approval by FIRA, which has certified that all the company’s products meet the top UK industry standards.Magniflex mattresses are sold in 99 countries, but start their life in the company’s Tuscan facility outside Florence.

Marco Magni, global sales director, comments: “Globally, consumers know and

trust the brand Magniflex, which stands for craftsmanship, quality and innovative technology. Expanding our business is always an exciting time for Magniflex. In a time where a lot of businesses fear expansion into Great Britain due to Brexit, we are delighted to be making our mark.

“We are now re-entering the UK market directly and are looking forward to establishing meaningful relationships within the industry. That means our doors are open to any key dealers, stores and buyers looking to get in touch.”

Sealy teams up with gold medallist Kindred Living head honoured Blood Sweat & Gears, a team of endurance cyclists spearheaded by Mark Stephenson, Kindred Living and The Danesmoor Group’s chief executive, has been recognised with a Hero Award, thanks to its record-breaking success.

The team undertook a 500km cycling challenge across South Africa which it was hoped, through sponsorship, would raise £250,000 for Help for Heroes, of which Mark is a long-term supporter. However, thanks to donations, the tally grew to an impressive £314,000, making it the highest amount in 2016 of any singular, thirdparty fundraising challenge donated to Help For Heroes.

Sealy UK has teamed up with Olympic champion, Linford Christie OBE, to help aid his coaching programme of the GB athletics team through high-quality sleep.

Supporting the manufacturer’s World of Sport campaign, Linford is an ideal ambassador, having experienced the importance of a good night’s rest during his

successful sprinting career. Sealy has also partnered with one of Linford’s proteges, Margaret Adeoye, a budding sprinter in the GB team.

She comments: “Linford is always very keen for us to rest well before training and you’d be amazed at the difference having a good night’s sleep has on your performance.”

Shire strengthens sales team The Shire Bed Company has welcomed new sales agent, Stuart McDonnell, covering the south-east of England and Home Counties as business continues to grow.

Shire reports that Stuart is well established within the industry, having worked within

the sector for a number of years.

Speaking on his new role, Stuart comments: “I am looking forward to working with a company passionate about product quality and offering my customers a fantastic range of UK-manufactured beds.”

Sign up to receive the Furniture News e-newsletter at www.furniturenews.net to keep abreast of the latest news, analysis and events

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22 | Interview

The pursuit of integrity Since its inception in 2002, the Gabbertas Studio has established itself as one of Britain’s leading furniture design operations. Today, founder Mark Gabbertas is contemplating a new chapter in his crusade to create character through simplicity – Furniture News joined him outside his studio in south-west London to find out more …

Words: Paul Farley

C

hange is in the air. The day is bright but crisp, summer giving way to autumn, as I corner the last two seats outside a small coffee shop at the entrance to Fulham’s Coda Studios complex.

I’m here to interview renowned British furniture designer, Mark Gabbertas.

The multiple award-winner founded his own studio in 2002, and has gone on to work for various international brands including Allermuir, Boss, Gloster and Oasiq. His stated intent is “to create

character through simplicity”, and I hope to soon grasp exactly what that means.

I reflect that it’s a good thing I can write in shorthand, as a dictaphone wouldn’t stand up to this level of background noise. As nice as this area is, the capital is as busy as ever, a power saw purring inside a scaffold-fronted building across the road, delivery vans going about their business, planes intermittently passing overhead.

Hot drinks in hand, Mark joins me.

He’s polite and composed despite the

William, Gloster (2016)

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21/12/2016 15:02

Interview | 23

“The last thing the world needs is another chair. All too often, people try to make ‘new’ for the sake of new, without asking whether it actually performs well”

distractions – but the bustle takes on a certain pathos when Mark opens the conversation by announcing his plan to leave “the maelstrom that is London”.

After spending 25 years here, it’s a significant change of direction. In February, together with the bulk of his design team, Mark will return to his Gloucestershire roots and set up shop in a purpose-built contemporaryindustrial studio in Kingham, deep in the Cotswolds.

With rates rising, Brexit imminent, and a runway expansion for Heathrow freshly confirmed, the time to seek the greenery and solitude of pastures new has never seemed riper.

FN 334_Section B.indd 23

“There comes a point where we have to stop working for Government and start working for ourselves,” says Mark, as the costs of operating from London continue to soar. “We don’t need to be in London.

It’s not like we’re just starting out in the industry – our clients are scattered all over the world.”

While the move represents a downsizing of sorts, the new showroom – which has been five years in the making, and remains, to Mark’s consternation, “not quite finished” – promises fresh focus.

“There must be 15-20 projects going through the studio at any one time right now,” he says. “The move will let me be

a little more selective about the work we do.”

A man renowned for his experimental approach to new materials and technologies, Mark boasts a portfolio that is punctuated by stand-out creations for both the domestic and contract markets.

“The distinction between these sectors is slightly false,” states Mark. “It’s an aesthetic industry construction rather than a consumer one – there’s an elasticity to the division. Today, plenty of consumers want their homes to look like hotels or restaurants, and vice versa.

Office managers are asking themselves how they can make a workspace not look like a workspace. A lot of the designs >>>

21/12/2016 15:02

24 | Interview

“As a designer, you don’t have much choice about what you do – you design from the heart, and then your head starts to refine what your heart tells you”

that we create are equally at home in either environment.

“The way designers think has changed.

Advances in manufacturing technologies and a greater understanding of how people use space means you don’t have to have such a rigid, functional divide between the two historically-opposing typologies.”

Mark describes how this grey area is further reinforced by the manner in which products are sold, citing the success of Vitra’s products through John Lewis.

If not market, it is form, then, that unifies Mark’s portfolio. Born in Yorkshire in 1962, Mark studied political

CoCo, Oasiq (2014)

Haven, Allermuir (2011), a modular seating system that encourages flexible working practices

FN 334_Section B.indd 24

21/12/2016 15:02

Interview | 25

“Design is in a strange place at the moment There seems to be an interminable requirement for ‘new’. I wonder who is pushing that process?”

philosophy before working in advertising.

He began training as a cabinetmaker in 1990, before taking the designer-maker path. Chairs dominated his early work – a notable example being the 3° chair, designed for the Atelier restaurant in Soho (subsequently licensed to Allermuir) – and would come to define Mark’s field.

“It’s just the way it happens,” he says.

By definition, chairs are simple objects, but understanding why one ‘works’ while another does not is far from straightforward. Comfort, material, colour and shape all exert an influence, but, for Mark, most crucial is understanding the context of how a chair is used, and the emotions it engenders.

He illustrates this philosophy with a quote from Virginia Woolf on critical theory: “The ‘book itself’ is not form which you see, but emotion which you feel.”

“We don’t start with rules,” he explains, lighting up a cigarette. “In general terms, as a designer, you don’t have much choice about what you do – initially, you design from the heart, and

GABBERTAS STUDIO: A STATEMENT OF INTENT “It is our objective to create character through simplicity.

“The inherent tension in this philosophy is intentional … it is all too easy to shock, but much more difficult to please, especially through the pursuit of a solution that is both elegant and possessing of a lasting aesthetic. These are not fashionable concepts, but that is the point.

“We care passionately about how our designs make people feel and believe in the ability, and indeed the requirement, of objects to help users do something better, more pleasantly and more intuitively.

“To this end, designs are rigorously worked and reworked to possess a particular logic of appearance, construction, performance and visual narrative.

“At the same time, we believe that the design of an object should necessarily be influenced by the commercial realities that surround it – if a greatlooking design does not sell, perhaps it is not such a great design.”

FN 334_Section B.indd 25

then your head starts to refine what your heart tells you. With experience, your approach becomes clearer.”

A decade ago, Mark created the Haven upholstery system for Allermuir, a modular family which aims to deliver a working space that can be both collaborative and private, a series of pods and seats that can be arranged for communication or contemplation.

“Haven illustrates the connection between the furniture we are designing and its potential to make people think and feel in a particular way,” he says.

Can seating truly influence the way we behave? Mark draws my attention to where we are sitting right now, outside this coffee shop. The chairs are plastic and metal constructions, easily cleaned, stackable, light, and, I’m guessing, affordable. They are plainly not intended to deliver lasting comfort – perhaps that’s a boon to a busy coffee shop owner that prefers frequent customer turnover.

Mark points out how we’ve arranged ourselves around the small table. It would be traditional to sit opposite one another – or, in certain bench seating arrangements, side by side. Due to space constraints, we’re actually adjacent – a halfway house between these two norms. It’s not the most comfortable of arrangements – our feet knock against each other and our backs are to the road – but it’s less formal than it could be.

“Our seating arrangement has a fundamental influence upon the way we’re interacting now,” says Mark, who typically prefers to sit alongside his company. “For me, sitting opposite someone is always vaguely confrontational – often, you end up sitting closer to the stranger beside you than the person you’re dining with. Is it not more interesting to look at someone obliquely rather than directly? To feel that you are side by side?”

He references the furniture of the 19th century Biedermeier style, in which objects often took on new roles in the home – Mark owns a two-seater Biedermeier sofa ideal for dining in his preferred manner.

“Design is in a strange place at the moment,” he complains. “There seems to be an interminable requirement for ‘new’. I wonder who is pushing that process?

“When I started out in the 90s, I was lucky – there was an extraordinary thirst for a contemporary aesthetic. People >>>

21/12/2016 15:02

26 | Interview were still buying dodgy reproduction design tables because, unlike in countries such as Italy and France, there was no aesthetic hinterland to inform their tastes. On the high street, you only really had Habitat pushing trends.

“Then, you suddenly had an explosion of designer-makers, and people had an alternative to secondhand reproductions.

As a designer, you began to hear feedback. You enjoyed direct appreciation for your work.

“Underpinning the design process was the importance of understanding people – who, what, and where were the users? Surrounding this was the unsaid – do these people get on or not? Are they living a perfect life?

“Suddenly, design was hitting on the sensibilities beneath it all, and striving to appreciate the importance of everything apart from the function of a piece of furniture. That understanding is probably what got me to where I am now.”

Today’s young designers may not be so lucky, Mark admits. Treading the line between creativity and commercial value is difficult at the best of times, but the industry has changed a great deal since the 90s, and Mark has grown weary of its more cynical aspects.

“The last thing the world needs is another chair,” he states. “All too often, people try to make ‘new’ for the sake of new, without asking whether it actually performs well. It’s easy to shock, but much more difficult to please.”

In Mark’s opinion, a good design should speak for itself. He’s tired of the marketing noise that surrounds many of today’s products, and argues that purity of concept is often lost beneath layers of narrative and branding.

“I love the idea of rediscovering the innocence of the unbranded, the unmarketed, the non pre-conceived – the intrinsic value of an item,” he says. “Marketing needs to recognise the central character of an object, rather than treating it as though it’s a blank piece of paper that needs wrapping up in commercial viability.”

It may sound a strange guilty pleasure, but Mark confesses that he’s “never happier” than when perusing products in foreign supermarkets – referencing Mr. Bricolage, a French ironmongery and DIY store, in particular. An inability to read the labels or context of foreign objects imparts a measure of naivety that Mark truly enjoys.

FN 334_Section B.indd 26

Nomad, Gloster (2012)

“I’m acutely aware that good products don’t sell themselves,” he admits, “but the process needs to be based on a design that genuinely tries to do something better than what came before it.”

Such an approach has very real design implications. “Let’s be realistic, a chair won’t change the world – but we are at least trying to do work that can make a little bit of difference,” he says.

Despite his reputation for embracing new materials and manufacturing technologies, in an age of rapid prototyping and fast-moving fashions the designer’s approach remains defiantly deliberate and considered.

“Prototypes need to be seen and felt, in person,” he says, “even if it means a lot of travel.”

A former mentor at Bucks New University, Mark was sad to hear that the institution’s practical furnituremaking course will no longer run. The potential loss of the focused, hands-on elements of the syllabus – so central to the

designer-maker approach of Mark’s youth – reflects a more general movement away from the workshop and into the studio.

“I really support the idea of giving people total creative freedom,” says Mark, “but it needs solid grounding – in manufacturing techniques, materials and commercial realities. At some stage in their career every designer will have to find a way around prices, and understanding a company’s manufacturing capabilities is the best way of avoiding unexpected design constraints.”

But surely some manufacturing developments make the future an exciting prospect?

Mark is characteristically slow to answer. “For me, it’s more about the refinement of everything that’s been there before rather than one particular innovation,” he says. “It’s not injection moulding, foam moulding, casting or extrusion, but the 10% that’s been

21/12/2016 15:03

Interview | 27

Mark considers ergonomics and movement – how will the user feel?

“Marketing needs to recognise the central character of an object, rather than treating it as though it’s a blank piece of paper that needs wrapping up in commercial viability”

FN 334_Section B.indd 27

added to those processes – the ability to push the boundaries further. “It’s finer techniques for woodworking, more accurate machining of steel components, combinations of metals in castings, or the development of materials for outdoor use, such as upholstery fabrics made from plaster derivatives.”

Following up his last example, Mark points at the building works in progress across the road, and hints at some of the outdoor furniture work he’s carried out for Gloster: “Textilene is essentially PVC – we’ve made guttering out of it for years.”

So where do these developments leave the Gabbertas Studio? As Mark explained earlier, his escape to the country reflects a desire to focus his attentions. imm cologne and Maison&Objet 2017 will see the designer launch new products through Gloster, before further creations are unveiled during Clerkenwell Design Week and the London Design Festival, but there’s a sense of brakes being applied, and the start of a new quest for design purity.

“We’re working on some products right now that are based on a totally different business model – perhaps involving a few self-manufactured models,” admits Mark. “It’s going to be nice to design products with even greater integrity.”

The prospect of Brexit promises to lend weight to locally-manufactured goods, and it’s an area Mark is keen to further explore. “Manufacturing has been a dirty word in the UK for too long,” he says. “It wasn’t so long ago that the UK seemed destined to become a service economy – but there are limits to pushing bits of paper around!

“Although in specific terms I can’t

see Brexit having much impact on my business, it will add resonance to the idea of British manufacturing, and increase the attraction of processing and sourcing materials in the UK. “I’d like to think we will start to value ‘Britishness’ more, from a design perspective. A truly authentic British brand – sourced from and made in Britain, cradle to grave – will be much more pertinent,” he says, before wryly adding: “People are just going to have to get used to spending more money on quality products!”

Mark has noticed that different parts of the market are reacting to the prospect of Brexit in very different ways.

“A lot of products at the top end of the market are being sold as fashion – it’s extraordinary,” he says. “And who is to say which trends will stand the test of time? Will the current predilection for vintage styles prove to be a real appreciation of what has gone before, or turn out to be just another ironic take on fashion?”

Ominous clouds begin to gather as we conclude our conversation. I thank the designer for his time, and wish him luck for the future. For a moment, Mark is visibly struck by the significance of his impending move, and, for once, is lost for words. “I normally plan my life quite well,” he says, “but this feels … quite …”

Although this new start has been approaching for five years, it’s hard to see how Mark could have taken any other path right now. If he’s searching for context, integrity and emotion, I sincerely believe the Cotswolds will be good for the designer’s soul – and isn’t that what all of us should strive for?

W gabbertas.com

21/12/2016 15:03

28 | Interview

Out of the box Few industry trends mirror our developing society more closely than the bed-in-a-box. The pinnacle of mattress convenience shopping, it’s taken some time to arrive, but the traditional model now faces a fresh challenge, and Casper is one of its biggest antagonists. According to its co-founder and CPO Jeff Chapin, while Casper may not have invented the concept, it has pioneered a unique route to market – and, whatever retailers may think, it’s here for good …

Words: Paul Farley

I

meet Jeff, an amiable mix of designer and technologist, at Casper House, the brand’s pop-up in Covent Garden.

The none-more-intimate setting is a back room that’s somewhere between massage parlour and safari tent – replete with mood lighting and ambiant birdsong – and has been installed to offer an oasis amid London’s pre-Christmas clamour.

Here, visitors are encouraged to take a nap on the US brand’s ‘perfect’ mattress.

According to Casper’s blurb, the mattress

combines memory, comfort, and support foams to offer a sleep surface that caters to the vast majority of sleeping positions and body types.

It’s a one-spec-fits-all solution that’s delivered boxed within two days of ordering – and just one of the many bedin-a-box suppliers suddenly disrupting the mattress retail model.

Aside from the home-grown Simba, the majority of these players – Eve, Leesa, Tuft & Needle, etc – are US

Although the technology has been around for some time, it took Casper a while to settle on a box size it was happy with. “We wanted ours to be able to fit in a car,” says Jeff. “It took a bit of effort to get there”

FN 334_Section B.indd 28

21/12/2016 18:56

Interview | 29

“This couldn’t have happened 10-15 years ago, but given the ubiquity of ecommerce today, and growing trust due to repeated positive experiences with online retailers, I think almost any consumer product can move onto the internet”

entities. Perhaps that’s a reflection of a nation quicker to embrace ecommerce, or at least to overlook its nuances. Either way, it’s over here now.

“The idea’s been around for 15-20 years,” says Jeff, who points to the existence of BedInABox.com, among others. “We don’t claim to be the first to do it, but I think we were the first to put the effort into building a phenomenal customer relationship and a brand around sleep – including the 100-day trial. Visit almost any developed country,

FN 334_Section B.indd 29

and you’ll see a Casper copycat – a welldesigned, direct-to-consumer bed-in-abox brand.”

With significant investor backing – one funding round attracted celebrity investors including actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, and Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine – Casper launched in 2014, and arrived in the UK last summer. The rapid international success of the business model suggests that consumers are more willing than ever to make big-ticket purchases online.

“I think the trend is a natural evolution, given where technology and the economy have taken us,” says Jeff.

“This couldn’t have happened 10-15 years ago, but given the ubiquity of ecommerce today, and growing trust due to repeated positive experiences with online retailers, I think almost any consumer product can move onto the internet.”

Consumers’ faith in online payment, delivery and communication systems has been immeasurably bolstered by the >>>

21/12/2016 15:03

30 | Interview

“We heavily rely on people telling each other about their mattress, and the more social shares, the bigger our network. People trust friends and family above all else”

community building taking place in the background, says Jeff. “If you go back 10 years, most websites were purely transactional. Marketing was all push – through television adverts and billboards.

There was no dialogue. Now you can build a relationship with your customers through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube.”

While prolific above-the-line advertising is a defining characteristic of this new breed of mattress suppliers, Jeff insists that Casper’s marketing outlay is not as high as one might think. “Our CEO had been selling mattresses online for a decade before he started Casper, so he knew the economics of the industry very well.

“However, his cost to acquire a customer was north of $350, and while

Covent Garden pop-up, Casper House

Rather than breaking down the materials and technology employed, Casper prefers to focus on the lifestyle benefits of its mattress

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21/12/2016 15:04

Interview | 31 he built a relatively successful business by just buying Google AdWords, it wasn’t a scalable business.”

Casper’s strength, then, is in its community. Organic searches, social media referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations prove far more costeffective and compelling than their display advertisement counterparts, says Jeff.

“All those social media platforms have figured out revenue models, and their feeds have filled up with advertisements.

We heavily rely on people telling each other about their mattresses, and the more social shares, the bigger our network. People trust friends and family above all else.

“Since launch, we’ve been amazed how much two-way dialogue we actually have with our customers. What’s most interesting is when people post about Casper, but it’s not strictly about product – when they post about sleep, or the part it plays in their life, and we’re part of that conversation. It’s a more interesting place to be.”

The online floodgates may have opened, but it’s taken some time for mattresses to gain traction. “People are of the perception that they need to trial a mattress before they buy it, and that’s a notion heavily marketed by the brickand-mortar retailers,” says Jeff. “We address this demand by trial.”

Casper has led the market in this regard, and offers a 100-day trial period – a far better guarantee of making the right choice, argues Jeff, than trying out any number of mattresses in a typical store.

“The alternative is going into a bed retailer who might have 30 beds. You’d probably spend five minutes on each, and perhaps try four or five before you get tired and go home with one to trial. Instead of spending £1500 you’re spending £500 because we don’t have to cover the overheads of 50 stores – the amount of margin the brick-and-mortar stores pile on top of the wholesale price they pay is crazy.

“I don’t think the benefit of choice is as good as people think it is – the real test has to happen at home, but you don’t get to take all five home and try them. A trial also gives people confidence that we are a real company – people need to trust that a start-up is going to be around a while.”

Providing peace of mind is a risky

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business, and the expenses are significant. Casper’s pre-launch model assumed a maximum returns rate of 8%. “The numbers are actually better than that,” says Jeff. “If they weren’t, we would probably be out of business by now.”

The figure reflects Casper’s confidence that its mattress model is suitable for nine out of every 10 people, based on user testing. It’s a bold claim, and a rejection of the popular notion that sleep is a matter of individual preference.

“I think it’s difficult conceptually,” admits Jeff, “but from a physiological standpoint I firmly believe that 95% of the population will be comfortable on the thing we’ve designed.

“When we were doing our initial pitches to raise investor capital, everybody referred to us as ‘mattresses for millennials’. We just got data back on our market – 25% of our customers are over 50 years old. I think the benefits we’re offering are pretty universal.”

The mattress comprises a “springy, breathable” layer atop “pressurerelieving” memory foam, offering a finely-tuned balance of support and sink.

“We combine visco foams with bouncier foams to get the benefits of the main types of beds on the market, but eliminate some of the drawbacks of those materials,” says Jeff. “There’s no question a spring bed will have a little more bounce and resonance to it, but the difference people draw between spring and foam is funny to me – at any reasonable quality level, on every spring mattress, you’re still sleeping on foam.”

Casper launched the model in April 2014, and since then has tweaked it a number of times in line with customer feedback. As order numbers have grown, the company has also been able to make material improvements, Jeff explains: “Now that we’re buying up to 700 mattresses a day from our suppliers, we can be much more demanding. It’s a huge volume of a single product.

“We have our own polymer chemist who develops new polyols, and we have our suppliers incorporate them.

It’s generally very difficult to get foam producers to change their processes, but if you can guarantee them 500 units a day, it’s a different story.”

He says that the changes have had a huge impact on durability. “Mattress durability across the industry is reasonable, but ours is off the charts >>>

21/12/2016 15:05

32 | Interview

“It’s very hard to research the model that’s sitting in the store because the mattress industry is always mixing models, deliberately hobbling their ability to research.

It’s certainly not consumer friendly”

right now. The testing agency we used in Germany asked for a second sample because they’d never scored any bed so highly.

“There are massive differences in mattress quality in this industry. You can put the same label on two different things, but it comes back to the raw materials. The proxy most people use is the density of the foam – but I’ve seen high-density foams that are crap and others that are phenomenal, and the same at the lower end of the scale. Some people out there load them with mineral fillers to raise densities just so they can charge a higher price point.”

Whatever the content, Casper prefers to focus on the lifestyle benefits on offer. “There’s no final arbiter of truth out there,” says Jeff. “All we can rely on is that we make the best thing for our customers, rely on positive feedback and reviews, and provide customers with a great experience.

“Most people don’t care about the technology – they care if it’s comfortable, if their body is supported, if they get pressure points, or are too hot – basic human things. I don’t think they care how they get there.”

In some ways, the approach of Casper and its fellow disruptors is refreshingly direct. While the wider bed industry has seized on the potential to talk up the health and wellbeing benefits of beds to varying degrees, the new breed has been quick to begin direct dialogue with its customers, brushing aside the transactional nature of any exchange in favour of a soft sell.

The proof of the pudding is in repeat orders – an area in which Casper is prospering, says Jeff, who believes that whether an existing customer is looking for Casper sheets, pillows, a

Although Casper House comprises several nap rooms, there’s no hard sell taking place

FN 334_Section B.indd 32

Casper has expanded its product range to encompass pillows, sheets and dog beds

second mattress – even a dog bed – it’s clear there’s a good deal of faith in the company’s well-cultivated online community.

Trust is further bolstered through a degree of physicality. The team at Casper House reports that the pop-up has garnered much attention from tourists and local employees since it opened in August, while Casper’s Nap Room at WeWork, a co-working office space near Paddington, delivers a more formal opportunity to recharge.

It’s telling that there are no prices on display. “We don’t look at the physical space as transactional,” says Jeff. “It’s about building a dialogue around sleep.”

He describes a location in LA that’s similar to Casper House, which hosts weekly yoga sessions, wine nights and film screenings.

“It’s crazy – in LA on a day where we have an event we’ll get around 900 people through the door. We may only sell nine or 10 beds – from a conversion rate standpoint, it looks like a failure – but we get so many people engaging with us as a company, in an activity that could eventually help them get better sleep, and many of them will share something

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Interview | 33

of their experience online. There’s no hard sell, no commission – there’s nothing to upsell to!”

Our time together is drawing to a close. Jeff is currently following Casper’s expansion trail, as the brand branches out further across Western Europe. The expansion may appear rapid – Casper has gone from a standing start in 2014 to cover the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland – but it’s been deliberate, with each territory’s mattress developed to suit the local market.

Having arrived a few days ago from Lisbon, Jeff is concluding his business in London by joining a panel at Wired magazine’s retail conference this evening. From there, he’s off to Berlin before returning home to San Francisco at the end of the week.

As we part ways, there’s just enough time to ask Jeff about the longevity of entities such as Casper. Given its social context, is there a chance the bed-in-abox trend could dissipate as quickly as it arrived, and what, if anything, could disrupt the disruptors?

“Will there be a time in which 100% of mattresses are sold online? Probably not, but nowhere in the future do we see

FN 334_Section B.indd 33

a saturation point for Casper. So much has changed already. Go back in time and look at how people said they’d never buy shoes, or books, online – we’ve heard similar refrains for so many things.

“The internet’s pretty amazing. If I walk into a retail store, what’s my experience? I can look at the marketing material, talk to the sales representative and try a couple of products. On the other hand, if I go online I can read everything everybody says about a product, in much more detail.

“I can watch YouTube videos of other people who’ve bought that product, read blogs or postings about it, I can see them in my social media feed, and go read newspaper articles. There’s just so much more information to inform my decision.

“Even if somebody does buy from a brick-and-mortar store, they’re doing most of their research on the internet – but it’s very hard to research the model that’s sitting in the store because the mattress industry is always mixing models, deliberately hobbling their ability to research. It’s certainly not consumer friendly.

“I just see more and more people purchasing even more expensive

products such as mattresses online,” confirms Jeff, before adding a caveat, “as long as the other companies don’t fail.”

While start-ups such as Casper are engaging a receptive online audience with undeniably strong communications and economies of scale, their success ultimately depends on trust – and trust can be eroded.

“The worst thing for us, honestly, is if a competitor screws up and fails on the customer experience,” Jeff confesses. “If they sell a faulty product, it could ruin it for everybody.

"There’s just so many new companies coming in that, through ill will, or just negligence, some almost certainly won’t stand by their word. The situation actually poses a bigger risk than if your competition is strong.

“As it stands, our key online rivals all seem like decent actors. They’re not in it for a quick buck. To be honest, our real rivals are the brick-and-mortar businesses, the industry giants.

“Do we want to be bigger than all of them in the UK? 100%. That’s why we’re here.”

W casper.com/uk/en

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34 | Interview

Bringing a personal touch to online retail Solid wood furniture etailer The Wooden Furniture Store offers highquality furniture at competitive prices, with secure online ordering, friendly delivery and exceptional customer service as standard.

Furniture News spoke to founder and director Clare Jackson to uncover the roots of the business ...

Words: Victoria Noakes

H

aving previously worked as a marketing director for one of the UK’s leading publishing companies, Clare Jackson was led to re-evaluate what she wanted and needed from work after the birth of her first child. Requiring a job that offered flexibility of working hours and time off when necessary, Clare came to the conclusion that working for herself would be the best option. The lightbulb moment came when Clare and her husband moved house and needed some new furniture.

“We lost days visiting retailers trying to buy a TV cabinet and coffee table – nothing too fancy or gimmicky, just decent wood furniture at a good price. We thought the process could have been quicker and easier, so The Wooden Furniture Store was born out of our frustration by using our combined online, retail and marketing experience,” explains Clare.

The Wooden Furniture Store sells top quality fully-assembled wooden furniture at attractive prices, operating a drop ship model. Clare manages the day-today running of the business from home, dealing with everything from customer queries and liaising with suppliers to blog posts and social media campaigns.

Clare’s huband Richard is responsible for

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building and managing the company’s website to ensure that customers get a quick and simple shopping experience.

“One area in particular which we feel we can differentiate ourselves is with our customer service. Furniture purchases are not cheap or throwaway and so we provide what our customers are looking for – expert advice, considerate, friendly delivery and exceptional customer service. This is an area that many online retailers appear to ignore or struggle with,” Clare states.

“We’re much more than a faceless internet company that doesn’t care about what it sells or if its customers are happy – we’re a group of passionate, real people that genuinely care about our products, service and customers.”

The Wooden Furniture Store offers a wide range of furniture styles, from chic, contemporary grey painted to traditional mahogany, but its main focus is on providing a high level of quality.

The furniture pieces are designed to be practical, usable and not too fussy, as it is intended to appeal to a wide audience. The retailer’s goal is to help its customers create a home to be proud of.

The company offers pieces for all areas of the home, including chidren’s furniture, with its most popular products

Olten dark oak extending dining table with Cappuccino chairs

Clare Jackson

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Interview | 35

recently being dining room sets, painted ranges, home office pieces and unique shoe cupboards.

“The founders of Instagram – Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger – have definitely influenced us. They really understood the connection between technology and inspiration, which is something we aim to reflect in our offering,” says Clare.

The etailer has recently completed a number of improvements to its online store as part of the next stage of its growth, concentrating particularly on serving the needs of the mobile user better. Upgraded and redesigned, the website now features heightened user

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experience, easy-to-navigate product pages and quick and easy purchasing functionality.

The company is also shortly set to run new PR and marketing campaigns, as well as employing a dedicated social media and marketing manager.

Clare cites the marked increase in the use of mobiles and tablets to make high value purchases as the reason behind this development. Today, over 60% of online searches for The Wooden Furniture Store begin on a mobile device, and around 50% of purchases result from at least one visit from the consumer using a mobile device.

“The ways in which consumers search

and purchase is constantly evolving.

Because we’re smaller, we’re able to react quickly, take risks and try something new. We know a lot about our customers – because we make a point of speaking to them regularly – and also have a good understanding of their browsing habits.

We’ve invested in a technical solution on the site to ensure we understand what they need and are able to meet those needs,” Clare states.

“We feel that – aside from some notable operators and the larger players – in general there are many areas in which the industry can serve the needs of the digitally-engaged consumer better.

“Many manufacturers still appear >>>

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36 | Interview

Walnut shoe cupboard

slow in evolving their offering and product information to support online retailers, and many retailers still appear to be ignoring the fact that mobile device usage has now overtaken that of desktop – which requires a very different approach to engage those customers.”

Looking ahead, the retailer has its sights set on continued growth whilst wanting to maintain the benefits that come with being a small business – being able to provide a personal service, focus on the customer and react quickly to challenges faced. Clare understands that balancing the company’s upwards trajectory against these goals will be a challenge, and that it will be a matter of finding a “happy medium”.

“In the short term, we want to expand our product ranges and offer our

“We’re much more than a faceless internet company that doesn’t care about what it sells or if its customers are happy – we’re a group of passionate, real people that genuinely care about our products, service and customers” customers more choice,” says Clare. “A longer-term ambition is to ultimately look to design and produce our own ranges, but we realise that is a significant departure from our current strategy, so perhaps that’s a few years away for us!”

“We’d also like to stock more furniture ranges but it’s difficult to find wholesalers who really understand the needs of an online retailer – particularly around product visuals.

“Like retailers that haven’t changed to support the online consumer, there are so many really great manufacturers that we’ve met that have good products but little appreciation of what an online retail partner needs from them. We welcome any internet-savvy manufacturers out there to get in touch!”

T 0207 617 7596 W wooden-furniture-store.co.uk

The Wooden Furniture Store offers dark wood options, such as walnut

Chadwick painted fourdrawer coffee table

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Mobel oak

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Interview | 39

Here to help In 2015, the World Giving Index rated the UK the world’s sixth most charitable country. Within this nation of givers, our industry’s principal fundraiser is The Furniture Makers’ Company, a long-established institution that supports and educates those members of the trade most in need. Furniture News speaks to the company’s new marketing and communications manager, George Cooper, to find out about its past, present and future …

D

escribe the company’s remit …

The Furniture Makers’ Company’s vision is for a thriving British furnishing industry with a talented workforce delivering highquality products, which supports those in need from within its ranks and those who have served it in the past.

What are its three priorities this year?

Our charity was set up over 100 years ago to help people from the furnishing industry in times of hardship. Today we also encourage new talent with our extensive education programme to support schoolchildren, students and young professionals. We also work to promote our industry and inspire excellence through our prestigious Guild Marks and awards.

These three priorities – educating for the future, supporting those in need and inspiring excellence – are what continue to drive everything we do. We have just finished the strategy for the next four years, so it is a very exciting time at The Furniture Makers’ Company.

What is the livery element, and how does it come into play today?

City of London livery companies comprise London’s ancient and modern trade associations and guilds. The earliest guilds date back to the 12th century, when people working in the same craft in London grouped together to regulate competition within their trade and maintain high standards.

The term livery company was introduced when guilds started introducing their own clothing and regalia – or livery – to distinguish their members from other guilds. Today, there are more than 100 liveries that support matters of trade, education, charity and fellowship within their sector.

They also play an integral part in the city’s governance, such as the election of the Lord Mayor. The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers was formed as a guild in 1952 and established as the 83rd livery company of the City of London in 1963. Every year all livery companies appoint a new master – in our case a master furniture maker – who is essentially chairman of the company for a year. For all you history buffs out there, the livery movement is a fascinating subject to delve into.

What are the main changes the company has undergone over the last decade?

The biggest change is the merger of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, the industry’s livery company, with the industry’s charity, the Furnishing Industry Trust (FIT), formerly the Furnishing Trades Benevolent Association (FTBA), in 2013. It was a natural fit – pardon the pun – for both, and has seen the company/charity go from strength to strength.

What are the most common misconceptions you hear about the company?

George Cooper

Historically there has been a perception that city livery companies are clandestine old boys’ clubs that sit around in large halls practising secret handshakes in between lots of eating and drinking.

This couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to The Furniture Makers’ Company, or the modern livery movement in general. A lot of people don’t know about the amazing charitable work livery companies perform and support.

In total, the livery companies collectively donate over £40m to charities and good causes each year, the great majority of this going to welfare and education.

How are the funds spent?

The furnishing industry needs skilled and talented designers, makers, merchandisers and managers in order to maintain the competitive edge in today’s international market. A great deal of the funds we raise go towards the continuation and development of a wideranging education programme.

From awarding design prizes that raise awareness and reward talent, organising a dedicated exhibition to showcase work from young designers, through to mentoring schemes, giving grants, bursaries and scholarships to universities, colleges and their students, our educational programme is allencompassing.

Regarding how we support people in need, much of the help that we give >>>

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21/12/2016 15:09

40 | Interview is in the form of one-off grants to assist with a particular situation that has cropped up. People who work or have worked in the furnishing industry can apply for a grant. It might be for essential home repairs or a contribution towards specialised equipment, help with the costs of a respite break or replacing a worn-out fridge. Every story is different and we assess each application with care and consideration.

How do I become a member, and what would be expected of me?

The majority of our members are recommended by existing members, and being endorsed for membership is a great honour. However, we are seeing more and more people enquiring about membership of their own volition.

By becoming a member, people can make sure that what we are doing is relevant and engaging, helping us to support our industry to thrive. Most importantly, though, you get to give back to the industry and help others who have dedicated their life to it, and those just starting out on their career.

In addition to individual membership, we also have corporate membership which enables companies to give something back to the furnishing industry and fulfil Corporate Social Responsibility requirements.

However, for those people who simply want to support their industry charity, as opposed to joining as a member, we are launching a supporter level next year, which will allow them to make an annual donation to the charity.

“Whether you’re a student, designer, maker, business owner, retailer, current or former employee, we will be there for you” How did you come to work there?

I have been aware of the Furniture Makers for a number of years, having previously worked as editor for a trade furniture magazine. Wishing to swap the busy life of magazine publishing for marketing at a charity, I left the industry for a couple of years and worked at a national disability charity, heading up the marketing department.

Around six months ago I got a call from Jonny Westbrooke, the charity’s CEO, telling me about the position at the Furniture Makers and the plans for its growth. I was instantly sold.

What is your favourite charity event?

Big Shots, our clay pigeon shoot, is always a fantastic day out. You don’t have to be a sharpshooter to enjoy yourself. Some people have never held – yet alone shot – a gun in their life, so the novelty of trying it out appeals to most.

The event has become so popular that we now have a national Big Shots event, which takes place in High Wycombe every June, and Northern Big Shots, which will be held at the Coniston Cold Country Estate on 20th April 2017. We have a large number of fundraising events throughout the year, which is growing thanks to people in key regions around the country donating their time to raise money in their local area.

Finally, can you share any personal stories to reflect why the company’s work is so important?

Last year I visited one of our beneficiaries, called Ken, to write a piece on how we supported him. Ken lost the sensation in his hands and feet after receiving chemotherapy to treat bowel cancer. Before his diagnosis, Ken and his wife were managing on a small income from their pensions and a part-time job.

However without Ken’s income, they began to struggle financially. Having worked for a well-known upholstery business for many years, Ken applied for one of our grants to help cover the cost of some of their bills. We were delighted to support him with a grant of £1000, and are now providing him ongoing financial support with an annuity.

It was an absolute pleasure meeting Ken and his wife. I’m sure that there are many more people like him out there – someone who worked hard and gave years of their life to the furnishing industry and have fallen on hard times.

It is crucial that everyone in the UK furnishing industry knows that we are here for them too. Whether you’re a student, designer, maker, business owner, retailer, current or former employee, we will be there for you.

W furnituremakers.org.uk

The Furniture Makers’ Company’s educational programme

The Furniture Makers’ Company supports people from

includes an annual exhibition of work from young designers

the furnishing industry that have fallen on hard times

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48 | Events

PREVIEWS

THIS YEAR’S UK FURNITURE EXHIBITIONS The UK furniture and furnishings trade boasts a diverse range of sourcing opportunities, and Furniture News compiles a summary of them each year to help readers identify those most suited to their needs …

“The January Furniture Show remains the UK’s principal event – see the comprehensive preview feature later in this issue for more information”

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T

op Drawer, encompassing Home, Craft, Fashion and Gift, starts the proceedings at London’s Olympia from 15-17th January. Expect a curated selection of contemporary brands.

Soon after, buying group AIS opens the Cranmore Park Exhibition Centre in Solihull to its members from 20th-21st of January, and consequently to the wider trade for the AIS Furniture Show from 22nd-23rd.

Those second dates are significant, as they overlap the UK’s biggest furniture show, taking place at the nearby Birmingham NEC from 22nd-25th. The January Furniture Show remains the UK’s principal event – see the comprehensive preview feature later in this issue for more information.

Even so, there remains a fondness for smaller regional events, one of which, North Point, returns to Edinburgh’s Highland Hall from 29th-31st January.

Europe’s largest home and gift trade show, Spring Fair, occupies the Birmingham NEC from 5-9th February, and promises cross-buying opportunities from the worlds of furniture, homewares, gifts, stationery, jewellery, DIY and more, alongside the provision of retail, technology and export advice.

The BFM’s London Fabric Show, taking place at Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge from 27-28th February, is now well established amongst the UK’s upholsterery manufacturers, while the AIS Linens Show (members only on the first day) takes place at Cranmore Park over 28th February and 1st March.

AIS members are invited to return to the venue from 25-26th April for the buying group’s private Bed, Sofabed and Bedroom Furniture Show.

May o�ers several smaller, design-

led events, starting with Spring Long Point. Held in various locations around the Derbyshire town of Long Eaton from 8-10th May, the show o�ers an opportunity to explore the showrooms of some of the UK’s top upholstery manufacturers.

The Buying Groups’ National Flooring Show will run at Cranmore Park from 9-11th May, while Pulse returns to London’s Olympia from 14-16th May, Members of the Minerva Furnishers Guild will be able to explore the latest from preferred suppliers at the Furniture and Bed Show, held at the National Agriculture & Exhibition Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from 16-17th. Towards the end of the month, Clerkenwell Design Week will populate many of the London district’s design showrooms from 23-25th May. Midpoint, organised by supplier Tetrad, is set to return to Cranmore Park in June, but dates have not yet been confirmed.

The nation’s premier platform for young designers, New Designers, takes place in two phases at Islington’s Business Design Centre. Phase 1 runs from 28th June to 1st July, and Phase 2 (which incorporates furniture) runs from 5-8th July.

Solex, the Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association’s annual fair, returns to the NEC from 11-13th July with a complement of garden furniture and barbecues, whilst Home & Gift Harrogate promises interiors products, giftware and fashion products from 16-19th.

July also features the UK’s secondlargest furniture fair, the Manchester Furniture Show, which returns to Manchester Central from 16-18th.

The Manchester event gives retailers >>>

21/12/2016 15:12

As the original pioneers of affordable value added mattresses and beds, Myer’s beds are quality products from a household family name you can trust.

Each and every bed offers fantastic support and comfort and the new Myer’s Horatio Collections of nine pocket sprung beds comprise of Horatio’s Backcare and Comfort ranges, plus the very

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If you are interested in becoming a stockist of the Myer’s brand, please email: marketing@steinhoffukbeds.co.uk

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50 | Events

“London Design Festival runs from 1624th across the capital, featuring a host of creative events that reinforce the capital’s global significance as a design hub”

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the opportunity to source products and socialise in a relaxed, friendly environment.

Into August, and – whilst outside of the UK – the Irish Furniture & Homewares Show returns to Dublin’s National Show Centre from 19th-22nd of the month. Also in August, from 30th-31st, AIS opens Cranmore Park for a private members’ show dedicated to furniture.

September brings its usual wealth of trade events. Autumn Fair is first up, back in the Birmingham NEC between 3rd-6th to offer a strong complement of lighting, furniture and seasonal accessories.

AIS’ Linens Show returns for a second instalment this year, running from 6-7th at Cranmore Park. Again, it’s a membersonly show on day one.

Soon after, the year’s second Top Drawer returns to London’s Olympia from 10-12th, general outdoor exhibition Glee populates the NEC from 11-13th, regional event the South West Furniture Show is back at Sedgemoor Auction Centre, North Petherton, Somerset from 12-14th, whilst another private event for AIS members – the second Bed, Sofabed and Bedroom Furniture Show – takes place on the 13th at Cranmore Park.

London Design Festival runs from 16-24th across the capital, featuring a host of creative events that reinforce the capital’s global significance as a design

hub. Events taking place during the week include high-end retail fair Decorex International, back in Syon Park from 17-20th, inspirational interior launches at 100% Design at Olympia from 20th23rd, Tent/Super Brands London, held at the Old Truman Brewery from 21st-24th, and DesignJunction, also from 21st-24th, now held at King’s Cross.

Simultaneously, there’s Autumn Long Point, which sees Long Eaton’s finest open their showrooms again following the spring event, from 19th-21st.

There’s also the UK’s key bed industry event, the Bed Show, running across 19-20th September at The International Centre, Telford.

An enduringly popular exhibition, the Bed Show features beds, bedmaking machinery and components, and sees the presentation of the annual NBF Bed Industry Awards. The Bridge International Bedroom Event is back at the nearby Ironbridge Gorge Museum, Telford, starting a little earlier from 18th-20th.

Finally, there’s Minerva’s Autumn Furniture Show at The International Centre, Telford, running earlier than in previous years, over 26-27th September.

Unlike the buying group’s event earlier in the year, it is open to the entire trade.

Readers can find a full calendar of events – both national and international – on Furniture News’ website.

W furniturenews.net/events

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52 | Events

PREVIEW

AIS SHOW PROMISES UNIVERSAL APPEAL The AIS Furniture Show opens at Cranmore Park Exhibition Centre, Solihull from 22nd-23rd this month, following two days of private trading reserved for members of the buying group. The event, which overlaps the start of the January Furniture Show at the nearby NEC, promises to offer a valuable detour …

T

he two-day general trade event offers buyers a refined selection of furniture in an intimate environment, presenting the latest offers from selected suppliers from the AIS portfolio, some of which are only available at the show.

AIS merchandise director – home, Peter Mallinson, says: “We are very proud of our show and are not marketing it as an alternative show to the NEC – it helps our preferred suppliers maximise the number of retailers they see, and gives our members first sight of ranges they can access, so it makes sense to hold it at the same time. Being so close to the NEC also makes it very easy for buyers to visit both.

“We will be presenting a range of wellknown brands including Himolla, Venjakob and Habufa, as well as some exciting AIS exclusives from leading brands such as Alstons, Parker Knoll, Duresta and G Plan. These will be accompanied by other established brands such as Chateau d’Ax, HTL and Primavera.”

Peter reveals that while pressured postBrexit margins have caused a small number of European manufacturers to withdraw from the UK market, the net effect on the show’s exhibitor line-up has been minimal.

Regardless of global developments, the

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buying group continues to work closely with members and suppliers to achieve the best possible results.

Answering whether any changes to membership benefits are taking place this year, Peter says: “More and more members and suppliers are seeing hard benefits such as rebates and level of commitment, respectively, plus soft benefits by taking advantage of operational functionality in areas such as TradeIslands, our online supplier database, which they use to save time and money by downloading data directly into their retail systems and backoffice databases.”

Peter also points out that the AIS is always looking to support its members in non-product-related areas such as procurement and marketing, and offers several related shows to non-members – such as Linens in March and September, Housewares in March and August, and Flooring in May via the Buying Groups National Flooring Show – all of which are held at Cranmore Park.

The show itself offers free on-site parking, complimentary refreshments and catering facilities. Cranmore Park is located just off the M42, close to Birmingham International rail and air links and the NEC. W thefurniture-show.co.uk

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Furnit

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& Exciting ranges at the AIS Furniture Show

22 & 23 January 2017 [20 & 21 January Members Only]

Cranmore Park Exhibition Centre, Cranmore Avenue, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands B90 4LF

This is THE Show for all furniture retailers. AIS Ltd have brought together a refined choice of ranges and we’re opening the doors to non members to show the very latest in furniture and accessories. THE Show takes place at one of the UK’s premier exhibition venues - Cranmore Park with unrivalled show facilities, excellent catering and ample FREE car parking just minutes from J4 M42, only 8 miles from the NEC.

Register online now at www.thefurniture-show.co.uk t: 0121 683 1428 e: natalie.adams@aistores.co.uk Follow us: twitter.com/FurnitureShowUK

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54 | Events

AIS FURNITURE SHOW

NEW STANDARDS IN COMFORT “Even by himolla’s standards of innovation, there has never been a more exciting time for product launches, technological advances and creative design,” says Sandra Gabler, country manager for the UK and Ireland, who promises that plenty of recliner developments await visitors to Cranmore Park this month …

S

andra reveals that himolla is planning several product launches for the event: “2017 will be seen within the furniture industry as the year himolla sets new standards for comfort technology – so this January’s AIS Furniture Show promises to be sensational.”

Avant-Garde takes centre stage, adding a comfortable, curved multi-media sofa, complete with connectivity that includes Bluetooth and USB speaker systems as well as phone and device chargers and drinks holders.

There are two completely new corner groups with a choice of manual or electrically-operated options, powered by as many as four smooth, near-silent motors, with comfort-boosting touches including adjustable headrests and footrests.

Also new for 2017 is the Cumuly Cygnet range of sofas and swivel chairs, featuring high backs, manual or powered adjustable recliner actions, and a

wall-hugger option. The Tanat range is available with the Cumuly function whilst himolla’s highly-regarded, four-motor lift-and-rise operation will now extend across a much wider range of chairs – Rhine, Brock, Sinatra, Armstrong, Chester, Humber, Tanat and Cygnet join himolla’s existing collection of marketleading furniture.

Design and style has not been left behind in this technological revolution of silky-smooth motion, wire-free battery packs and total adjustability. Amongst a host of other innovations, 2017 sees the introduction of a new range of luxurious Buffalo aniline leather, available in a palette of new colours.

“Some aspects of himolla need no introduction,” adds Sandra. “The 60 years of manufacturing experience that underlines the quality of our products, for example, as well as the determination to remain world leaders in creating unsurpassed sofas and recliner chairs.”

E info@himolla.com

Cygnet

Avant-Garde includes various multimedia options

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Ascot

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A new collection for a new season.

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This winter heralds in a range of world class recliners, aptly named Africa, America, Arctica and Europe. They each have their own style and character, plus many winning features in common. German engineering, a wide range of the highest quality leathers and fabrics, a choice of bases and frame colours, 360o rotation, optional power packs and integral electric footrests operated via seat side sensors. himolla, four world class recliners and a whole new world of comfort.

Best recliner manufacturer 2016 for further stockist information please contact info@himolla.com

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56 | Events

PREVIEW

HOME IS AT THE HEART OF SPRING FAIR The 2017 edition of Spring Fair, the UK’s largest gift and home trade event, taking place at the NEC from 5-9th February, will feature the largest Home section in its 67-year history, and more international brands than ever …

V

erdict Retail recently revealed that the UK home decor market will outperform all other homeware retail sectors, accounting for 12.1% of the total homewares market.

Helping retailers capitalise on this growing market, Spring Fair’s Home section – which has doubled in size since 2014 – will feature brands that take inspiration from all corners of the globe.

In particular, Spring Fair will present the UK’s largest selection of Scandinavian brands. The hygge craze of simple, cosy living is sweeping the UK, and will be reflected by brands exhibiting exclusively at Spring Fair including Madam Stolz, Hubsch, Nordal and Kreafunk.

Buyers looking to source the next must-have items will find textiles, furniture, interior and outdoor accessories, as well as soft furnishings, in the event’s flagship sector. 2017 will see the Home sector become more international, as it features more global brands than ever before.

Exhibitors such as Chic Antique, Flam and Luce Byclassy, Light & Living and

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Baroque International have confirmed they will display an array of customised lampshades, vintage furniture and renaissance-style decorations.

Exclusive to the Spring Fair is the Summerhouse, an edited collective of over 40 exhibitors, which offers visitors the latest in on-trend designs, with an edited selection of original UK and international gift, interior, lighting and lifestyle brands. Exhibitors confirmed include Natures Collection, India Jane, One World Trading, Vita Copenhagen, Nkuku, Stone the Crows, Libra, Parlane International and Abigail Ahern.

The Summerhouse is also home to some of the best British brands. With the uncertain times of Brexit ahead, British identity can be a big part of UK retailers’ overseas appeal – everything from seasonal decorations to everyday gifts for the home and garden will be among the exclusive products on display. Elsewhere, Coach House returns, alongside the likes of Wilde Java, McGowan & Rutherford, Voyage Maison, Clarke & Clarke, Hill Interiors and Pacific Lifestyle.

Aside the buying and specifying opportunities, the event will offer visitors a programme of topical and informative seminars, with respected industry experts speaking on the consumer trends driving the sector. Retailers can also participate in a Meet the Expert session, for one-to-one advice on the challenges facing them this year.

Home is one of 14 sectors at Spring Fair – alongside Gift, DIY & Home Improvement, Fashion & Accessories, Toys, Kitchen and Dining, Party and Retail Solutions. Read on to discover a few of the highlights …

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TAKE A SEAT (OR TWO) From statement chairs to quirky side tables, discover covetable furniture that will set your shop apart.

ENJOY 14 SPECIALIST SHOW SECTORS - ALL UNDER ONE ROOF Body & Bath • Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets • Christmas Gifts, Floral & Seasonal Decorations • Contemporary Gift DIY & Home Improvement • Fashion Jewellery, Accessories & Luggage • Gift • Greetings & Gift • Home • Kitchen, Dining & Housewares • Retail Solutions • The Party Show • The Summerhouse • Volume Gift & Home

REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE TICKET AT: WWW.SPRINGFAIR.COM PLUS: ENJOY FREE PARKING (IF YOU’RE JOINING US BY CAR) OR 25% OFF VIRGIN TRAINS.* *Visit WWW.SPRINGFAIR.COM for more details.

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SPRING FAIR Authentic Models (AM, stand H1-E32, 01403 734999, www.authenticmodels.com) is expanding its fun and functional line of campaign furniture further this winter with, among others, the Campaign Cabinet Desk.

Evocative of a trunk that has made its last journey and been placed on a display, the new cabinet/desk combines the functions of both and proves much more than another fold-out secretary.

AM is also known in the industry for its accessories, and enters 2017 with a new range of travel-inspired decor including a P51 Mustang model, new globes and other accessories set to boost holiday and Campaign Cabinet Desk winter sales.

Light & Living (Hall 1, stands H30-31 and J32-H33, www. light-living.co.uk) celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. What began as a lampshade manufacturing operation in The Netherlands has grown to become a worldwide lighting, home accessories and furniture concept – three categories which strengthen one another and offer the customer the opportunity to create their own unique collection.

Light & Living’s long-held belief in complete concepts, tailored to local markets, led the company to establish a team in the UK, which is able to translate its global product range to the needs of the market. Customers can also visit Light & Living’s showroom in Alfreton, Derbyshire, to see the whole collection and order directly.

Both existing and new collections will be on display at Spring Fair.

M7 Polska Sourcing Fine Furniture from Poland Dining Chairs Armchairs Recliners Sofas Tables Cabinetry Professional sourcing of furniture from Poland Come and see us on stand 2-A1

Gordon Milne, M7 Polska, Marcinkowskiego 6, 62-040 Puszczykowo, Poland Tel: +48 515 473 315; +48 601 918 763; gordon.milne@m7polska.com; www.m7polska.com

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Where inspiration meets expectation

DISCOVER THE NEW LIGHT & LIVING COLLECTION AT SPRING FAIR 5 till 9 February Hall 1 - Stand H30-31 & J32-H33 www.light-living.co.uk

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SPRING FAIR

TREND-DRIVEN LAUNCHES FROM BLUEBONE Now in its 20th year of trading, Bluebone is once again bringing its distinctive mix of furniture and homewares to the NEC for Spring Fair – with some notable additions …

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uilding on the success of last year’s ‘soft industrial’ trend are two new mango ranges. The subtle Birdcage and sublime Mid Century designs both incorporate dining and living pieces.

Bluebone has identified another key 2017 look, Nordic Coast. Featuring rustic and reclaimed textured timbers and a cool northern colour palette of greys and white, Bluebone’s Storm, Cottonwood and Driftwood ranges all feature new additions.

Bluebone will also introduce three new bedroom ranges this year – Cottonwood,

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Storm and Soho bedroom all complement their downstairs counterparts and each contains crossover pieces and accessories to complete the stylishly eclectic look for which Bluebone is best known.

Bluebone’s new 2017 Stylebook, available on request, is crammed full of further attractive lifestyle photography.

Bluebone will be present in Hall 1 on stand 1D12 at Spring Fair. Prior to that, the company will also be present at the January Furniture Show this month, on stand 3-M20.

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Birdcage

Storm Grey

Cottonwood

Birdcage

UK River Mill II, Park Road, Dukinfield Cheshire SK16 5PD. TEL.: 0161-330 8959, FAX.: 0161-330 8949 E-mail: sales@bluebone.co.uk Northern Ireland 3 Main St, Ballynahinch, Co.Down BT24 8DN TEL.: 028 9756 1812, FAX.: 028 9756 4435 E-mail: sales@bluebone.co.uk

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bluebone Looking for something different?

Unique and Exclusive Designs, Industrial, Retro & Vintage Furniture and Accessories, Bestselling Cottonwood, Retro Oak Visit us at Spring Fair Hall 1 Stand 1D12

British Vintage

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PREVIEW

PRESTIGE AND PERSONALITY Returning favourites and new exhibitors will be showing an extensive selection of new designs and colourways at the London Fabric Show this year, taking place at the Chelsea FC football ground at Stamford Bridge, London on 27th and 28th February.

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osted by the British Furniture Manufacturers Association (BFM), the show brings fabric producers from Belgium, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK together to provide UK upholstery and soft furnishing manufacturers with an opportunity to select and customise fabrics to their own requirements.

BFM MD Jackie Bazeley says: “We are looking forward to the best show yet in 2017. Our exhibitor list is outstanding in the world of textiles, and our advance registrations already contain a healthy list of personnel from major UK upholstery and bed manufacturers.

“This show provides a unique opportunity for any UK furniture or soft furnishing manufacturer who uses fabrics to choose from the best fabrics available anywhere, and we look forward to welcoming visitors from manufacturers all over the UK.” Over 35 exhibitors will present exclusive designs in jacquards, wools, velvets, cottons, chenilles, leathers, faux leathers and high-performance polyester fabrics, among others. Backing fabrics and fire-retardant treatments will also be on display.

Well-known British producers including Abraham Moon & Sons, Art

Beaulieu Fabrics

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Events | 63 of the Loom, British Velvets and Warwick will be present, alongside Adoksan and Tesseme from Turkey and Interfabrics and Antecuir from Spain. Belgian heavyweights Symphony Mills, Escolys, Van Neder, and Greenstreet Textiles will also be present.

Much of the Belgian contingent will be present at the show under the auspices of Fedustria (mark.vervaeke@fedustria. be) and Flanders Investment & Trade.

The textile industry of Belgium, the heart of which is located in Flanders, has been a prominent part of the country’s industry for centuries. Employing around 20,000 people in total, the sector remains one of Belgium’s major employers – the total turnover of the some-700 textile companies in Belgium amounts to around €5.1b and accounts for 12% of the EU’s textile exports.

Belgian upholstery and furnishing fabrics, carpets and rugs, bed linen, kitchen and table linen, mattress ticking, terry towelling articles, trimmings and wallcoverings all benefit from this long history of textile production. Visitors to the show will be able to see many of the country’s top producers.

London Fabric Show’s unusual venue adds interest to the show. Held in Chelsea’s executive boxes overlooking the pitch, and surrounded by the team’s football memorabilia, the show takes on a dimension of sporting spirit and grandeur. “Most shows are held in large venues that lack personality,” says Jackie. “The London Fabric Show is a large venue bursting with personality, and it provides a great backdrop for exhibitors and visitors.”

Visitors can register free on the show’s new website.

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GIVE WINGS TO YOUR BUSINESS DREAMS. TAKE OFF IN FLANDERS AND FLY SKY HIGH. Want to discover the business opportunities from our innovative, multitalented, dynamic and state of the art region?

Visit the exhibitors from Flanders during London Fabric:

Greenstreet Textiles

• Annabel Textiles (Box No. 15) • Beaulieu Fabrics (Box No. 11) • Bru Textiles (Box No. 19) • Escolys Textiles (Box No. 24) • Greenstreet Fabrics (Box No. 9) • Muvantex/Bekaert-Depla (Box No. 18) • Symphony Mills (Box No. 31) • Tavelmo/Movelta/Waesland/Devantex (Box No. 6) • Ter Molst International (Box No. 31) • Verstraete & Verbauwede Fabrics (Box No. 22) • Weverij Van Neder (Box No. 29-30)

FLANDERSINVESTMENTANDTRADE.COM

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PREVIEW

DESIGNS FIT FOR MODERN LIVING The world is changing rapidly, and innovations in modern furniture design are catering for these changes in numerous ways. Thailand’s furniture designs have long been in demand around the world, and the country’s principal exhibition, the Thailand International Furniture Fair (TIFF) is the ideal venue in which to explore them …

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t the Thailand International Furniture Fair 2017, organised by the Department of International Trade Promotion and the Ministry of Commerce, the latest developments in contemporary indoor and outdoor furniture, both handcrafted and machine-made with the latest technology, will be on display and available for order.

Held at Impact, Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok from 8-10th March, the event will present a range of the modern designs for which the country’s designers are internationally famed.

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Expert interior designers will be on hand to offer advice on how to best furnish a living, working or playing space. The exhibition will also feature the I+D Style Café, offering coffee and snacks in a space decorated with furniture selected from the exhibitors by officials from the Department of International Trade Promotion.

Thai trends are fast developing to meet fresh demand. Furniture created for contemporary spaces ranging from homes and apartments to offices, museums and public parks is increasingly designed for maximum portability,

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Events | 65 flexibility, aesthetic diversity and sustainability. These creations reflect a modern world in which many are living in smaller spaces, and their cutting-edge design and creativity goes some way to making every type of living space feel like home.

At the same time, a touch of nature is

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often included in these new designs, with the use of natural materials and colours bringing the outside world into modern living and working spaces.

TIFF is set to present a wide spectrum of products, combining artistry and value to great e�ect.

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PREVIEW VIETNAM FAIR PROMOTES INDUSTRY AND DESIGN The upcoming VIFA-Expo promises to offer a glimpse of Vietnam’s furniture and handicraft industry …

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n 2015, Vietnam exported $6.9b in wooden furniture products, an increase of 10.7% over 2014, helping the country become the world’s fifth biggest exporter of wooden furniture.

VIFA-Expo, taking place at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City from 8-11th March, promises over 300 exhibitors across an area of 23,000m2.

For this edition, organiser Hawa has

reserved an area in which to exhibit the winners of the Furniture Design Competition – Hoa Mai Prize 2016-17, a competition which aims to promote Vietnam’s furniture design industry.

Beside being present at the fair, many of the Vietnamese and foreign direct investment (FDI) exhibitors will invite buyers to visit their factories just outside of Ho Chi Minh City.

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PREVIEW EFE RETURNS STRONGER THAN EVER The Export Furniture Exhibition (EFE), one of South-east Asia’s largest industry events, returns to Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from 8-11th March.

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he 2017 edition will be the 13th year of EFE, one of the region’s most prominent global furniture sourcing platforms for buying professionals from over 135 countries and regions. More than 300 exhibitors from Malaysia, China and the ASEAN countries will present furniture across 30,000m2.

For the first time, the show will also feature an India Export Pavilion.

Buoyed by the strong buying mood of an increasing number of overseas and new buyers at EFE 2016 – which facilitated record sales of $703m – the 2017 edition is again witnessing a high exhibitor return rate.

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Importers, exporters and wholesalers make up over half of the trade visitors to EFE, a show renowned among international buyers for the quality, value and wide selection of all types of furniture on offer, including Malaysian wooden dining sets, bedroom and dressing room furniture.

EFE is a key buying and networking event. Presented by the Malaysian Furniture Council (MFC) and organised

by EFE Expo, a wholly-owned company of MFC, EFE is a platform of opportunities for the industry, created by the industry.

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PREVIEW

INDONESIA’S INDUSTRY REACHES OUT The Indonesia Furniture Industry and Craft Association (HIMKI) and Dyandra Promosindo are preparing to host the next edition of Indonesia’s largest furniture and craft trade exhibition in the region – the Indonesia International Furniture Expo (IFEX).

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s in previous years, IFEX will take place at Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo), Kemayoran, Jakarta. Taking place from 11-14th March, the focus of this edition remains on innovation.

Indonesia’s furniture and craft industry makes a high contribution to the country’s GDP, and, due to ample raw materials, has much growth potential.

In 2016, IFEX pushed the standard even higher, attracting thousands of buyers and confirming the show as one of Asia’s key events.

It comprised around 500 local and international exhibitors – including overseas companies from the likes of Singapore, Malaysia, China, the US, Spain, Australia, and Taiwan. The organiser recorded the attendance of

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9140 buyers from 112 countries – the US, Australia, and Spain the top three foreign countries of origin.

This year, IFEX is set to achieve even greater success. A major extension of the Jakarta International Expo exhibition halls will allow the fair to be even bigger, and more vibrant than ever. In all, IFEX 2017 is set to o�er international buyers quality product, more participants, more space, and more participating country pavilions to expand their businesses in new directions. Moreover, IFEX 2017 will introduce a new entrance gate to the busy Hall B3 to increase accessibility.

Follow IFEX Indonesia on social media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram – or discover more information on the show’s website.

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PREVIEW

SOURCING ON A GRAND SCALE Founded in 1998, China International Furniture Fair Guangzhou/Shanghai (CIFF) has seen 38 editions so far.

Every year, the show is held in Guangzhou in March and in Shanghai-Hongqiao in September, bordering the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta respectively – two of China’s dynamic commercial centres …

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IFF is a well-received industry event that boasts impressive scale, comprehensive exhibits, broad participation and high-quality products. Covering 1.15 million m2 throughout the year, CIFF connects the entirety of the industry, offering a onestop solution for home furniture, home decor, home textiles, outdoor furniture, office furniture, commercial furniture, hotel furniture, furniture machinery and raw materials.

Every year the spring and autumn editions respectively connect over 3900 and 2000 leading brands with more than 250,000 professional visitors from 200 countries and regions, creating immense business value for the industry.

Over the years, CIFF has evolved into a global trading platform with unparalleled industry influence, considered by many as Asia’s sourcing centre and a bellwether for the Chinese furniture industry.

Despite economic slowdown and excess production, China has entered a new era of market opportunities. In the

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coming four years, the Chinese middle classes will reach or exceed the total US population, and China will become the largest furniture supplier and buyer in the world. With the theme of Better Life, Better Work, this year’s CIFF shows will spare no effort to enhance quality and provide service, bringing industry stakeholders closer together.

CIFF hosts over 5000 exhibitors each year, covering some 70% of China’s top furniture brands. The US national pavilion will debut in CIFF Shanghai 2017, together with pavilions from Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand and Korea, plus brands from over 30 countries and regions.

CIFF typically attracts around 250,000 trade visitors from China and abroad, and organises professional matchmaking events. Some 300 launch events take place at each CIFF, and the exhibition works with a renowned ecommerce platform to ensure these demonstrations enjoy worldwide reach.

Developments at CIFF 2017 will include an expanded design section, more focus on smart technology and customisable designs, a larger home decor section together with the inaugural China Decoration Design Conference, and material and media matchmaking opportunities.

The 39th CIFF Guangzhou will take place across the China Import & Export Fair Complex & PWTC Expo from 18th-21st March (Phase 1) and 28th31st March (Phase 2). CIFF (Shanghai) will run from 11-14th September at the National Exhibition & Convention Center, Hongqiao.

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FAIR COMMENT

FURNITURE CHINA Fair Comment sees Furniture News discover what makes an exhibition unique, what changes are taking place, and why buyers should take note. This month, Wang Mingliang, founder of Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition Company and director of China International Furniture Expo, explains why Furniture China proves so popular with international buyers year after year …

Identity: Furniture China is one of the most important global trade platforms for sourcing furniture, decor and accessories.

Attendance: The 2015 edition attracted 101,888 visitors, and 2016’s attracted 119,975. The target for 2017 is 130,000.

The 2015 edition featured 3000 exhibitors, and 2016’s 3500 – the target for 2017 is also 3500.

Wang Mingliang

What’s new? Furniture China at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) will feature high-end contemporary home furniture this year, with a focus on premium manufacturing, thus connecting enterprises and designers with high-level suppliers.

In order to have a better display within the lifestyle concept of large household products, there will be another change to the exhibition – the newly-launched Maison Shanghai show at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center (SWEECC) will focus on home decoration and lifestyle.

Direction? With an improved economy, many Chinese people wish to reflect a high-end lifestyle, geared towards

the global. At last year’s show, various lifestyles had a platform – in all of the brand halls, international halls, classic halls and DOD exhibition areas in the SNIEC, each brand demonstrated their own lifestyle concept. From the perspective of the development of the home furnishings industry, the whole trade is moving towards making large household products.

Rising material and product costs are already affecting exports from China – how do you see this trend developing?

From 1993 to 2014, export orientation was the core strength of Furniture China, until the number of overseas buyers fell for the first time in 2015. Fortunately, we dedicated ourselves to promoting the transformation of the industry towards the high end in 2014 – it was a meaningful milestone, and a new starting point for Furniture China.

For that reason, the number of visitors and exhibitors has increased steadily from 2014 to 2016, and many of our exhibitors have transformed their export-only operations to handling both exports and imports.

Today, China’s economic development has entered a period of rapid growth,

Date: 12-15th September, 2017 | Location: SNIEC and SWEECC, Pudong, Shanghai | Contact: en.jiagle.com

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Events | 73 characterised by the decrease of export and investment, and the increase of domestic consumption.

The fair is still enthusiastically acknowledged by international buyers, exhibitors and designers, many of which recognise Furniture China as one of the world’s most prominent platforms for the furniture industry. Overseas visitors account for 10% of the total attendance.

Visa applications can be problematic – how do you assist in this regard?

We offer two options to apply – the business invitation and the port visa notification. A copy of the passport and the application forms should be submitted to us. For UK visitors, visas are relatively easy to obtain.

“Today, we increasingly recognise that the effect of this competition is entirely positive, because it further attracts the world’s attention to the industry”

What is Maison Shanghai?

Maison Shanghai is a new show which comprehensively demonstrates the latest creative trends as well as being a beacon for trends in home decoration, household and design. At its launch last year, Maison Shanghai surprisingly attracted 24,372 visits during the exhibition, and took place across an area of 50,000m2.

The Home Plus and Modern Chinese Style sections in hall 4 had an endless stream of visitors eager to see the Chinese design aesthetic’s take on home furniture and lifestyle products.

Featured events and activities such as Maker Future, the Handicraft Year of China and Pop-up Store were designed specifically as open spaces for interactive communication and inspired ideas.

While Furniture China focuses on high-end contemporary home furniture and premium manufacturing, Maison Shanghai introduces the latest in international decoration, forecasts the fashion and design trends and offers visitors a high-end design experience.

Have you noticed any changes to attendance since CIFF began taking place in Shanghai each September?

Actually, the number of people attending the show has not been affected. Last year, Furniture China attracted visitors from more than 158 countries and regions, numbers up 17.75% year on year.

There was also a significant increase in attendance from domestic visitors.

Today, we increasingly recognise that the effect of this competition is positive, because it further attracts the world’s attention to the industry. The traders, manufacturers and designers all come together for these two furniture shows in China every September, and it’s something they can’t afford to miss.

Is there any other news you feel our UK readers might like to know about?

Last year, Furniture China housed seven key national pavilions – from France, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea – among others, covering 236 foreign brands. I hope there will be a UK pavilion in the future.

In your opinion, what makes your show better than any other similar event?

The exhibition creates an all-round platform for the display of China’s top furniture industry brands. It also acts as a one-stop procurement platform, covering furniture from up and down the chain through to the furniture, woodworking machinery, materials and accessories industries, to promoting the transformation of the industry towards the high end.

We have already operated successfully for 22 years, and the number of exhibitors and visitors is increasing year on year. This accumulation of highquality clients ensures we just keep getting better and better.

Date: 12-15th September, 2017 | Location: SNIEC and SWEECC, Pudong, Shanghai | Contact: en.jiagle.com

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SALISBURY LITE waxed oak

SALISBURY waxed oak dining

SALISBURY waxed oak bedroom

SHERWOOD oak living room

ROCKHAMPTON concrete & acacia

CHELTENHAM oak bedroom

VISIT US ON STAND E30, HALL 4 Global Home Vietnam. REE Tower, 18th Floor, 9 Doan Van Bo Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

sales@globalhomegroup.com

Global Home UK. The Old Goods Yard, Rear of Truro Station, Station Road, Truro, TR1 3HH. 01872 223523

info@chfhome.com

Global Home Ireland. Unit 7a Mastertech Business Park, Athlone Road, Longford, Eire.

sales@globalhomeireland.com

Global Home London. Unit 136 Clocktower Road Industrial Estate, Isleworth, TW7 6DT. Corndell Quality Furniture. Windrush Park Road, Witney, Oxon, OX29 7DZ.

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0043 334 9694 0203 417 7240

01993 776545

cpdirect@hotmail.com enquiries@corndell.com

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NEW!! for 2017 The DEVON collection

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NEW!! for 2017 The BLENHEIM collection

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NEW!! for 2017 The new CHAIR collection

ALL WILL BE REVEALED ON STAND E30, HALL 4.

Global Home Vietnam. REE Tower, 18th Floor, 9 Doan Van Bo Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

sales@globalhomegroup.com

Global Home UK. The Old Goods Yard, Rear of Truro Station, Station Road, Truro, TR1 3HH. 01872 223523

info@chfhome.com

Global Home Ireland. Unit 7a Mastertech Business Park, Athlone Road, Longford, Eire.

sales@globalhomeireland.com

Global Home London. Unit 136 Clocktower Road Industrial Estate, Isleworth, TW7 6DT. Corndell Quality Furniture. Windrush Park Road, Witney, Oxon, OX29 7DZ.

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0043 334 9694 0203 417 7240

01993 776545

cpdirect@hotmail.com enquiries@corndell.com

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CHESTER painted bedroom

CHESTER painted dining room

VINTAGE chunky oak dining

CHEASPEAKE oak dining

SHERWOOD oak bedroom

SHERWOOD oak dining

VISIT US ON STAND E30, HALL 4 Global Home Vietnam. REE Tower, 18th Floor, 9 Doan Van Bo Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

sales@globalhomegroup.com

Global Home UK. The Old Goods Yard, Rear of Truro Station, Station Road, Truro, TR1 3HH. 01872 223523

info@chfhome.com

Global Home Ireland. Unit 7a Mastertech Business Park, Athlone Road, Longford, Eire.

sales@globalhomeireland.com

Global Home London. Unit 136 Clocktower Road Industrial Estate, Isleworth, TW7 6DT. Corndell Quality Furniture. Windrush Park Road, Witney, Oxon, OX29 7DZ.

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0043 334 9694 0203 417 7240

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DON’T MISS OUT! up to 50% discount for all new display orders

VISIT US ON STAND E30, HALL 4 Global Home Vietnam. REE Tower, 18th Floor, 9 Doan Van Bo Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

sales@globalhomegroup.com

Global Home UK. The Old Goods Yard, Rear of Truro Station, Station Road, Truro, TR1 3HH. 01872 223523

info@chfhome.com

Global Home Ireland. Unit 7a Mastertech Business Park, Athlone Road, Longford, Eire.

sales@globalhomeireland.com

Global Home London. Unit 136 Clocktower Road Industrial Estate, Isleworth, TW7 6DT. Corndell Quality Furniture. Windrush Park Road, Witney, Oxon, OX29 7DZ.

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0043 334 9694 0203 417 7240

01993 776545

cpdirect@hotmail.com enquiries@corndell.com

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SUFFOLK painted bedroom

SUFFOLK painted dining room

NEW TRINITY light oak bedroom

NEW TRINITY light oak dining

YORK oak bedroom

YORK oak dining

VISIT US ON STAND E30, HALL 4 Global Home Vietnam. REE Tower, 18th Floor, 9 Doan Van Bo Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

sales@globalhomegroup.com

Global Home UK. The Old Goods Yard, Rear of Truro Station, Station Road, Truro, TR1 3HH. 01872 223523

info@chfhome.com

Global Home Ireland. Unit 7a Mastertech Business Park, Athlone Road, Longford, Eire.

sales@globalhomeireland.com

Global Home London. Unit 136 Clocktower Road Industrial Estate, Isleworth, TW7 6DT. Corndell Quality Furniture. Windrush Park Road, Witney, Oxon, OX29 7DZ.

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0043 334 9694 0203 417 7240

01993 776545

cpdirect@hotmail.com enquiries@corndell.com

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Twenty collections of beautiful furniture, ALL available on mixed container

NO RESTRICTIONS NO MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITIES

Containers delivered to UK port just five weeks from order, invoiced in GBP, delivery and duty paid

Full wholesale service for UK and Ireland with FAST delivery from stock PROVEN best seller

VISIT US ON STAND E30, HALL 4 Global Home Vietnam. REE Tower, 18th Floor, 9 Doan Van Bo Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

sales@globalhomegroup.com

Global Home UK. The Old Goods Yard, Rear of Truro Station, Station Road, Truro, TR1 3HH. 01872 223523

info@chfhome.com

Global Home Ireland. Unit 7a Mastertech Business Park, Athlone Road, Longford, Eire.

sales@globalhomeireland.com

Global Home London. Unit 136 Clocktower Road Industrial Estate, Isleworth, TW7 6DT. Corndell Quality Furniture. Windrush Park Road, Witney, Oxon, OX29 7DZ.

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0043 334 9694 0203 417 7240

01993 776545

cpdirect@hotmail.com enquiries@corndell.com

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For the first time, selected Corndell products are now available on direct container, and via the Global Home mixed container programme.

Now you can choose from an even greater selection of fine furniture.

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Annecy: Choice of 7 colours and 5 handles See us in Hall 4, stand E59

Nimbus: Selected items now available on mixed container

Annecy: Selected items now available on mixed container

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82 | Resources

A report issued by the WWF has drawn attention to the attitudes of big retailers towards responsible timber sourcing. In this article, Mark Wright explains how the charity arrived at its conclusions, and suggests what should be done to ensure sustainable and ethical industry practices.

IS THE SECTOR DOING ITS BIT FOR SUSTAINABILITY? N o business wants its activities linked directly or indirectly with illegal activities. With ever-increasing scrutiny on the performance of the private sector, it makes good business sense to ensure that supply chains are sustainable and working within the law.

The furniture sector faces particular risks as timber for its products are likely to have been sourced from a wide range of countries where governance systems may be weak. Our new WWF-UK report – Are you sitting comfortably? – focuses on some of these issues and flags up the progress being made across the sector.

It might seem slightly strange – and unnecessary – that we should even need a law that essentially says it is an illegal act to import illegal timber into the EU, but that is precisely what the EU Timber Regulations (EUTR) does. It covers timber and timber products, such as furniture. As with all laws, it defines the scope of what is covered, and it does this through the arcane world of Combined Nomenclature (CN) numbers.

The EUTR is currently in its review stages, and WWF-UK is working with businesses to make sure the regulation is effective at excluding all illegal wood and wood-based products from the European market, including the UK. One of the key issues, which WWF-UK earlier reported in our In or Out? report, is that not all relevant CN numbers are explicitly included in the legislation – for example, tables are covered, but chairs are not. So there is a legal requirement to prove that the wood used in a table is not illegally sourced, but there is no similar requirement for a chair. We need these anomalies to be ironed out in the review, but for now any report looking at the legality or otherwise of goods is necessarily going to be complex and get caught up in definitions.

Are you sitting comfortably? helps shed light on some of these key issues and identifies areas of potential risk for the furniture sector, together with an appraisal of how well the sector seems to be doing based on its own publicly-shared information.

But first some numbers – which demonstrate that unpicking our furniture trade, and any related issues,

“The high volumes and values involved pose a significant exposure risk to the furniture sector, which makes a compelling business case to determine timber legality”

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is not straightforward. The UK furniture sector has a turnover of about £10.2b per year. This figure includes all furniture including that which does not contain wood (such as mattresses).

Of this total, almost half is imported as the readymade final product, and the lion’s share of these products come from China. The remainder – slightly more than half – is made up of furniture built in the UK from wood sourced in the UK, as well as furniture put together in the UK with wood or wooden components shipped in from overseas.

The EUTR applies only to timber or timber products being imported into the EU from non-EU countries.

In our report we flag up that about 41% (by value) of finished furniture products entering the EU are not covered by the EUTR, which highlights the inadequacy of the current legislative frameworks to fully exclude potential illegal timber sources.

However, even for products not covered by the EUTR, it can be argued that responsible retailers should ensure that, as a minimum, all their products are sourced legally – partly because we can anticipate the law changing, but actually because it should ensure continuity of reliable and sustainable supply. Remember that, even with reducing rates of deforestation worldwide, we are still losing around 50,000 square miles of global forests every year – it’s clear that this is not an insignificant consideration.

Tracking the provenance of wood within imported furniture and furniture components is further muddied by the fact that often the timber is not grown in the country from which it is sourced. China, for example, is a major manufacturing country, but is also a conduit for timber originating elsewhere, primarily the forests of the Russian Far East and South-east Asia.

Unfortunately, many of the countries from which we import are considered high risk, both in their own right but also by virtue of where they source their timber, too. Total furniture imports from these highrisk countries, which include Brazil, China, Malaysia and Vietnam, are valued at around £1.6b.

Managing due diligence of supply chains becomes more difficult where high-risk countries are concerned. It may lead suppliers to try to conceal the source of their timber supply – for example, because it is illegally sourced – or make them resistant to enquiries about its origin. However, the high volumes and values involved pose a significant exposure risk to the furniture sector, which makes a compelling business case to determine timber legality.

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Resources | 83 From a conservation point of view, illegal timber extraction in high-risk countries has another, hugely damaging impact. These countries are also home to some of the richest but also most imperilled biodiversity on the planet, and logging activities can lead to further habitat disturbance and fragmentation, and to increases in the hunting of animals for game.

Each of these places additional pressures on alreadyvulnerable populations of species, and can put their local existence in jeopardy.

How is the sector responding to the challenge?

The UK furniture industry is a substantial importer of timber, and therefore a key stakeholder. According to FIRA statistics, there are nearly 6000 furniture manufacturers in the UK, more than 80% of whom have an annual turnover of less than £1m.

Rather than trying to assess the performance of such a large group, our study concentrated on retailers, who can be considered the public face of the industry, as well as having substantial brand influence and purchasing power. It was assumed that the information they make publicly available about their timber-sourcing policies, plus their progress against them, would provide a reasonably representative snapshot of the industry as a whole.

A sample of 74 retail brands was selected, and online research conducted of their publicly-available information during late 2016. The brands were rated based on the strength of their responsible timber sourcing commitments, and evidence of credible progress against them, using a range of indicators.

Encouragingly, 10 of the 74 brands, including supermarkets, DIY chains but also four specialist retailers, achieved the maximum performance rating.

Less encouragingly, 39 of the 74 (53%) were rated ‘no information’, as they had made no reference whatsoever to responsible timber sourcing.

In 2015, WWF-UK published a Timber Scorecard, reviewing results compiled from 128 companies across multiple sectors. This found that 37% showed no sign of action at all – compared to the 53% found in the current furniture sector study. These findings suggest that, compared to other sectors, the furniture sector is lagging behind with regard to commitments and to public disclosures of performance. WWF-UK will update the scorecard this spring, to include many furniture retailers. We hope to see significant increases in the levels of engagement from the sector.

Steady steps for moving forwards Businesses may need help with understanding and adopting the clear and achievable steps to start this journey towards stronger sustainable timber and product accountability. To this end, our report makes some clear recommendations: • Publish a responsible timber sourcing policy that makes public your commitments to best practice • Engage with suppliers to make sure they are aware of your requirements and expectations • Use third-party certification – especially FSC –

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The retailers were rated on the strength of their responsible timber sourcing commitments, and credible progress against them, using a range of indicators.

They consequently fell into five categories: Performance – good policy commitments and credible, public reporting of them being 95%+ met (or 85%+ with a target to meet by 2020); Progress – good policy commitments and credible, public reporting of progress; Policy – clear policy commitments but no, or limited, evidence of having made progress against them; Awareness – some information or basic policy found, but lacking detailed commitments; and No information – no relevant policy, statement or responsible sourcing information found

that can give assurances that timber has originated from a well-managed forest • Communicate – with customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders – on plans to source timber sustainably, and to build credibility and trust through demonstrating a commitment to make genuine progress • Seek support from suppliers, industry bodies, environmental groups and even competitors who may be able to share experiences or resources We know this won’t lead to overnight changes – but it is about making the decision to change, so that the wood and timber products we buy and sell – such as our furniture – make a positive difference in the global market through prioritising sourcing from legal and sustainable forest sources.

The report is a much-needed call to action. In this case, what is good for business, in securing a sustainable and responsible supply, is also good for the environment. It should be remembered that whilst legality is a critical element, other broader sustainability risks – such as inappropriate logging, potential loss of biodiversity, human rights, etc – will also need to be considered as part of a truly responsible timber sourcing policy.

THE AUTHOR With 30 years' experience in conservation, Dr Mark Wright is the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) manager at WWF-UK. W wwf.org.uk

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84 | Resources

In the first of a new series in which bed retailer Mike Murray outlines his approach to digital marketing and ecommerce, the Land of Beds MD explains why ignoring this growing sales channel – and the social media surrounding it – is no longer an option …

BRAVE NEW WORLD

It’s a very different world since my grandfather Harry Murray first opened a home furniture business more than four decades ago. He could not have predicted that in the future, our buyers would purchase their new bed on a smartphone and give real-time feedback on their customer service experience to a global network of millions of social media users.

The first online shopping system was demonstrated

by English inventor Michael Aldrich in 1979. It would be a decade later before the first internet-based system for ecommerce was unveiled, allowing people to make purchases with a credit card.

Our ecommerce story started in 2009 – shortly after I joined the family business. As I launched Land of Beds’ first ecommerce website, global ecommerce sales topped $1t for the first time in history. By 2013, we had been Highly Commended at the NBF’s awards in the E-tailer of the Year category. Ecommerce became ‘how we do things around here’, while continuing to offer bricks-and-mortar stores for customers who preferred to get professionally fitted for a bed.

With ecommerce transforming our business’ fortunes – delivering a seven-figure YoY increase in turnover – it became clear that developing our digital strategy was critical to our future growth plans.

Mastering the dark arts of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising (Google Adwords) are essential if you want to make sure that you are best placed to convert customers in their research and buying phases online.

Both are about being seen at the very moment when customers are searching for the things you offer, and driving traffic to your website. It is therefore critical that you deliver a positive customer service experience online – focusing on buyer confidence and convenience, making it easy for people to make informed choices and removing any potential barriers to a sale.

Within the mix, you also need to engage in social media. Even if you don’t use it yourself, trust me when I say buyers do. There are an estimated 32 million Facebook users in the UK – more than half of the nation’s population have an account. According to

THE AUTHOR Mike Murray (Jnr) is the MD of Land of Beds, a retailer based in Frodsham, Cheshire, which has won awards for its marketing and ecommerce.

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Statista, the number of Facebook users aged 25-35 is expected to reach 7.4 million by 2017.

When it comes to promoting your brand and your values, as well as the services and products you retail, to targeted customers – based on their specific interests and demographic – Facebook is outstanding.

For example, if you want to reach people experiencing back pain with an interest in orthopaedic solutions who live within a specific radius of your store, Facebook enables you to do that, with paid advertising for a price and a budget you set and manage yourself.

Did you also know that more than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices? YouTube and smartphones are marketing tools you simply cannot afford to ignore if you want to place key messages right in the palm of people’s hands.

Social media is also transforming the face of customer service. Researchers Nielsen found that 33% of people would rather contact a company via social media than by picking up the telephone. Pew Research added that 58% of consumers used their mobile phones while shopping in-store, rising to 78% for 18-29 year olds. The advent of the smartphone therefore means that – good or bad – the consumers’ experience of your customer service can be broadcast instantly to their followers.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that by not having a social media presence, you can escape online criticism. People will still go online to express their happiness or annoyance, and you have no mechanism to thank or assist them. When it comes to social media, having a voice and being transparent and accountable are essential to protect and enhance your company’s reputation.

Don’t forget to learn from web reviews to constantly improve your customers’ experience face-to-face, too.

There should be a synergy between your digital and in-store strategies, so that no customer is forgotten and every potential buyer feels engaged.

One of my favourite things about digital marketing is that everything is measurable. If you rent a billboard on a busy road, how do you know which of the drivers converted into a sale? With Google AdWords and social media, you can tell exactly how many people clicked on your website and even what they did when they got to the checkout.

Over the next few weeks, I look forward to sharing more of the digital marketing tips that have propelled Land of Beds to the award-winning company it is today. In the meantime, if you have any questions, tweet us at @landofbeds!

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RA Furn

Our Heritage Collection offers affordable luxury and exquisite style and has been awarded Good Housekeeping Institute approval for the 3rd year running!

To find out more call 01282 851 111 or visit rest-assured.co.uk

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86 | Resources

There are numerous ways to play a transaction in store – Fortegra’s Kevin Cundiff presents a short quiz to help salespeople identify the optimum scenario …

ARE YOU A SALES SUPERSTAR?

Hey, hot shot – are you really the sales superstar you think you are? Let’s take a walk through a few sensitive customer scenarios to see how you’d handle the situation. Once you’re finished, check your answers to see if you’ve still got a thing or two to learn, or if you truly are a sales pro. Good luck!

1. A customer walks into your store. When asked what they’re shopping for today, they reply with “Just looking around”. But they seem really interested in bedroom sets. What do you do next? a) Leave them alone so they can shop in peace b) Make some recommendations on bedroom options c) Ask more questions about why they stopped in today d) Tell them about your latest deals and promotions.

Answer: c) Ask them a few more questions about why they stopped in today. Approaching customers with the intention of conversation rather than interrogation is always the best approach. In this scenario, you should attempt to start some friendly conversation with the customer to find out why they came in and what they’re looking for before you offer any recommendations.

2. A customer approaches you with some questions about sofa beds. They’ve got a few things in mind, but want your expert opinion on different options.

What do you do? a) Pitch them the most expensive model b) Consult with them to best determine their needs c) Walk the customer through the specs of each model d) Tell the customer you don’t feel comfortable giving your opinion Answer: b) Consult with them to best determine their needs. Before you move in for the close, it’s crucial to determine what the customer really needs – the real reason they’re looking for that sleeper sofa in a particular material and colour. Consult before you pitch, and you’ll be more likely to walk away with a sale.

THE AUTHOR Kevin Cundiff is the vice-president of retail for Fortegra, an insurance services company that offers a range of credit protection solutions.

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3. A family of five is looking for a dining room table.

They have a tight budget and are eyeing smaller table sets that only seat two. How do you handle it? a) Let them purchase the two-seater. A sale is a sale b) Pitch them your largest, cheapest dining room set c) Tell them they’re making a bad decision d) Discuss the value of stretching to buy a larger set Answer: d) Discuss the value of stretching to purchase a larger set. Good salespeople know that price and value are two different things. Demonstrate the greater value of a table that can seat their entire family and provide them with appropriate options, so they don’t feel financially stressed about the purchase.

4. When you ask a customer if they need help, they reply with an abrupt “No.” What do you do next? a) Give them a break for a few minutes b) Leave them alone c) Remind them of your latest deals and special offers d) Reply with a snarky comment Answer: a) Give them a break and then approach again in a few minutes. On the sales floor, “no” is rarely non-negotiable. As we all know, a sales pro doesn’t give up too easily. Be persistent and approach grumpy customers multiple times.

5) A salesperson on your team knocks their individual sales goal out of the park, bringing in the most monthly revenue ever. How do you respond? a) Quietly congratulate your teammate b) Share the win with your entire team – a win for one is a win for all c) Feel down on yourself for not hitting such numbers d) Talk about your teammate behind their back Answer: b) Share the win with your entire team – a win for one is a win for all. Successful sales teams are unified around a common goal. When one member does exceptionally well, it should be celebrated and embraced. Take your individual goals seriously, but when someone manages to bring in major revenue, it’s a success for the entire team and business.

Practice makes perfect! Keep practising and soon enough, you’ll be a sales superstar. Use this quiz as a roadmap to improve your techniques and, ultimately, win more sales.

21/12/2016 15:37

RA Fur

Introducing The British Wool Collection

This stunning new collection of quality pocket spring mattresses from Rest Assured combines the best of quality craftsmanship and the pure comfort of natural British wool. Rest Assured it’s British by nature.

To find out more please call 01282 851 111 or visit rest-assured.co.uk

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88 | Year in Review

From the decision to exit the EU to Trump’s victory, 2016 was full of surprises. With the help of a panel of seasoned retailers, Furniture News looks at some of the year’s most notable developments and their likely impact on the furniture industry in the second part of this feedback feature …

A year in review – part two Last year saw a host of significant developments take place in the industry, and several stand 0ut for their shock value and wider ramifications. For the purposes of this retrospective, Furniture News gathered a panel of established retailers to offer responses to a selected headline item from each month (see boxout). A brief summary of each story is outlined – anyone interested in some further reading should use the website’s search tool to find the full story.

This article covers July to November – the responses for stories from January to June 2016 can be found in the first part of the feature, which was published in the December issue of Furniture News.

W furniturenews.net

THE PANEL Ross Beveridge (RB), Archers Sleepcentre, founded in 2001 and operating through 11 stores in Scotland Mike Murray (MM), Land of Beds, established in 1974 in Helsby, Cheshire Royce Clark (RC), Grampian Furnishers, established in 1975 in Lossiemouth, Scotland Daniel Wade (DW), Feather & Black, a 24-store chain founded in 2004 Steve Pickering (SP), Sussex Beds, an eight-store independent founded in 1981 A number of anonymous contributions were also made.

JULY

Has training had its day?

After 13 years, Proskills UK and its National Skills Academy for Materials, Production and Supply ceases trading. According to Proskills, the past five years saw an ever-changing skills environment which made it “more difficult than ever to create the desired level of sustainability”.

Is there a distinct lack of support for industry training? How do you approach staff acquisition and training?

MM: We have found The Sleep Council and the National Bed Federation to be extremely supportive with industry training. As recently as September, the NBF launched their new Introduction to Beds online course, which is marketed as the perfect way for anyone new to beds to quickly get up to speed with the key areas of our industry sector.

When it comes to staff acquisition, we are always looking for opportunities to reward the hard work and loyalty of our existing staff with opportunities for personal development and career progression within the company.

When we appoint externally, first and foremost we are looking for people with the right values, who are committed to delivering outstanding customer service. Any gaps in knowledge or experience can be filled with on-the-job learning and through mentorship. In recent months, we have increasingly experimented with using social media as a recruitment tool – using paid-for advertising campaigns to target people with the requisite skills and interests in specific geographical catchment areas.

SP: Retailing is changing rapidly and becoming more and more of a science. Gone are the days of simply buying and selling goods – today’s retail is about statistics, working in micros and optimising performance.

Training, as part of this strategy, focuses on improving conversion but also retaining and motivating team members, as training brings fulfilment and a sense of progression and achievement.

RC: We do all our training in house, and over the years we have tended to employ local people we know, so this area isn’t one we have really been involved in.

“Gone are the days of simply buying and selling goods – today’s retail is about statistics, working in micros and optimising performance” - Steve Pickering

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JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW

Hot new trends coming your way...

FRONT OF HALL 4 STAND D20

We’re coming to the January Furniture Show with hot new trends sure to light up your store this year. We’ll be launching two brand new collections that capture the latest interior trends. With 50 brand new items between these two new collections, it’s shaping up to be one hell of a show.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the January Furniture Show without some old favourites, so you’ll also be able to check out our best-selling oak, pine and painted furniture collections. And if you missed them first time round, you’ll be able to see our new TT Dining and DG Dining ranges.

Scandinavian style with a UK twist...

Luxe looks with a classic country edge...

With the hit new NT range. The oak NT Collection features gently curved edges and tapering legs. With a choice of wooden or chrome handles.

In the classic NR range. The NR Collection contrasts a white paint finish with flag pattern grey lime wash oak veneer tops and brass knobs for a luxurious feel.

And plenty more...

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90 | Year in Review

AUGUST

Brand boundaries

Sofa Brands International (SBI) – purveyor of brands including Duresta, G Plan Upholstery and Parker Knoll – launches The Lounge Co, a multichannel upholstery seller fronted by a London showroom on Chiswick High Road, and working through concessions with 20 independent retail partners.

Do manufacturers turning to retail represent a threat? How do you think SBI’s new business will play out? Are you involved with the new brand, and if so, what made you welcome the development?

SP: Who is the brand? Going back 20 years, the brand was the product, recognised and requested by the consumer. These brands regularly advertised and promoted themselves directly to the consumer, but with shrinking budgets this connection was lost, and gradually the brand has been moving away from the product to the outlet.

Ask consumers today who a bed or mattress brand is, and the answer will probably be Dreams or Bensons. The outlet is the brand, and for traditional brands to remain relevant they will need to progress to forward-facing positions to reconnect with the consumer.

In our business we have now completed the move away from the traditional named brands, and solely supply our own branded products. This has had a dramatic effect in terms of margin achievement and also controlling the online search and competition.

MM: Retail is a movable feast, with the marketplace constantly evolving to meet the changing needs and appetites of consumers.

We would always seek to work positively with any manufacturers venturing into retail. We have accumulated four decades of expertise in-store, which makes us the ideal partners to work with and to learn from.

While we are not presently involved with the new SBI brand, we welcome their change in direction and wish them success, and are open to discussions.

RC: I think this will be something many others will look at, but perhaps they will wait to see how successful this venture is first. I would say this will upset many retailers who are customers of the brands who aren’t one of the concessions – however, we are not involved with any of these.

“Retail is a movable feast, with the marketplace constantly evolving to meet the changing needs and appetites of consumers” - Mike Murray

SEPTEMBER

Argos incorporated

Sainsbury’s completes its acquisition of Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos and Habitat. Chief executive Mike Coupe says: “The combination of Sainsbury’s and Home Retail Group creates one of the UK’s largest food and non–food retailers.”

What do you expect the new face of Argos and Habitat to look like? Did you welcome the news? Does the general concessionwithin-a-supermarket format concern you?

RC: It will look very appealing to the consumer, I’m sure – the introduction of Habitat and Argos concessions in Sainsbury’s stores will be a common sight in the years ahead. I’m not sure I welcome the news, as it makes some big players even bigger, which is always a threat to the independent retailer. I think that the concept of the concession, within-a-supermarket and other larger retail outlets, will become more common.

We actually operate in-store concessions ourselves and have done for some time, so it’s not a new concept for me. I’m certainly not surprised that these are on the rise, as the shared rent/rates etc makes a huge difference and can mean an outlet can be opened in a location where it just wouldn’t have been cost effective to do so previously. The bigger stores looking to now downsize are glad to get partners in, which helps footfall and generally has a positive impact on spend.

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“The bigger stores looking to now downsize are glad to get partners in, which helps footfall and generally has a positive impact on spend” - Royce Clark SP: Only time will tell if the acquisition of Home Retail Group was right – I would question the demographic of the two businesses. Sainsbury’s consumer may well use the facility of the in-store Argos, but will Argos’ travel to Sainsbury’s?

MM: We would expect Argos and Habitat to follow a concession format where they will become housed within a supermarket – creating a retail environment that offers all things to all people, a one-stop-shop under a single roof, be that physically or virtually.

We always welcome change, and especially change that increases choice and convenience to customers, and encourages us to evaluate how we can think smarter and improve the agility of our business too. The concession-within-asupermarket format does not concern us, as we play to our strengths of being an independent high street and online retailer with four decades of sleep expertise.

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JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW

Sublime looks in a choice of colour...

FRONT OF HALL 4 STAND D20

Large Bookcase

Large Sideboard

£145.00

Console Table

£169.99

Solid Seat Chair

£85.00

£45.00

Large Coffee Table

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£107.50

Nest of 3 Tables

£75.00

The TT Collection’s classic looks are enhanced with gently lime-washed oak tops and chrome cup handles, while wicker baskets on selected items add more natural charm. Available in grey or white paint finish, the TT Collection is hot property!

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92 | Year in Review

OCTOBER

A veneer of truth

Oak Furniture Land (OFL) is reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regarding the use of the phrase “No veneer in ‘ere” when in fact some of the advertiser’s furniture is made using an oak wrap technique. Oak Furniture Land MD Jason Bannister is “baffled and surprised by the ASA’s adjudication”, and feels that “the ASA have misinterpreted age-old definitions of firstly, what is classed as solid and secondly, what is classed as a veneer”.

Has the ASA set a dangerous precedent? Do you agree with OFL? How might this affect the way you market your products?

RC: I feel they have been a little harshly treated here, and perhaps the victim of their own marketing campaign’s success.

Have they been made an example of ? Possibly!

Every manufacturer and retailer should be clear of the materials used in each product they sell so the end user is 100% clear what they are buying. This ASA reprimand will hopefully ensure there are no future cases like this.

Anon: The ASA has set a precedent that means manufacturers and retailers will now, more than ever before, need to very carefully consider the wording they use to describe their materials and manufacturing processes to prevent potential complaints.

That in itself is no bad thing, as it is important that terms are universally understood to support consumers to make informed choices.

However, given that industry-accredited experts, thousands of customers and even the ASA’s own advisory panel are in agreement that OFL do not sell veneers and that their products are exclusively made from hardwood, it is difficult to see what further assurance measures can be introduced to prevent a similar case arising.

For us, it will mean that we will need to continue to devise marketing approaches with the input of our suppliers to sensecheck any declarations we are planning to make along similar lines.

“Every manufacturer and retailer should be clear of the materials used in each product they sell so the end user is 100% clear what they are buying” - Royce Clark

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JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW

Classic country style with a choice...

FRONT OF HALL 4 STAND D20

Tall Wide Bookcase

Solid Seat Chair

£52.50

£169.00 Extending Dining Tables From

£174.00

3 Door Sideboard

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£189.00

Wine Cabinet

£89.99

The classic English country style of the striking DG collection can be given a bespoke twist with a choice of wood or chrome-effect knobs. Combined with a contrasting natural oak top, this is a killer range that’s flying off the shelves!

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94 | Year in Review

NOVEMBER

Independents’ day

Data released by the Local Data Company (LDC) and the British Independent Retailers Association (bira) shows that traditional independent retailers opened slightly more shops than were closed in H1 2016 in Britain’s town centres, whilst the national chains continued to see a fall. Greater London continues to show the greatest decline of independents, while Scotland reverses a net decrease of units to show a modest increase.

Where is/are your store/s located, and can you see any validity to these claims? What is the future of retail locations – will out-of-town parks triumph, or online? Have you seen any local openings/closures of furniture stores recently?

RC: We are based in a small coastal town where we are almost the last retail presence, so our future plans are to relocate to a bigger, more prominent site on the edge of the nearby bigger town.

Retail space has changed forever, whether we like it or not. I am gutted to see the death of my own high street, but the path has been made, and convenience is what the consumer wants.

There have been no local openings or closings of furniture stores in our neck of the woods … hopefully our new one will be the next !

RB: We have a variety of locations across Scotland, from retail parks and high streets to standalone branches on arterial routes. I don’t think you can pigeonhole retail locations, and I believe the key is finding sites that can trade like retail parks with lower headline rents – often these sites require more vision and larger refurbishment plans, but can prove to be more profitable in the long run.

Stores will forever come and go, but a failed store does not

always mean it’s a bad location, and although a slightly obscure location can be successful, I think you’ll see more concessions and sub-divided retail park space as retailers look to operate from prime locations at reduced or subsidised rent.

MM: We have two stores located in the Cheshire villages of Helsby and Frodsham, complemented by an online presence.

We have a capital programme in place to open 10 stores by 2020.

With the increasing dominance of ecommerce, a company that relies solely on in-store sales could potentially struggle.

The ideal scenario is to have a multichannel approach consisting of both high street and out-of-town stores, supported by a strong ecommerce presence, to fully meet the differing needs of your customers. In our nearest cities, we have seen branches of national chain stores closing, but none that are furniture-related.

SP: We are actively seeking additional stores to add to our portfolio, but this is proving difficult for the size, location and costing that we require. There is, and always will be, a strong need for physical stores, combined with a supportive, interactive transactional online channel.

Retail is going through a period of rapid evolution. The ability today to track, measure and optimise provides retailers a fantastic opportunity to capitalise and fine-tune their businesses.

This advantage will provide increasing profitability and protection against future start-ups and new businesses who will not have the statistics, data and information, and will therefore need deeper and deeper pockets to trade through the learning curve.

“I think you’ll see more concessions and sub-divided retail park space as retailers look to operate from prime locations at reduced or subsidised rent”

- Ross Beveridge

See December’s issue – available within our online magazine archive at www.furniturenews.net/magazine – for the first part of this special feature.

Email the editor at paul@gearingmediagroup.com if you would like to offer comment in a future feedback panel.

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JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW

And much more in the way of wicker.

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Chair with Cushion

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D I S P L A Y

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Dalston The Dalston’s high arm and high back act as a ‘cocoon’ encompassing soft, generously filled feather cushions to maximise those chill-out moments.

www.collinsandhayes.com

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A high back sofa and unit range with contemporary styling and generous seat proportions with unique wing detail.

Squidgy mixed scatter backs allows for a playful mix of fabrics; perfectly paired with Duggie arm chair.

Gracie

See us at the January Furniture Show, Stand 1C20

Relentless Elegance View our fabulous range at our showroom in East Sussex, and at our trade showroom in Long Eaton, by appointment Handmade to order in England

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Return to product central The January Furniture Show is the largest furniture and interiors trade show in the UK. Held across five halls of the Birmingham NEC, this year’s edition takes place from 22nd-25th this month, and promises to offer the trade an invaluable sourcing platform. Read on for Furniture News’ comprehensive preview …

Over 450 major UK and international brands will present more than 50,000 new furniture and interior decor designs and collections to an estimated 20,000 visitors.

Furniture remains at the heart of the show, bolstered by a returning Fabric Pavilion and Flooring Showcase, and numerous furnishings and accessory exhibitors.

Each of the five halls has a different focus. Hall 1 offers a focus on high-end upholstery and cabinet, comprising some of the UK’s most recognisable brands.Large, creative stands full of sofas in rich fabrics and designs from classical to ultra modern will dominate, along with design-led cabinets in a variety of woods and finishes.

Hall 1 also features the Fabric Pavillion, which brings together some of the UK’s best producers to show their newest tweeds, wools, cottons, linens and silks.

Hall 2 has an international flavour. Major brands from Europe will present everything from Italian leather sofas to crisp Scandinavian living and dining furniture. The Flooring Showcase is housed here, and features some of

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the UK’s best-known carpet manufacturers alongside big-brand flooring companies exhibiting hard and soft flooring.

In addition, Birmingham City University (BCU) is working with industry partners including Brintons, Tektura Wallcoverings, Ikea and HF Contracts to present a range of furniture based on trend forecasts from stand 2-C80.

Hall 3 offers decorative accessories and gifts, with interior furnishings from tea lights to floorstanding mirrors on show. Over 80 exhibitors, including some of the biggest names in furnishing accessories, will launch new collections here.

The entrance to Hall 3 will feature a display illustrating those entrants shortlisted for the Furniture Awards 2017 – the winners of which will be declared on the first day of the event (read more from p102).

Hall 4 principally comprises volume cabinet goods, with UK and international suppliers offering new >>>

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100 | January Furniture Show

models and bestsellers in bedroom, living and dining furniture aimed at the volume, middle and uppermiddle markets. A group of companies from Romania’s APMR association will be present here for the first time, while Furniture News itself will be present on stand 4-F25.

Hall 5, the largest hall, contains volume upholstery and beds. Well-known upholstery brands that supply large contracts and retail stores will fill Hall 5 with sofas and chairs in a variety of styles and fabrics. Joining them are large bed and mattress exhibitors showing every kind of bed, including new standard, ottoman and motion models.

Finally, the piazza suites in the central concourse will house a handful of exhibitors in separate rooms.

“Everywhere you look in the show will be new product and new entrants,” says show director Laraine Janes.

“Over 450 exhibitors in five packed halls – nearly 10%

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bigger than last year – have made an incredible effort to make this show the best it can be. With stand design and presentation at an all-time high, and new product on every stand, it’s a show no self-respecting furniture professional should miss.”

Taking place simultaneously is the Great Hospitality Show. Running from 23rd-25th January in Hall 9, this event is dominated by catering equipment and services, and joint registration means that visitors signing up to attend the January Furniture Show can gain entry. A courtesy bus will run between the shows each day.

Visiting is easy – there is an international airport and train station attached to the venue, and good road links, with free parking and a courtesy bus to the halls.

Read on to discover more about what to expect from a visit to the UK’s most comprehensive furniture and furnishings trade show …

W januaryfurnitureshow.com

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Best in show The Furniture Awards return this month to recognise and celebrate the industry’s champion suppliers. The awards – developed by Furniture News in partnership with the January Furniture Show – offer the event’s exhibitors the opportunity to put the best of their new products before a panel of expert judges …

With more entries submitted than ever, the judges will have their work cut out for them at the upcoming show. Having whittled the entries down to a shortlist covering the four categories – Bedroom, Living, Dining and Decor – the panel will meet prior to the show’s opening to inspect a select few on site.

The awards scheme, which is now in its third year, aims to identify and reward the best new products launched at the January exhibition, the principal launch platform for new models and ranges into the UK market. Each exhibitor is permitted to submit one entry, which will be evaluated based on criteria such as value, quality and marketability.

The awards are co-ordinated

and chaired by Paul Farley, editor of Furniture News, and the 2017 judging panel comprises a mix of new and returning judges: Malcolm Walker, director of buying for Furniture Village; Diana Celella, award-winning interior designer and president elect of SBID; Rob Scarlett, furniture designer; and Royce Clark, MD of Grampian Furnishers.

The winners will be revealed on the first day of the show (Sunday 22nd January), and will then be able to employ The Furniture Awards branding across their marketing and retail PoS, and benefit from promotional items throughout the year.

“The exciting and diverse range

Diana Celella Award-winning designer Diana Celella is the founding director of independent design consultancy The Drawing Room Interiors.

Diana was the Midlands regional director of the Society of British and International Design (SBID) from 2010-2012, after which she was appointed chair of regional directors – a position she holds today.

Malcolm Walker After judging the 2016 edition, Furniture Village’s director of buying returns to the panel. For the last 44 years, Malcolm’s career has revolved around retail, and chiefly the home furnishing market. In his current position, Malcolm is responsible for the retailer’s product direction, categories, price architecture and more.

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of products on view at the January Furniture Show is in itself a celebration of the British furniture industry,” comments January Furniture Show director Theresa Raymond. “The Furniture Awards takes the best of these products, from all levels of the marketplace, and lifts them above the rest.”

A display of the shortlisted entries and winners will be on show at the entrance to Hall 3A. >>>

Rob Scarlett Boasting a 13-year career producing commercial furniture designs for high street retailers, designer Rob Scarlett returns to the panel after judging the inaugural awards in 2015.

The founder of Scarlett Design has worked with the likes of Willis & Gambier, Nathan, Heal’s, Marks & Spencer, Furniture Village and John Lewis.

Royce Clark The MD of family furniture store Grampian Furnishers, located in the Moray Firth coastal village of Lossiemouth in northern Scotland, Royce took over the business at the age of 22. Now a £2m-plus operation, Grampian sells its products nationwide via its website, and plans have been submitted for a new flagship store.

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Hall of fame – last year’s winners Last year, judges Maxim Romain, Malcolm Walker, Dids Macdonald and Andrew Durham selected the winners of The Furniture Awards 2016, which were sponsored by Dreams …

Pictured to the right is the team behind last year’s edition of The Furniture Awards: January Furniture Show organiser Laraine Janes; Brett Silver, head of buying for awards sponsor Dreams; show organiser Theresa Raymond; and awards co-ordinator Paul Farley.

Keep an eye open for details of The Furniture Awards 2018 later this year …

W januaryfurnitureshow.com/the-furniture-awards/

Value Category

Winner: Hong Kong 7526, Think Rugs Entered in a striking mustard and grey colourway, Hong Kong 7526 is one of the latest in a popular collection of 100% acrylic rugs from the Stoke-onTrent-based Think Rugs, a rebrand of Oriental Carpets and Rugs.

Hong Kong 7526 is available in three sizes – 90 x 150cm, 120 x 170cm and 150 x 230cm, and represents high value for money.Manufactured and hand-tufted in China, its modern design combines a geometric pattern with a stylish, on-trend colour palette.

Sam Tippett, buying and design manager, comments: “The Furniture Awards 2016 were fantastic for business. The exposure that the awards provided – especially to top buyers from large retailers – directly generated sales for the rest of the year. I hope we can benefit as much from the 2017 edition!”

Paul Farley and Laraine Janes present Think Rugs’ Sam Tippett with his trophy

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Think Rugs’ Hong Kong 7526

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Mid-level Category

Winner: Cadell, Bentley Designs A solid wood and veneered dining and occasional range, Cadell is an interpretation of the vintage industrial style priced to meet the budget of the mainstream consumer.

According to design manager Ray Davies, Cadell’s straight lines are offest by naturalistic waney edges, inspired by sawn tree trunks.

The range is completed in two contrasting naturallook finishes, aged and weathered oak, which “define and accentuate the meeting of natural and linear styling”, and comprises a fixed dining table, chairs in fabric, bonded leather and semi-analine leather, sideboard, entertainment unit, open display unit, console table, coffee and lamp table.

“Our hope is that we’ll have another worthy entry to be part of The Furniture Awards again. The great thing about the awards is that they are something extra to work towards as a designer and add a bit of competition, which is not a bad thing!”

Highly commended in this category was the Wycombe dining and living range, from Gallery Direct’s Hudson Living range.

Allure is a high-powered yet compact model

Paul Farley and Laraine Janes present the trophy to Nicoletti Home’s export general manager Eustachio Nicoletti and sales manager Mimmo Scarola

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Cadell brings a high-end look to the mainstream

Bentley Designs’ design manager Ray Davies and director Rif Lalani receive their award from Laraine Janes and Paul Farley

Upper-level Category

Winner: Allure, Nicoletti Home A compact, contemporary model boasting top-grade Italian leather, rich metal legs and distinctivelyshaped arms, Allure is an elegant sofa that boasts smooth motion technology.

“The lateral shape of the arm is unique and gives this model an alluring appeal,” says sales manager Domenico Scarola. “It’s a model offering a casual style in a compact size.”

Nicoletti Home is an internationally-recognised Italian brand, with 40 years’ experience of producing high-quality upholstered furniture. Located in Bari’s famous Murgia district, the company distributes Italian-made products to 70 countries.

Domenico says: “After the NEC 2016, we launched the model at the Milan show – it was sold to customers from 42 different countries. Since than, between display orders and repeats, it has become our third best-selling model worldwide. We will certainly put another model forward for the 2017 edition.”

Brooke, a scooped-arm sofa in natural fibres from Collins and Hayes, was highly commended in this category.

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Lighting the way it should be...

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®

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Hall 1

AIMMP............................................. 1A14 Akante.............................................1F70a Alexander & James....................... 1B20 Alfrank Designs............................. 1D70 Alhambra................................1FAB C-6 Alpha Designs Upholstery......... 1E85 Alstons.............................................. 1C60 Anne & Robert Swaffer......1FAB C-6 Art Georgies.................................... 1A24 Artedi................................................ 1G85 Artistic Upholstery....................... 1E64 Ashley Manor Upholstery.......... 1B30 Ashwood Designs......................... 1D30 Baker Furniture............... 1F60 & G60 Barker & Barker....................1FAB C-7 Bentley Designs............................ 1A40 BFM................................................... 1A94 Boissigny Distribution..............1F70b Bree’s New World Helderr.........1B10 Carlton Furniture......................... 1B65 Charltons Furniture..................... 1F10 Clemence Richard......................... 1B80 Collins and Hayes Furniture..... 1C20 Curzon & Co.................................... 1A25 David Gundry................................. 1D50 Diamond Concept......................... 1A80

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Doo Petroprojekt.......................... 1B10 Duresta Upholstery...................... 1E20 Ease Furniture............................... 1B70 Ercol Furniture.............................. 1E40 Essente...................................... 1FAB C4 F & M Steed.................................... 1B60 FIRA................................................... 1B90 Furniture Origins.......................... 1A60 Furniwood Unipessoal Lda....... 1A14 G Plan Upholstery....................... 1D20 Gascoigne Designs....................... 1E45 Greenwood Retail......................... 1A1 Hampton.......................................... 1C45 Heico Fasteners UK...................... 1A30 Highgate Wood.............................. 1E90 House of Edga............... 1FAB C1 & C2 Iain James Furniture................... 1E64 Ian Mankin Fabrics............... 1FAB C5 Jansen International................... 1C70 JSC...................................................... 1E70 Kesterport....................................... 1E61 Kobe UK.................................... 1FAB C3 Lektra............................................... 1A96 Levitas Design................................ 1F15 Limelight Beds.............................. 1C45 Lyra Group...................................... 1E70

Manor & Mews.............................. 1A72 Mark Webster Designs................ 1C30 Michael Tyler................................. 1F75 Nicoletti Home.............................. 1D75 Nicoletti Trade............................... 1D75 Old Charm....................................... 1C40 Optimise Solutions....................... 1F16 Panacea Furniture........................ 1A80 Parker Knoll.................................... 1F20 Paulus & Brown............................. 1A50 Peter Guild...................................... 1B60 Prevue UK........................................ 1A15 Price & Company......................... 1G80 Provence International Lda...... 1B10 Qualita Ltd...................................... 1C46 Quarrata Qualita Export SCRL.1A70 Repose.............................................. 1C45 Richard Stamp Agencies............ 1B10 Rowico UK....................................... 1C52 Sc Mozaic Vitalii........................... 1A24 Softnord........................................... 1E70 Sports Therapy.............................. 1C45 Stone Italia...................................... 1B40 Swaffer....................................1FAB C-6 Swift.................................................. 1C45 Tamarisk Designs......................... 1A20

TCH Furniture............................... 1B50 TemaHome SA............................... 1B10 Tetrad............................................... 1F85 The Isle Mill.................. 1FAB C1 & C2 Titley & Marr.........................1FAB C-8 Tom Schneider.............................. 1D47 Ventura Design.............................. 1D73 Vincent Sheppard......................... 1D73 Vintage............................................. 1B65 Vogue Beds...................................... 1C45 Wade Upholstery......................... 1D60 Warwick Fabrics (UK)..................1A10 Westbridge Furniture Designs 1D80 Whitehall & Wilson......1FAB C1 & C2 Whitemeadow................................ 1F40 Willis Gambier (UK).................... 1E60 Winsor Furniture......................... 1D40 Wood Bros (Furniture)............... 1C40 Wychwood Design........................ 1B22 XYZ Agencies................................. 1A50 Zenith Arts...................................... 1D45 In the central concourse Joy Glory......................... Piazza Suites Scan Thor UK................ Piazza Suites Violino............................. Piazza Suites

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Alpha Designs Upholstery (stand 1-E85, 01902 492937) is exhibiting at the January Furniture Show for the third year running and is looking to make an impression. The company will be unveiling five new ranges along with an assortment of its bestselling models. The new Molly range has been strikingly crafted with padded arms, generous seating and luxury fabrics.

Arncliffe Chair

Pickering Chair

This year sees the development of the Wood Bros (stand 1-C40, www.woodbros.co.uk) sofa collection that enjoyed success in 2016. The sofas and accent chairs are comfortable and compact and look stylish in the 100% wool Moon fabrics. The fabric swatches are being further developed and feature many more textured plains and velvets. Also on the stand this year will be a new contemporary cabinet collection comprised of dining and occasional furniture and available in two finishes.

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Come visit us at the NEC NEC Birmingham 22th - 25th January 2017 Hall 1 Stand D80

www.westbridgefurniture.com

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The shape of progress Collins and Hayes has been busy since its last January Furniture Show appearance, reports Furniture News, as it explores some of the newest models visitors can expect to see at this year’s event …

Gracie

At last year’s show, the contemporary upholstery manufacturer’s new collection made further inroads, stockist numbers grew, and its Brooke sofa was highly commended in The Furniture Awards 2016.

As the year went on, Collins and Hayes further made its presence felt via numerous show appearances, including Long Point, and the AIS and Minerva buying group shows.

The summer saw the company enjoy a further industry accolade as it was named Best UK Furniture Manufacturer, whilst it rolled out attractive brand galleries through key stockists. In July, the company was acquired by luxury brand specialist Wessex Bristol, a development which promises that stockists will increasingly benefit from exclusive lines and wider marketing.

The company’s MD, Matt O’Flynn, hit the national headlines in October when he refuted claims made by the Home Secretary – also the company’s local

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MP – that the majority of his staff was recruited from overseas. Refusing to be drawn into an argument on immigration, Matt responded with a clear call to improve training and workplace opportunities across the industry.

Throughout the year, the team at Collins and Hayes has been working hard to develop new models and refine existing lines, and a visit to stand 1-C20 will reveal the culmination of these efforts.

“We have the product working harder than ever for us on the stand this year,” says creative and marketing executive Kate Delany, “with product groups sitting together harmoniously to include 12 models plus occasional chairs, stools and upholstered tables. In all, it’s a unique, natural collection with real choice and comfort.”

Amongst that, the show will see the launch of three new designs – Gracie, Banks and Duggie.

According to Kate, Gracie offers “the best of all

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Gracie in a soft herringbone, with geometric back cushions

worlds”. An elegant, high-back sofa and unit range with contemporary styling and generous seat proportions, Gracie boasts elegant square arms, with uniquely tailored wing detail. “Squidgy mixed scatter backs allow for a playful mix on fabric selection,” says Kate, “while Gracie’s sectional unit system maximises on seating, offering a very usable corner. It suits all users.”

Next is Banks, a low and sleek-sit sofa range with traditional undertones, a neat scroll arm and turned leg. Banks is on trend, with a classic and cosy twist.

The fabrics on this model are exclusive to Collins and Hayes and reflect high-end catwalk trends – including a tapestry-style floral and contemporary Chanel-inspired boucle.

Finally, there’s Duggie, a slim-arm, high-back accent chair with twin-needle tailoring on its arms. A good partner for Gracie, it will be shown in fabric and in a leather-fabric mix.

These new additions join Collins and Hayes’ existing

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Duggie

favourites, including Semper. Launched at AIS and Long Point last autumn, Semper offers a keen price point and fabric selection whilst maintaining the manufacturer’s core quality levels.

These guaranteed standards include the use of natural fibres, exclusively. “Our unique manufacturing process of bonding wool interliner to our fully-boarded frame enables us to leave natural fabrics, free from backcoating chemicals,” explains Kate.

“This is a unique solution which allows the fabric to breathe, and be chemical-free, as well as being soft and supple as it was intended. Boarding the outside of our sofa frames also improves the longevity and performance of our furniture – which is to be expected from a furniture brand of our calibre.”

New PoS material is available to support the Collins and Hayes brand and its unique natural fabric offer – visit stand 1-C20 at the show to find out more.

E sales@collinsandhayes.com

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Back with a splash After just one year of absence from the NEC, Charltons Furniture is back at the show with a splash (of colour). After an MBO at the beginning of last year, the company’s MD Ross Charlton is bringing new products, new people and new ideas to stand 1-F10 …

Vintage

“The split with our (then) parent company AJ Charlton and Sons Ltd was very much a natural (and amicable!) parting of the ways,” explains Ross on the MBO. “The furniture sector has changed immeasurably over the past few years. With the MBO behind us we are now able to really focus on our core values of quality and service whilst having the ability to react speedily and decisively in a marketplace that is capable of changing very quickly.” Charltons was one of the first UK furniture companies to invest heavily in an in-house paint shop. That investment has now paid off, with Charltons now recognised as one of the main suppliers of quality painted furniture.

“We take colour seriously,” says Ross. “We looked carefully at the demand for painted furniture in the sector, and far too many customers were being fobbed off with murky whites or anonymous greys.

We therefore decided to offer genuine choice, with the customer being able to choose exactly what they want.

“No home is the same. There has been a big change in customer expectation, and we have moved to meet that expectation.”

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Charltons has also been working hard to make the retailer’s job a great deal easier. Its innovative new Make It Your Own app has proved a success, with buyers able to see for themselves exactly how their purchase will look in whatever colours, finishes or accessories have been chosen.

This month, Charltons will also launch its new website and PoS material.

“We are delighted to be back at the January Furniture Show,” adds Ross. “The show will provide the venue for the unveiling of our new product range, the Somerdale.

We shall also be taking with us to Birmingham both the Eaton and the Vintage collections.

“However, the show will also provide us with the opportunity to show off the exciting developments that are happening with our best-selling Bretagne Collection.

Come along to our stand to find out!”

Ross and his team – including recently-appointed head of sales, Steve Upperton – look forward to welcoming visitors to the stand.

T 01761 408020 W charltonsfurniture.co.uk

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Painted Furniture L I K E N O OT H E R

MAKE IT YOUR OWN WITH OUR UNIQUE RANGE OF PAINTS, FINISHES AND ACCESSORIES. Find us in Hall 1, stand F10 at JFS 2017 where you can see all our colour possibilities.

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BFM to highlight wide service offering Once again, The British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) will be attending this year’s January Furniture Show, providing current and potential members with the chance to see the wide range of services offered and membership benefits available.

The BFM also organises the London Fabric Show, bringing together producers and suppliers of fabrics from Europe and the UK

Jackie Bazeley, MD of the BFM, and who will be in attendance throughout the show, says: “The 2017 January Furniture Show is a great platform for us to demonstrate to visitors and exhibitors what the BFM has on offer and explore in detail the many benefits of joining the association – so we are pleased to be attending again this year.”

Members of the BFM are granted access to the association’s logo on all promotional materials, a web page with text and product pictures aimed at trade and consumers with regular UK and international sales leads.

Commodity pricing reports are also available on more than 250 items which, given the currency fluctuations and increases on raw materials, will become an increasingly important tool for members to monitor supplies together with benchmarking and trade data including annual and quarterly reports on the performance of the industry.

Other useful membership benefits include exhibitor space discounts along with VIP benefits at the January Furniture Show, access to the export portal – an online source of advice and direction for new and established exports – plus preferential benefits which include energy brokerage, mobile phone contracts, a free health check and discounted access to furniture and furnishings testing through Furniture Industry Research Association.

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Other services available include productivity consultants, a bespoke e-learning platform for managers, sales and team leaders, solutions, advice and practical support on employment updates, commercial legal advice, solicitors’ tribunal help, PAYE/Payroll and VAT, health, safety and environment advice via phone and email and commercial agency agreement and advice plus information on EUTR. BFM members that produce more than 75% of their products in the UK are able to join the BFM’s Great British Furniture campaign which has been reminding consumers, retailers, contract specifiers, architects and a wider international audience of the benefits of buying British for the past seven years.

It has seen a number of high-profile names sign up in support, advocating British-made furniture with easily identifiable PoS material.

The BFM lobbies and advances the interest of the furniture industry directly with Government through The British Furniture Confederation (BFC) in the UK and EU, the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Group of the House of Commons and the European Furniture Manufacturers Federation.

Find the BFM on stand 1A85/A90.

T 01494 569124 W bfm.org.uk

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adver

Seek advice from our experts: Mike Dimond: MikeDimond@bfm.org.uk Steve Moore: steve.moore@bfm.org.uk

Solutions, advice & practical support • • • • • • •

Health, safety & environment Employment & personnel Export services EUTR/Chain of Custody Industry-wide pensions scheme- auto-enrolment Suppliers directory Benchmarking trade data

Alistair Bromhead: a@abromhead.co.uk

Also at the January Show in Hall 1, A90 and the cafe.

See you there.

Opportunities to save costs include • 5% to 7.5% discount on space & other benefits for BFM exhibitors at the January Furniture Show • 10% discount with FIRA on furniture & furnishings testing • Savings on energy & insurance • Raw material purchasing power – over 200 prices tracked • Plus many more preferential arrangements Sales & marketing

ASK if IT IS British or look out for the label

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• • • • •

Join the Great British Furniture Promotional scheme Regular sales leads unique to BFM BFM logo = British manufacturer Raise profile in BFM online directories Take part in overseas shows and exporting events

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118 | January Furniture Show H1

Rowico’s universal appeal Rowico UK believes that furniture is a product of fine design and therefore should always be considered a decorative art form, which is why the company prides itself on producing not only top-selling designs but high quality ranges that are great value and guarantee a timeless and sophisticated statement for every space in the home.

Lowry bar table and stools

Rowico is a company with the design know-how and traditional skills to create unique pieces of free-standing furniture, and has added three new collections to its dining, casual and bedroom portfolios with the launch of Lowry living, Purbeck and Rustica bedrooms.

Rowico will be debuting its exclusive Warwick living and dining furniture – a classic and timeless painted collection encompassing en vogue subtle hues, limed timber and gentle curves – on stand 1-C52. Striking fresh lifestyle photography accompanies each of the collections and is already being used in high impact advertising throughout trade press.

UK business director Caroline Henchcliffe says: “It’s a fantastic time for Rowico UK as we are experiencing exceptional growth and record sales from both new line product launches and existing collections, each gaining significant traction in the marketplace.

“As we trade into 2017 we will continue to integrate sound environmental practices into our business

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Purbeck bedroom

model to ensure that our furniture includes as many sustainable substrates as possible. The use of wellmanaged materials is an environmentally-positive process and is fundamental to the look and appeal of our alternative furniture.

“We believe this awareness sets us apart from our competition and goes a long way towards maintaining an ethical product confidence with both suppliers and retailers alike. We are looking forward to showcasing our new collections and meeting with customers old and new at this year’s January Furniture Show.”

Rowico’s care, service and product knowledge, its customers say, are second to none, and the industry also recognises that it is one of the few companies offering such a vast array of contemporary on-trend furniture that also has the capacity to deliver from UK held stock in days, not months.

T 01249 821748 W rowico.co.uk

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Lowry, our industrial revelation

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DM Midlands sits pretty The DM Midlands Group comprises three upholstery brands – Ashley Manor, AMX Design and Alexander & James – and saw turnover grow to over £70m last year, which concluded under new ownership. For any company selling a trend-driven lifestyle product, presentation is pivotal, and the company’s creative team has taken its brands to new heights in recent years, winning international acclaim – and business – for its class-leading photography, exhibition stands and PoS material. Furniture News caught up with the group’s head of branding and creative communication, Michelle Hoines-White, to discuss the grit behind the glamour …

Alexander & James Theo sofa and Jude chair, enjoying a picnic in the typical British summertime!

F

rom art direction and illustration to copywriting and stand design, Michelle’s broad remit is vital to brand development at DM Midlands Group. Working with a team of design and styling professionals, Michelle sets the tone for the group’s three brands: Ashley Manor, a purveyor of handcrafted sofas from the West Midlands for more

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than 20 years; Alexander & James, a boutique brand designed in England and made to order in Thailand; and leather sofa division AMX Design.

A cursory glance reveals that national heritage is essential to the brands’ international profile. Alexander & James’ identity, in particular, draws heavily on traditional pastoral settings to evoke

British character, while Ashley Manor tends to adopt a more contemporary chic.

Either way, the brands exude confidence and character, whether they are encountered in a retail gallery, on an international platform, or in the company’s attractive showrooms in Long Eaton. The effect may appear effortless, but it’s not without its trials – Michelle

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January Furniture Show H1 | 123 elaborates on how she’s managed to put these concepts into practice …

How did you come to work for the group?

The scale of the product I work with has changed dramatically. From lipsticks to sofas, I spent years in the beauty and fashion industry, working with global retailers and brand owners, developing and designing new product ranges which ultimately led to the co-founding of our own cosmetic brand, which we grew to a 19-country distribution with the world’s biggest beauty retailer, Sephora.

My work as a senior lecturer on the Fashion Communication and Promotion degree course at Nottingham Trent University is heavily focused on trend prediction and creating the ‘big idea’, which drives unique and creative approaches to brand development.

As a consultant I have also been involved in web projects in the museum and wellbeing and health sectors. The same rules apply – find a brand’s key points of difference, extract them and tell their story in a fresh, innovative way.

Never be a ‘me too’.

[Group co-founder] Mark Smith, his wife Julie [Smith, head of styling] and I are friends since our university days, and at the start of 2015 he asked me to get involved. I love a new challenge, and the link with fashion, trend and the consumer is there.

Julie and I are able to repeat history from our design student days and work together on the creative projects. She is a talented artist and stylist, and you can see much of her artwork and her avid collection of unique and vintage props in our shoots. >>>

Bentley, Ashley Manor

Jude chair, Alexander & James

Michelle Hoines White

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124 | January Furniture Show H1

Dress to impress Michelle Hoines-White and Julie Smith offer their top styling tips for presentation in store: Make it authentic Most retailers combine many different furniture styles over the expanse of a shop floor, but keeping accessories and styling relevant to each collection will strengthen the look. Theme picture walls with imagery that complement the range, or tell a colour story with a mix of different images. There are some great ideas for picture walls on Pinterest. Add mood. If a collection lends itself to being romantic and soft, add relevant touches and flowers to soften.

Retreat Collection, Alexander & James

What brand strengths did you identify early on?

It all starts with the product, and, in our case, the ingredients were right. As a prolific sofa designer, Mark [Smith] always has his eyes open for newness and is incredibly motivated to create collections that people will love to live with. He is not afraid of change, and embraces changing consumer needs.

Ours are robust businesses with passionate owners, boasting a combination of business brains and creativity. Mark and David [Lee, cofounder] were committed to exploring an evolution of their brands. They were supported in this by a creatively-minded sales team, driven by Steve [Morgan], who loves his craft, together with an enthusiastic board – all experts in their field, all with a great can-do attitude.

How did the brief evolve?

At the heart of the brief was growing the businesses in line with their key strengths – Alexander & James as a quintessential, eclectic British brand, and Ashley Manor as British-made, sophisticated modern classics. The brief grew and developed organically, and I was keen to get to the bottom of what made the brands tick, and extract everyone’s thoughts about their stockists and customers.

We had to encompass a new look and feel for Alexander & James, from

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fresh logo development and brand identity to strategic positioning within the marketplace and a realignment of brand values. Tone of voice and attitude was important. We then looked at the extension of that vision to strengthen a message that would work around the globe – namely, ‘eclectic England’.

We worked to identify our points of difference and build on them.

How did this manifest?

Inspired by the charms of a beautiful hotel and restaurant located in a nearby village in the heart of Belvoir, I approached the charismatic owner, Imogen, whose ancestral home this place was, and asked if we could take over the grounds for our first shoot.

The hall has a sense of magic about it, and is much loved. The combination of peeling paint, richly-coloured walls, eclectic mixes of textures and patterns and expressive outdoor landscapes summarised our ‘laid-back luxe’ personality and vintage vibes.

After a last-minute change of days we ended up swapping the hottest day of the year for the one with the most rainfall, but we never gave up – nobody realises that every single shot was taken in torrential rain! The sofas were waterlogged, and Steve [Morgan] nearly had a fit when they returned to the showroom, but I was forgiven, and the rest is history!

Theme it Divide and conquer – a sea of unbroken displays can be indigestible, as one range blurs into the next. Group them according to style, and theme each to give it its own identity. Low walls with props/accessories on top, or hanging signs, can help carve up open spaces. Take inspiration from other sectors – fashion retail is synergistic, and Top Shop, for example, create interesting areas with what is, essentially, the same product repeated.

Calls to action Help the customer navigate the buying process with signs and graphics that guide their journey.

Ecommerce relies on effective visual calls to action to help conversion of a sale - these can transfer well into a physical space.

Shoot to reality Take inspiration from editorial photoshoots in interiors magazines – the style and amount of dressing up always looks inviting, cosy and appealing. Hero certain areas with a magazine-style dress, copy the way they place a throw, and create.

Imitate magazine ‘get the look’ pages, so the customer can buy the room at a glance.

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January Furniture Show H1 | 125 How was it rolled out from there?

We launched a new website which showcased our fresh look and offered a portfolio of our images. As well as being a sales support tool, it offers interior and decor inspiration – our lookbooks tell our visual stories – and boasts an easyto-navigate product menu and direct stockist finder.

The brand was then translated to our exhibition stands in Shanghai, Singapore, and, of course, the NEC. We took a theatrical approach, injecting excitement and creating environments that blended the abstract and the real, mixing quirky design with cosy corners and lifestyle sets. We were thrilled to win the best stand award at Singapore’s IFFS show last year – out of 428 brands!

We have extended the shows’ characterful presentations into our Long Eaton showroom, and our own branded retail galleries. We like to create a home from home, and welcome everyone to experience our cosy environments. Our design team tailors a solution to each store’s needs – each is unique.

How did the constraints of each format affect their presentation?

We moved quite quickly from showroomdesigned sets to location environments, due to the flexibility in space and backgrounds for photoshoots.

Exhibition stands are challenging – logistically, in the case of trying to execute the designs on the other side of the world! – but also incredibly freeing.

The visual merchandising possibilities can really be explored with the benefit of scale – we can super-size the florals, think bigger, and be more expressive.

Did you outsource any of the duties?

Everything is developed in-house, the design and art direction garnered with the full team’s input and buy-in, and we have a great team of external partners who comprise talented interiors photographers, filmmakers, stand builders, web developers and PR. Everyone is linked, either by longstanding relationships or trusted word of mouth. We are close knit, and they are a vital part of the mix.

Internally, everything we do is a huge team effort. From the photoshoots to the exhibitions at home and abroad, everyone gets involved with the creative outcome – from the planning, coordination and buying of equipment and expertly-sourced props to the finishing of a faux hedge of greenery or a twist of ivy climbing up a decorated wall (which Steve [Morgan] is particularly good at!).

In light of the group’s acquisition by Thailand’s TCMC last year, what is next for the brands?

It really is business as usual. The new Thai partners are more than happy for the founders to carry on doing what they do best. Regarding design and new product development, expect even more fabric and leather variety, new collections and concepts as we grow.

Visitors to the January Furniture Show this month will be able to see Michelle’s branding come to life on stands 1-B20/B30.

W ashleymanor.co.uk W alexanderandjamessofas.com

The team Michelle Hoines-White, group head of branding and creative communication Julie Smith, head of styling Ashley Illingsworth, product designer and space planner Anna Taylor, fabric designer and textile specialist Hannah Howard, gallery coordinator Emma Small, administrative assistant

An exhibition stand in progress at Shanghai’s Furniture China exhibition last year

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PoS material at Aldiss, Fakenham

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See us at the NEC - Hall 1 Stand E85

Warwick Corner Sofa

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ALPHA D E S I G N S

The Molly Sofa

ALPHA DESIGNS UPHOLSTERY LIMITED T: 01902 492937 F: 01902 493700 E: sales@alpha-designs.co.uk Unit 1, Stag Industrial Estate, Oxford Street, Bilston, Wolverhampton WV14 7HZ FN 334_Section Hv2.indd 127

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3d Partnership............................ 2C20a A.D.M Home.................................. 2C30 A.L.F Uno S.p.A.............................2D20 Abingdon....................................... 2FS13 Abode Collections.........2C70 & 2D70 Alberto Dias Balbosa LDA......... 2F65 Aleal - Industries........................ 2E30 Alpine Lounge................................ 2F10 Ascott..................................................2A3 Asiades HK.......................................2F21 Associated Weavers..................... 2FS5 Atelier Fauteuil Club.................. 2B85 Axminster Carpets..................... 2FS17 B4 Living SPA............................. 2C20b BAA Stool........................................ 2H15 Ball & Young.................................2FS10 Balta Industries...........................2FS25 Birmingham City University... 2C80 Bontempi Casa............................ 2C20b Breezemount................................. 2A35 Brockway Carpets.......................2FS12 Cabinet Maker............................... 2A10 Cadira................................................ 2B35

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Camel Group.................................. 2E80 Cavalier Carpets........................... 2FS9 Chasco Furniture.......................... 2F10 Cloud 9 Flooring.........................2FS10 Conform............................................2E71 Crown Floors................................2FS25 D B Mirrors..................................... 2A15 De Eekhoorn..................................2E60 Design Element...............2FS1 & FS30 Distinctive Flooring................... 2FS13 Edel Telenzo Carpets................2FS18 Ego Italiano................................... 2C50 Ekornes..............................2D40 & D50 Evany Rouse.................................. 2E70 Forbo Flooring UK .....................2FS11 Fortune Woods............................. 2D10 Furlong Flooring.............2FS1 & FS30 Gooch Oriental Carpets............. 2H10 Gordan Milne Furniture............... 2A1 Grafton Everest............................. 2F10 Greenapple Systems.................... 2C10 Gwinner Wohndesign GmbH... 2F30 i Sense............................................... 2FS5

Iconography.....................................2A5 Interfloor....................................... 2FS15 Interiors Monthly........................2H05 Invictus............................................ 2FS5 Italia Living...................................2B20 J&G - Creation Diffusion - Mob. Unip LDa......................................... 2B85 Kenton Floors.............................. 2FS31 M7 Polska.......................................... 2A1 MAB.................................................. 2F65 Marinelli Home............................ 2C30 Mayor Tapizados SL...................2D72 Meblobuk........................................2B80 Minerva Furnishers Guild........ 2A30 Mobiliario Auxiliar de Disena SL ........................................................... 2D73 Mobliberica.................................... 2D73 Muebles Verge SL......................... 2B35 Natural Solutions...........2FS1 & FS30 Rama Carpets...............................2FS33 Recency Carpets..............2FS1 & FS30 ROM.................................................. 2F20 Ross Fabrics.................................... 2B10

Rotherwood Furniture............... 2E70 Saporini......................................... 2C20a Sits SP200...................................... 2A20 Sketch............................................... 2F22 Skovby Mobelfabrik A/S............ 2E20 SMG.................................................2FS14 Stainaway........................................ 2FS5 Swan Retail.......................................2A5 Tajoma sl......................................... 2F25 Taula Interiors............................... 2B35 The Associated Carpet Group.. 2F80 The Easy Chair Co.........................2E71 Think Rugs................................. 2FS-41 Tomasella....................................... 2C50 Totem Road................................... 2E50 Tu Piel Sofas.................................. 2E40 Victoria Carpets.......................... 2FS44 Westex............................................2FS19 Wooden Stories............................. 2F22 Woven Edge..................................2FS38

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Media Concept MC906, Gwinner

Gwinner (stand 2-F30, 07768 197111, www.gwinner. de), together with the Gwinner Wohndesign and Gwinner International distribution channels, has been part of the furniture industry for more than 85 years, and today offers a range of AV furniture solutions plus complementary coffee tables, dining tables and chairs.

All of Gwinner’s living room ranges are designed and manufactured at its German headquarters in

Pfalzgrafenweiler, with a focus on design, quality and craftsmanship.

At the show, Gwinner plans to unveil the latest models in its Media Concept AV collection for modern living rooms. Available in a variety of lacquers and real wood veneers, the range merges furniture with audio-visual solutions, to meet increasing demand for smart home furniture.

VISIT OUR STAND AT THE JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW - HALL 2 A15

DB MIRRORS

New range of mirrored bedroom furniture • Mirrors • • Mirror framed artwork • • Art Nouveau Mirrors •

Contact Dave Butler T: 07715 690267 or contact Dan T: 07770919453 • E: dbmirrors@gmail.com DB Mirrors 334 Advert v2.indd 1

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130 | January Furniture Show H2

Modern demands warrant modern solutions By offering individuality, connectivity and digitalisation, bespoke furniture manufacturer ROM is looking to the future – CEO Paul Rom outlines why his company is taking to the stage on stand 2-F20 this month …

Signature

How long have you been present at the NEC in January?

ROM has been exhibiting at the NEC on and off since 2006. The company was present from 2006 until 2011, and since January Furniture Show restarted in 2015.

What’s the best thing about it?

For us as a Belgian supplier, it is the opportunity to have a large audience in the UK, and to meet almost all of our partners during the show. Year on year, it’s without a doubt the most important event in the UK for us.

When do you start your planning?

We exhibit at five major fairs throughout the season in Europe, and this is the only major fair we exhibit at in the UK. Throughout the year we plan the show through debriefings, stand booking, what improvements can be made on the year before, idea generation, planning for architect briefings, product selection, set-up and stand design. Things really do start to be put in motion around September, in the lead-up to the show season.

Any inside information about your plans this year?

This year, the main star of the show will be our new collection, Signature. Featuring a slim silhouette and brand new comfort technology, this stunning collection brings modern elegance and functionality together to create an exquisitely revolutionary range.

Integrating a number of new intelligent features into a beautifully-presented collection, Signature effortlessly combines contemporary style with innovative design.

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The collection is the perfect extension of our existing product ranges, which of course will remain, and to which we will continue to add.

What trends are emerging?

Individuality, connectivity and digitalisation are at the forefront of what the furniture industry is concentrating on. People want to have their own style, and there is a clear willingness to design individual products.

We are currently the only upholstery company on the market that offers the opportunity to combine all of these elements into one. Our products are also becoming more interactive thanks to the launch of our Aladin app, which allows users to set their own favourite seating positions at the touch of a button. The intelligent app can save up to five different positions per seat, programming them directly into the sofa.

Is Brexit affecting your UK plans?

Not at all. ROM is committed to the UK market and always will be. We will continue to develop the brand in the UK and we still see a lot of potential in this market.

How upbeat are you feeling about trade?

You have to be near to your customer and fight day by day to keep on growing. That’s what we do. We are convinced that with the right products, a bright choice and a good service we can continue our journey.

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Underneath it all UK manufacturer of carpet underlays Ball & Young will present its latest developments from stand 2G-F51 …

Cloud 9 Cirrus underlay

Charleston, part of The fleet carries graphics proclaiming the Cloud 9 brand

Founded in 1983 by Martin Ball and Jim Young sited at Corby Enterprise Zone after the failure of the steelworks, Ball & Young was soon accepted as a leading supplier of carpet underlay products.

In 1989, the company was purchased by British Vita, a worldwide foam and fibre giant. In 1995, Ball & Young’s Cloud 9 underlay range was unveiled at the NEC show, where it was awarded Best New Product in the Marketplace.

The awards have continued to come over the years, with Cloud 9 again awarded CFJ’s Best Underlay Range 2016, and Ball & Young awarded Interiors Monthly’s Best Carpet Underlay Manufacturer 2016. Ongoing investment in the factory and expansion plans going forward gives the company a solid platform from which to enter new marketplaces – particularly via its export division.

“We take very seriously our commitment to zero hazards, incidents and accidents,” says sales and marketing director Ann Shaw, further outlining the company’s strengths. “The Health and Safety and wellbeing of our people is paramount to ensuring we have safe and happy colleagues who enjoy the environment we all work in.”

Ball & Young’s product stable comprises a range of products under the Cloud 9 banner – the Thoroughbred, the Lion King of the Pride and the Posh Collection – which cover domestic and contract installations.

Marine and commercial projects are also well covered by the Cloud 9 Flame Retardant range, together with the

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the Cloud 9 range

new Cast Iron Heavy Contract Flame Retardant, which boasts all the credentials of an IMO-rated underlay.

Continuing to innovate, Ball & Young is introducing Ultra Fresh, a new generation of underlays which stays fresher for longer, helps provide built-in hygienic freshness and prevents the growth of fungi and bacteria, and contains a built-in deodoriser.

Eye-catching marketing will be seen the length and breadth of the UK as Ball & Young’s new vehicle fleet carries graphics of the stallions representing Cloud 9 The Thoroughbred Brand, a leading range of carpet underlays.

Ball & Young also manufactures rubber underlays, offering Roma specifically for underfloor heating 0.8 tog rating. There is also Crown Royal and Grand Reserve, of which silver and gold profiles are available.

“We watch the different trends in the marketplace and see that customers are not only more selective in their purchases but also far more savvy when it comes to choosing a good underlay which will protect their carpet investment by increasing the performance and extending the wear capabilities,” says Ann. “Cloud 9 underlay will help with lower energy costs as they are very good insulators of sound and heat and they can also be recycled – all in all, helping to look after the environment.

“We always listen to our customers and provide them with products they want, when they want them.”

T 01536 200502 W underlay.com

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introducing furniture with art

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The thoroughbred The Brand Leader

Ball & Young Ltd - Best Underlay Manufacturer 2016

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www.underlay.com t: 01536 200502

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Proudly made in the UK

The thoroughbred The Brand Leader

2016

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Cloud 9 - Underlay of the Year 2016

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136 | January Furniture Show H3

Hall 3

Abbeylands Furniture................3M32 ACID.....................................................3C1 Ambassador Textiles .................. 3G61 Ancient Mariner Furniture....... 3P20 Art Marketing Ltd...................... 3M50 Artko............................................... 3M40 Beauty Gate................................... 3GA3 Blue Poppy Art.............................. 3N30 Bluebone........................................ 3M20 Britannia Mirrors....................... 3Q30 British Art Co............................... 3M50 Camelot Pictures..........................3N50 Casada Health & Beauty............3GA2 Charles Taylor Trading............ 3M60 CIMC.................................................3D15, .......... F15, F17, D20, F18, F20 & D24 Complete Colour.......................... 3R30 Culinary Concepts.......................... 3H1 Dar Lighting................................... 3G15 David Hunt...................................... 3G15

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Dreamweavers UK....................... 3K40 Eco Furniture................................ 3K30 Eco India Direct..............................B24 Edge Company.............................. 3P40 F B Internacional - Unipessoal, Lda....................................................3K60 Febland Group.............................. 3Q20 Final Touches Dundee...............3N45 Fragilistics..................................... 3K65 Frith Sculpture............................. 3N30 Gallery Direct................................ 3L20 Genesis Fine Arts...........................3J20 Home Inc........................................ 3G30 Homebrands..................................3N20 International Art (UK)............... 3R40 Italian Chamber of Commerce...B17 Kelston House International... 3K20 LBA Interiors................................ 3Q30 Libra...................................................3P10 Lis Cosmetic Manufactory....... 3K62

Living Concrete........................... 3M62 London Designer Furniture.......3J30 Lovelane..........................................3H30 Makasi Imports........................... 3M25 Malini............................................... 3N35 Mandarin Arts................................ 3J25 Marshall Arts................................. 3Q15 Mindy Brownes Interiors...........3J20 Minster Stylish Living................ 3K10 Mirrortech........................................3J40 Morris Mirrors............................. 3M30 Navan.............................................. 3M32 Odddot............................................. 3GA1 Pacific Lifestyle............................. 3H15 Paul Martyn & Co......................... 3R18 Pharmore..........................................3J40 Pix-Art..............................................3J70 Plantation Rugs..............................3B15 Premier Housewares................... 3Q10 Pyramid International............... 3K45

Red Mud............................................3J56 Retro Vintage Wholesale............ 3P25 Scatterbox......................................3M32 SHH Interiors..................3H40 & H70 Simpson Packaging..................... 3P45 Soak and Sleep................................ 3J55 Solus.................................................. 3G15 Spires Art........................................3M10 Steven Shell...................................3N20 Taylors of Cheshire.......................3R15 The Art Group............................... 3K45 The Old Basket Supply (TOBS) 3D1 Tigermoth Rugs........................... 3N32 Tree-Locate...................................3H20 Wilde Java (UK)............................ 3N10 Wire Lamps.................................... 3N25 Worldwide Reproductions........ 3L60 Yearn Glass.................................... 3G20

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J

We look forward to seeing youyou at the We look forward to seeing at the January Furniture Show, HallHall 3 Stand K20 January Furniture Show, 3 Stand K20 22nd22nd - 25th January - 25th January

Kelston House International Kelston House International Has been established Has been established for for 10 years as one of over over 10 years as one of Europe’s premier Europe’s premier original furniture original furniture manufactures. manufactures.

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Viewthe thefull full collection collection View kelstonhouse.com/collection kelstonhouse.com/collection Contact us for pricing information

Contact us for pricing information +353 (0) 404 80068 +353 (0) 404 80068 info@kelstonhouse.com info@kelstonhouse.com

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138 | January Furniture Show H3

Camelot Pictures (stand 3-N50, 0115 9670 646) is a designer, printer and manufacturer of high quality affordable wall art. Established in 1979, the company is at the forefront of art manufacturing and framing. At the January Furniture Show, Camelot is launching a new range aimed at the retail market, and with its inhouse printing facilities, it can provide a bespoke service for interior designers and contractors.

Dar Lighting will offer furniture with Latin-inspired finishes

Dar Lighting’s (stand 3-G15, 01295 672200, www. darlighting.co.uk) furniture range is going from strength to strength. On show will be new lines incorporating finishes from Latin-inspired patterns on sun-bleached wood, to geometric veneers. These work well with Dar’s new range of handcrafted ceramics lamps from Portugal.

Dar’s main lighting range continues to be a market leader, and this season it is being refreshed in line with the latest trends to include further additions in rich coppers and golds, and some strong new glass ranges.

Although The Febland Group (stand 3-Q20, 01253 600600, www.febland.co.uk) expects many retailers’ outlooks to be gloomy, it does highlight some cause for optimism – for those which have already invested in updating their stores, and those international markets facing hard times, and will perhaps not be able to buy in stock as cheaply as previously.

That said, The Febland Group states that the

Camelot Pictures designs and supplies a wide range of art

Bespoke porter’s chair

trade can agree on one thing – that the NEC event will provide a good barometer of trading mood, the latest trends, and what people are buying and selling.

Consequently, the company is approaching the show with its typical vigour, unveiling a host of new furniture, furnishings and accessories for varied tastes.

Glass and stone dining table

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140 | January Furniture Show H3

Ambassador Textiles (stand 3-G61, 0161 624 4167) is a family-run business established in 1972. Developed from humble beginnings, Ambassador has become a busy textile merchant, supplying a comprehensive range of fabrics to the wholesale, retail and manufacturing industry.

Boasting a large selection of upholstery and furnishing fabrics including faux suede, chenille, velour and leatherette, Ambassador is continually adding to its portfolio to meet the needs of the market.

Alongside its recognised collection, Ambassador will show its new Glen Isle range of 100% wool fabrics. The collection is available in seven colourways with three designs per colour. The traditional plaids have

been updated with ombre stripes, herringbone and window checks.

As well as these new lines, Ambassador Textiles has added new colourways to its popular Marble Velour. This line is available in 17 colour options, from traditional browns and greys to the fresh and bold aqua, grape and cerise.

Ambassador Textiles’ soft furnishing brand Katrina Hampton offers faux fur throws and cushions. Faux fur is one of Ambassador’s specialities, so it has developed this unique collection with style and quality. Together with the company’s throws and cushions, Ambassador Textiles will show a collection of small accessories including faux fur doorstops and draft excluders at the show.

Soho White

Home Inc (stand 3-G30, www.homeinc.co.uk) imports directly from its partner manufacturer in the Far East – an expert in the high gloss process – and holds stock at its new 90,000ft2 warehouse as well as at its showroom located close to Junction 23 of the M60 Manchester ring road.

The company’s aim is to provide complete ranges of assembled, high quality, uniquelydesigned products at competitive prices, backed by friendly, dependable service.

Home Inc’s high-gloss pieces have a flat, mirror-like finish that is missing from many other items of this type. They also have a protective sheet of tempered glass on the upper surface to ensure that the finish stays pristine. Coupled with soft-close doors and drawers, this helps these contemporary pieces remain a focal point of any room for some time.

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FEBLANDS OF BLACKPOOL

F U R N I T U R E , L IG H T I N G , A RT & G I F T S

Our brand new Silverdale sofa & arm chair surrounded by the Santa Fe furniture set of cabinets and trunks.

Furniture & Throws

Mosaic Glass Ligthing

Febland Group ltd FlaG House, asHwortH road blackpool, lancasHire, FY4 4un

Decorative Wall Art

Novelty Giftware

A c c essor i es | b A r s | b A r st ool s | b A r t Ab l e s | b e s poke fur n itur e c A b i n et s & dr esser s | c er A m i c s | chA ir s | chA n de l ie r s cof f ee t A b l es | d i n i n g t Ab l es | gi f t w A r e | hA n d mA de cus hion s li gh t i n g | l ou n ge f u r n i t u r e | m i r r or s | mir r or e d fur n itur e r u gs | sof As | u ph ol st er ed f u r n i t u r e | w A l l A r t A n d much mor e

t : 01253 600600 w w w. F e b l a n d . c o . u k

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open 7 dAYs A week Mon-Fri 9aM - 5:30pM Sat 9aM - 5pM Sun 10:30aM - 4:30pM

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Pharmore (stand 3-J40, pharmore.co.uk) was established in 2006 and is a leading manufacturer, importer and distributor of mirrors, furniture, rugs and home accessories. It is committed to sourcing, creating and supplying innovative products that are designed and commissioned by its in-house design team.

Its head office, showroom and warehousing facility is situated in the north-west of England. There are also offices and quality assurance teams in China, India and Turkey.

New Glen Isle Wool collection exclusively from Ambassador Textiles Ambassador Textiles.indd 1

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The imports team offers customers a comprehensive product range throughout Europe. An experienced product development team travels overseas regularly to ensure that new and striking products are sourced and designed to the highest specifications, keeping ranges ever fresh and up-to-date with present trends.

A dedicated and experienced sales team incorporates all UK and Ireland within its remit, providing excellent customer service, working to deliver a personable, efficient service.

115 Huddersfield Road, Oldham, OL1 3NY www.ambassador-textiles.co.uk 10/11/2016 16:29

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Home

Home Inc. Wholesalers of Premium Indoor Furniture Ranges to the Trade “We hope you will be able to call on to our stand at this year’s January Furniture show at the NEC. Just to confuse everyone we’ve moved from Hall 2 to Hall 3 and are on stand G30.

This year has been a steep learning curve for our growing team, but we are finding our feet and developing how we want to grow and the kinds of customers we would like to build relationships with. It has been reassuring to learn that what you want from a supplier is very similar to how we would like to run the business.

Please come along and we will introduce you to the team and show you some of the new pieces we’ve developed for 2017.”

Showroom - 696 Oldham Road, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9FB Please contact Alistair on: 0800 772 0807 or info@homeinc.co.uk

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144 | January Furniture Show H3

Elegant, contemporary, Gallery Gallery Direct reports a busy 2016, which started with the launch of over 160 lines, including the popular Wycombe, Kielder and Marlow furniture collections, at last year’s January Furniture Show – and the Kent-based design team has gone on to develop new products for this year’s event …

Mustique sideboard

Chic dressing table,

and mirror

mirror and stool in silver leaf

Pompeii console table

Gallery Direct’s design team has been working hard on the company’s spring/summer 2017 collection, which will include new products across all brands. It has also been concentrating on the design and layout of Gallery’s stand, 3-L20, which will again be an eye-catching double-decker, complete with hospitality area.

Gallery will launch over 300 products, including new ranges of occasional and dining furniture which feature marble and mineral finishes – exclusive in-house designs which add a new level of sophistication and elegance to Gallery’s collection.

Pompeii features ceramic fire-glazed tiles finished in metallic bronze. The new Emperor and Cleo Marble collections have brushed bronze metal bases – Emperor is made using brown Emperor marble with a rich tone of brown in the grain of the stone, whereas Cleo features white marble with subtle tones in the grain, for a clean and fresh look. A new dining chair for 2017, Nero, sits well with the Emperor and Cleo tables, and equally well with the Kielder and Chilson ones.

Business development director – furniture, James Hudson, says: “We are really excited about our new furniture ranges. The team have worked incredibly hard, developing these products which will add something completely new to our catalogue.”

The must-see new collection is Mustique, a dining and occasional collection made with the use of parquetinlaid veneer work. Using mindi wood, this collection is weathered and lightly brushed to represent a French

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beachside villa veranda open to the elements, the sun and sand naturally ageing the outdoor dining models.

Gallery is also extending some of its current ranges, including Wycombe, Kielder and Chilson. To add to the Chic bedroom collection, it is introducing 6ft bedsteads and a silver leaf finish, and there will also be new Spire and Safari bedsteads within the Frank Hudson catalogue.

On the textiles side, following on from a successful autumn/winter 2016 collection, Gallery is building on the mineral theme with a variety of new products. The company is also introducing a selection of striking geometric design items, along with a new tropical look, featuring colourful flamingos and pineapples.

As ever, Gallery will have one of the show’s largest collections of mirrors. The design team has created new framed mirrors to expand the Scandi and Glimmer looks.

Mat Penney, product director, says: “This year, contemporary elegance has been a mantra for the team and throughout the design process. We have seen a continued rise in demand for simple, modern mirrors with sleek lines and contemporary framing. Large round mirrors and full-length dress mirrors continue to be key models in the market.”

Gallery is also expanding its accessory offer with new lighting, faux flora and clocks. Both the Kilburn & Scott and Parisian House brands will feature new ceramics and decorative accessories to complement the textiles.

T 01795 439159 E sales@gallerydirect.co.uk

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JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW

HALL3 L20

COMPLETE HOME FURNISHING SOLUTION

NEW | Chilson Console Table

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www.gallerydirect.co.uk | 01795 439159

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ACCESSORIES

|

LIGHTING

|

TEXTILES

|

FURNITURE

|

MIRRORS

|

UPHOLSTERY

NEW SPRING SUMMER 2017 COLLECTION

We are pleased to announce the annual launch of our new Design Directory for 2017, showcasing an additional 300 brand new designs. The new spring/summer launch features 12 stunning new designer furniture collections, plus debut additions to the Kielder, Wycombe, Chic and Chilson ranges. Join us at the January Furniture Show at the entrance to hall 3, stand L20.

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JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW

HALL3 L20 NEW | Chic silver leaf dressing table, stool and mirror From the extended Chic bedroom range

www.gallerydirect.co.uk | 01795 439159

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Libra’s exhaustive offering British homewares brand Libra has been designing stylish furniture and interiors collections since 1972. Renowned for its statement designs and extensive collection of unique homewares – one of the largest of its kind in Europe – the brand’s ever-evolving portfolio is curated by an expert team using pieces sourced and commissioned from around the globe.

At this year’s January Furniture Show – on stand 3-P10 – Libra will launch a number of collections, including two new themes, over 100 new lines as well as additions to some of its most popular ranges.

Libra has been successfully using themes to shape its collections for a number of years. Skilfully styled by an expert team, the themes are designed to help retailers, designers and consumers to pull together cohesive and stylish looks for the home, drawing from the brand’s extensive portfolio to combine furniture with distinctive accessories and lighting.

This month sees the addition of two new themes – Monochrome and Fusion. Introduced to represent a classic and timeless trend, Monochrome features statement chandeliers and a collection of striking black and white bone-inlay furniture.

Fusion combines an array of mixed materials with unique artisan finishing techniques to create a look that reflects Libra’s global inspiration and dedication to craftsmanship.

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Following unprecedented success during its November open week, Libra will also be building on its antique furniture offering, with a new collection – Libra Originals. The collection will present an assortment of unique one-off pieces, including furniture, wall art and Indian ephemera, sourced from the country’s famous antiques markets in Rajasthan.

Paul McLaughlin, MD at Libra, says: “We offered our customers a limited assortment of pieces back in June and these sold brilliantly, so it seemed logical to widen the offering. We’ve always striven to provide our customers with diverse collections that bring with them a sense of excitement. The success of these antique pieces further confirms the consumer appetite for furniture and homewares that are a little bit out of the ordinary.”

Those interested in finding out more can make a private appointment to visit the brand’s strikinglycurated showroom in Linton, Cambridge.

T 01223 895800

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thelibracompany.co.uk Visit us: Furniture Show NEC | Hall 3 Stand P10 | 22nd-25th January Spring Fair NEC | Hall 8 Stand C03-05 | 5th-9th February

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150 | January Furniture Show H4

THE

Hall 4 FURNITURE

THE

AWARDS

7 Star ...............................................4D72 A Haywood & Sons ..................... 4A58 Acht Acht GmbH ......................... 4C45 Alphason Designs .......................... C73 Amos Mann Furniture ..............4A66 AMPR ................................. 4C80 & C85 Armour Home .............................. 4C73 Artemob International 4C80 & C85 Arthauss ......................................... 4C65 Bodycote’s Interior Furnishings ........................................................... 4A70 Bonfit Furniture Fittings .........4A67 Celio Furniture ............................ 4C24 Clivedon Furniture ..................... 4B78 Colourlock UK ............................... 4A12 Core Products............................... 4B50 Corndell Quality Furniture ...... 4E59 Cozybay .......................................... 4B25 Creation Financial Services ....4E90 Dako Furniture ............................ 4B70 Danalight UK ................................. 4E10 Daro (Trading)............................. 4C25 Desser & Co ......................................C47 Dig-Net Lenart ............................ 4C65 Ditre International ........ 4C80 & C85 Dorobanti ...................................... 4E75 Duros Holding Industry 2003 .............................................. 4C80 & C85 E E Furniture ................................ 4C75 Embassy of Poland Trade

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FURNITURE

AWARDS

Investment Promotion Section ........................................................... 4C72 European Furniture Direct ...... 4B70 Express ........................................... 4C40 Fascinatia Sticlei ............ 4C80 & C85 Flair Beds....................................... 4B75 Flair Rugs ...................................... 4E55 Forte Furniture............................4B40 Fortis Co............................ 4C80 & C85 Frames Interior ........................... 4A72 Frank Olsen Furniture .............. 4C37 Furnibox UK .................................4D82 Furniture Express........................ 4D71 Furniture News ....................4F25 G A Reproductions ..................... 4A52 G C L Furniture (UK) .................. 4A15 Gearing Media Group ................ 4F25 Global Home Group ................... 4E30 Grafu Baldai................................... 4E10 Gual .................................................. 4E10 Guangzhou Veitoplibang Co ......F80 Heartlands Furniture ................ 4B54 Heritage Furniture UK ..............4D70 Highland Furniture .................... 4B50 Holroyd & Jones .......................... 4A32 Homestyle (GB)...........................4D50 House of Beds ..............................4B66 Ideal Products .............................. 4C30 Idzczak Meble .............................. 4C70 Indian Hub ....................................4D55

Indus Valley ..................................4D47 Island Oak ..................................... 4F30 IWF (I Wholesale Furniture) ..4E78 JTW Product .................................4D62 Julian Bowen ................................ 4E20 Kettle Interiors ............................4D20 Konig UK ........................................ 4A30 Kristensen Kristensen ............... 4E10 Lift Safe ..........................................4D82 Loma - Living .............................. 4E58 LPD ..................................................4A26 M & P Chairs................................. 4E57 Manchester Furniture Supplies ...........................................................4A60 Mark Harris (Lincoln)............... 4E50 Maxi Mover................................... 4E50 Maymum ....................................... 4C75 Maze Rattan .................................4E60 Meble Roberto SP. ZOO............. 4E74 MFS Contemporary Furniture ...........................................................4A60 Mobile Upholstery Limited .....4D84 Murong Furniture ......................4C60 Nolte Mobel (UK)........................4C40 Nuova Esterno Movili ...............4D49 One Call Furniture ......................4A10 Ordorite Software ............ 4A56 & A2 Ottmar Industrial ....................... 4C35 Qingdao creat Vessel Imp & Exp Co ...........................................................4C60

Qingdao Maysun International Trade Co .........................................4C60 Rauch Moebelwerke GmbH ....4D30 Ronz ................................................4A66 Seconique ...................................... 4C20 Seven Star Furniture .................4D72 Slumbernights .............................4B66 Sofa Bespoke ................................4B80 Sophia 2004..................... 4C80 & C85 Source By Net............................... 4E58 Square One Interiors .................4A68 Stroolmount UK ............................. 4A1 Szel Mob ........................... 4C80 & C85 TCS The Complete Service ...... 4B20 Teknic O�ce ................................ 4F75 Teletim .............................. 4C80 & C85 The Furniture Garden ...............4D84 Tutto Mobili .................................4D49 Umaid Art Gallery.......................4D80 Uprise Furniture .........................4C67 Value Mark Furniture................. 4B10 VIDA Living...................................4A20 Westhill Trading .......................... 4A12 Whyte Ridge ................................. 4F30 Wicker Merchant ........................4D20 Wiemann ....................................... 4C50 Wintech ..........................................4E25 Woodman Chairs ........................4A40 Worth Furnishing ....................... 4B30 X8 Chairs ........................................ 4E10

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Special Show Offers

Stylish contemporary & traditional flat packed furniture great value - huge stock holding - trade or DHD delivery services

HALL 4 STAND B50 The January Furniture Show

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152 | January Furniture Show H4

Bellevue

Forte (stand 4-B40, 0845 351 0355) is one of the largest European manufacturers of furniture for selfassembly. Its furniture is created by Polish and foreign designers. Designs are adapted to changing market trends and the expectations of the most demanding customers.

The company’s flat pack furniture represents impressive value for money, and assembly is easy and delivery is straightforward. Forte manufactures a wide range of furniture for the dining room, living room, kitchen and bedroom.

Exhibiting on the Kettle Interiors stand, The Wicker Merchant (stand 4-D20, 01536 444960, www. thewickermerchant.com) brand will be introducing 25 new lines at the show, bringing retailers even more choice in natural wicker baskets, storage and furniture.

The Wicker Merchant’s expanding product line is testament to the success of the brand since its launch this time last year, with retailers appreciating the added value the complementing accessories and storage lines can bring to furniture stores.

With new items to broaden the collection, The Wicker Merchant is still offering its reliable and fast delivery service from UK stocks, with discounts for bulk orders.

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STAND B50

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154 | January Furniture Show H4

The show will see the launch of Highland Home Furniture (stand 4-B52, 01738 630555, sales@ highlandhomefurniture.co.uk), offering a new collection of furniture ranges, encompassing bedroom, living and dining developed specifically to appeal to British consumer tastes, and with the independent retailer in mind.

The cabinets are all supplied assembled, with a low minimum order requirement. Priced to offer high value, and only available to retail stockists, Highland Home Furniture’s products include oak, painted and solid wood finishes, and many are built in the UK.

Core Products (stand 4-B50, 01738 630555, sales@ coreproducts.co.uk) will present additions to its popular collections of flat-packed furniture. Based on the continued success of Core’s painted collections, Core will introduce a comprehensive range of grey wax-washed furniture which encompasses bedroom, living and dining.

Core’s popular Hamilton collections have a much improved specification with the use of natural oak, whilst the in-demand Aspen dining range has been further expanded to offer many more customer buying options.

All of Core’s new products are fully stocked and available for quick easy delivery either to the stockist or direct to the customer, with no minimum order.

Corona grey-waxed pine bedroom

Corona

The Corona range from Seconique (stand 4-C20, 0121 506 4888, www.seconique.co.uk) has expanded to include a desirable collection of white, grey and cream occasional furniture, and white and grey bedroom furniture.

The traditional distressed waxed pine pieces remain a key focus, and have expanded over the years to include over 100 individual items covering living, dining and bedroom. The show sees the painted range become even more diverse, through the addition of a nest of three tables, lamp table and

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Tortilla

a buffet unit. Each features distinctive black metal hinges, handles and studs, as well as panelled distressed waxed pine tops.

January also sees the introduction of Ludlow occasional and bedroom furniture. The occasional range is available in classic white with oak-coloured pine tops, to complement the popular Ludlow dining sets, while the bedroom range is available in classic white and soft grey with oak-coloured solid pine tops, and has antique brass cup handles.

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Re

Stand 4B40 Hall 4

FABRYKI MEBLI “FORTE” S.A. Address: Biala 1, 07-300 Ostrów Mazowiecka, POLAND Forte UK Address: Building 1, Radway Business Park, Radway Green, Crewe , CW2 5PR

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Tel: +48 29 644 25 68 (CUSTOMER SERVICE ENGLAND) UK Contact Graham Garrod: 07799692843 Email: forte@forte.com.pl, graham.garrod@forte.com.pl

21/12/2016 16:12 2016-12-14 16:26:03

156 | January Furniture Show H4

Emerald, from Duvalay’s Hilary Devey Collection

Duvalay (on TCS Imports’ stand – which will manage distribution of the collection to the Irish market – 4-D10, www.duvalay.co.uk, www.hilarydeveycollection. co.uk) is set to present the latest additions to its Hilary Devey Collection. Featuring a number of innovations, the Diamond-Luxe and Emerald mattresses have added further glamour to the range, while complementing the existing four mattresses.

Both feature the latest in manufacturing techniques, including Wooltec, which is made using lambswool.

Duvalay has also developed a pocket spring called MidasTouch, designed to offer initial softness, but then to provide support once weight has been applied.

The mattresses will be presented alongside a selection of headboards which complement the collection and are available in a range of fabrics.

Visit Our Stand To View Our 2017 Ranges Avenue

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The January Furniture Show, NEC Hall 4 Stand A10

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Indian

Coastal Range

Available from Stock and Nationwide Delivery

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HANDCRAFTED RECLAIMED FURNITURE

INDIAN HUB

35 TANYARD WAY, HORLEY, SURREY, RH6 9PE PHONE: 01293 772 481 EMAIL: sales@indianhub.co.uk

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158 | January Furniture show H4

M&P Chairs (M&P, stand 4-E57, 07802 648383, www.mandpchairs.co.uk) is focusing its attentions on providing quality European hardwood chairs.

Established by Michael and Paul Hodgson in 2014, the company’s principal activity is the import and wholesale distribution of European beech and oak chairs. M&P’s main customers are retail outlets, contract furniture suppliers and the hospitality and leisure sector throughout the UK. M&P Chairs offers a wide range of chairs including traditional farmhouse, Shaker-style, restaurant, bar and kitchen stools. The vast majority of the range is held in stock. M&P also offers finishing services, with a large choice of wax, lacquer and paint finishes.

The company endeavours to make deliveries as quick as possible on the most economic terms available at the time, using its own vehicles, pallets or couriers. M&P also offers discounts to customers collecting orders.

Fiddle low carver chair

Shaker-style chair

Woodman Chairs (stand 4-A40, 01884 841789), a major chair manufacturer and wholesaler of oak and beech chairs, will be launching several new styles and ideas at the show this month.

Already offering one of the widest available ranges of solid wood chair designs and finished options in the UK, the continued growth of Woodman’s range marks the further expansion of the company’s business.

Director Peter Woodman says: “The tail end of 2016 has suffered in the wake of the weak pound and in the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. But we definitely see 2017 as opportunity rather than threat, with lots of new and interesting ideas to launch. We continue in the strong belief that our end customers want different and interesting. At a decent price, yes, but that 2017 will be increasingly about choice and style, And that is what we continue to offer and intend to build upon.”

Woodman is also a major supplier of chairs and tables to the contract market and a bespoke manufacturer of chairs and frames for other manufacturers wishing to offer their own styles.

“We can make most things, with good lead times and in sensible quantities – the latter being something which, with changing demand, fluctuating prices and expensive holding costs, is increasingly important,” adds Peter.

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Indian

Sorio Range

Available from Stock and Nationwide Delivery

01293 772 481 www.indianhub.co.uk FN 334_Section J.indd 159 1 Indian Hub Advert USE.indd

HANDCRAFTED INDUSTRIAL FURNITURE

INDIAN HUB

35 TANYARD WAY, HORLEY, SURREY, RH6 9PE PHONE: 01293 772 481 EMAIL: sales@indianhub.co.uk

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160 | January Furniture Show H4

Stroolmount (stand 4-A1, 01942 271271) has been helping designers, manufacturers and retailers find solutions for moving heavy furniture over 10 years.Moving furniture can scratch wooden flooring and potentially cause carpet to ripple, and what’s more cause joints of furniture to budge dangerously.

Now there is a simple solution which makes moving furniture an easy feat. Stroolmount o�ers a range of protective glides, felts, pads and cups available in UK stores and online. This eliminates the worry about the consequences of cleaning, decorating or rearranging any room – even the screeching of chairs scraping back from the table can be silenced.

With people spending thousands of pounds on flooring and furniture, Stroolmount believes it makes sense to pay a little extra to protect them so they stay looking their best.

Floor protection

Stroolmount provides protection for moving all kinds of furniture

Manufacturer and wholesaler of hardwood furniture and accessories Indian Hub (stand 4-D60, 01293 772481, www.indianhub.co.uk) will present its recently-launched Aspen range.

This versatile, modern solid wood range is handstained in contrasting two-tone colours, with a warm grey tone on the sides and a natural, clear line on the front, finished with reclaimed metal legs.

All Indian Hub items are sold from UK stock or in containers.

Aspen Aspen

Evoke

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Danan

agency1@icloud.com

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Rauch’s impressive portfolio Rauch is a leading manufacturer of German bedroom furniture for assembly in situ. The company offers hundreds of product designs in hinged and sliding wardrobes across many price levels under four brands – Steffen, Dialog, Select and Pack’s. Additionally, Rauch offers children’s bedroom, cot beds, apartment furniture and storage solutions. Brian Westman, head of Rauch UK, elaborates ahead of the company’s arrival on stand 4-D30 …

Tegio from Rauch’s Steffen brand

Tell us about your product offering Rauch wardrobes are available in many styles, heights, depths, widths and internal solutions and offer flexible storage solutions with striking design at commercial prices. At the forthcoming January Furniture Show, we will display many sliding wardrobes, especially focusing on the quality, upscale sector.

What are your historic and current bestsellers, and why are they so popular?

Full mirror wardrobes are our historic bestselling wardrobes in this category and still perform extremely well. I think buying a full mirror slider which has no additional design to the front has made the transformation to ‘assemble in situ’ products acceptable.

The products are functional, offering good depth and height providing a maximum internal space for

FN 334_Section K.indd 164

storage. Our multi-bore, internal fixing points and many additional options make use of the space available.

However, now we see an increasing market for visual styles on the front of the wardrobes, we have reacted with many choices.

What trends are you currently experiencing?

We are starting to see the colours that are used in the bedroom mimic the trends in upholstery rather than living room cabinet. Or, as we see consistently now, two-tone styles are extremely popular. Fango (taupe), balsalt and other earthy colours are desired and often combined with woodgrain styles for the two-tone feature.

High gloss, coloured glass, shaded mirror and matt glass are all also proving popular. Thankfully, with such a huge portfolio, Rauch has them all.

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January Furniture Show H4 | 165

Ocean from Rauch’s Dialog brand

Sandrin from Rauch’s Dialog brand

Have customer preferences in this area changed much over time?

I hear often that consumers require a storage solution for the spare room. With no doors swinging into limited space, sliding doors make the perfect partner for box rooms. However, increasingly we are seeing designs without mirror, part mirror or even asymmetric mirrors with a preference given to optic detail like, wood trim, crystals or lights across the doors. Rauch makes contemporary style affordable and the UK consumer is ready for a change.

What are the key issues affecting your best-selling product at a retail level?

Consumers often misunderstand the measuring or requirements for delivery. Our smallest sliding wardrobes are 1.36m wide and we can provide 4m configurations. Consumers can forget that they need to be assembled or that space to assemble them needs to be available.

I know our retailers deal with quite a few queries on this point, but the consumer can be easily advised. When

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Beluga-Plus from Rauch’s Select brand

customers buy online, the message gets blurred and we suggest that all retailers should confirm with the consumer before despatch. … and at a supply level?

Our product is not built for distribution by parcel carriers but the consumer’s expectation is becoming heavily influenced by the service they see from these operators. Furniture needs to be handled with care and consideration of course, but we, like other manufacturers, see that consumers are expecting ultrafast deliveries. That is a challenge for us all.

What are your observations on how best to retail this product?

From our perspective, presentation is varied and should be. We find that due to the enormous choice, some retail partners will want to limit the offer. Others will want to make multiple variations available. It depends on the consumer they are trying to attract.

W rauchmoebel.co.uk

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TCS unveils a raft of updates With the January Furniture Show delivering a large visitor attendance, the event offers an opportunity for TCS to launch its new product lines and concepts for visitors from both the UK and Ireland.

Contemporary Sleep Imperial mattress

Independent retailers are the backbone of the TCS business, and the company’s focus is to continually strive to enable independents to receive the quality they expect at a price that will ensure that they maximise their profits and better their business.With these customers in mind, the TCS product range of sofas, beds, dining, carpets and flooring has been further honed.

This January sees a further expansion of the stocked motion furniture collection with new models both in Italian leathers and British-designed fabrics all ready for immediate delivery at price points that will be some of the most competitive in the industry, whilst still carrying the TCS five-year warranty as standard.

As well as the Motion collection, TCS will be launching the new Passione Divani luxury handmade Italian sofa collection. TCS believes this collection will be another market-leading product similar to its original awardwinning Your Sofa Your Way concept that was successful for many years.

It has recaptured the essence of Your Sofa Your Way within a new range of products that has a comfort level, quality of build and attention to detail that is second to none. This range will be exclusive to a select numbers of retailers throughout the UK and Ireland to allow for protected margins for top retailers.

One of the best performers for TCS over the last 12 months has been the exclusive Royal Coil mattress collection, including the Contemporary Sleep range, that is continually being repeated by retailers throughout the UK and Ireland.

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Giana motion sofa in fabric

This year TCS has also partnered with Duvalay UK and has been appointed as the sole distributor of the new collection of mattresses by Hilary Devey for Ireland.

This range also includes the Diamond mattress which was voted the Best Mattress 2016 by the Independent newspaper.

The new carpet and flooring collections from TCS the Carpet Specialists has now been provided to over 500 customers throughout the UK and Ireland and has proven itself with over 150 new carpet choices and a range of high quality 12mm laminate flooring that looks and feels like real wood.

TCS urges retailers that have never looked at offering carpets and flooring to their customers to take a look at the company’s new offering. The new bespoke, marketleading and space-saving point-of-sale allows the complete range of carpet to be displayed with the ability to order cut lengths for delivery, with minimal outlay, therefore maximising both profits and floorspace.

As well as product enhancements, TCS is also launching its online stock level checker with even larger stock levels throughout all departments to enable retailers to check 24/7 and be able to promise their customers that the product they want will be delivered when they want it. This service will have custom reports allowing retailers to search the stock of exactly what they have on their floor or the ability to check the stockholding across the entire TCS product range. In the near future they will also be able reserve the stock.

TCS will be exhibiting on stand 4-B20.

T 00353 0042 9 351351

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Numerous launches bolster team’s ambitions Julian Bowen launched a record number of products at last year’s show, and this provided a solid platform from which the company has delivered impressive growth throughout the year.

Cleo

Pluto cabin bed

Never one to rest on its laurels, the Julian Bowen team is determined to build on these foundations to unveil a broad array of new ranges for 2017, across a number of categories.

Regarded as an industry leader in children’s furniture, Julian Bowen has continued to develop new products for this important category.

New for 2017 is the well-finished Pluto mid-sleeper, a fun product designed to optimise space in the bedroom, with the versatility to be split down to a single bed if required. Finished in the company’s signature stone white finish, the Pluto ties in with Julian Bowen’s popular Cameo bedroom range.

Then there is the Zodiac, an attractive and robust bunk bed in a brilliant white finish that splits down into two identical single beds and offers high value for money. A vibrant range of new novelty beds, following in the footsteps of the company’s London Bus bunk, completes the line-up.

Dining has also been an important area of growth, and Julian Bowen has continued to expand its range across different finishes and price points. Compact dining remains a strong theme, and the new Coast set offers modish style with the practicality of a circular double-

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drop leaf table, paired with an elegant, high-backed chair.

In the same category, the new Cleo dining range, which includes a lamp and coffee table, is an extension of the successful Cleo nest of tables, offering a classic design with attractive oak-effect finish at appealing prices. At the other end of the scale, the Pembroke dining range features an imposing Welsh oak-topped two-tone trestle style table, and is accompanied by elegant upholstered chairs.

Building on the success of last year’s fabric beds launch, existing models Ravello, Geneva and Sorrento all now benefit from practical storage versions, while the range has been extended to include Blenheim, a winged bed finished in a grey velvet, and the Grosvenor, which has a classic scroll design in an attractive sand linen finish.

Finally, the well-priced Rialto fabric bed offers contemporary, clean lines in a crisp, grey linen, and sits well alongside the firm’s Manhattan bedroom range in white high gloss.

Find Julian Bowen on stand 4-E20.

T 01623 727374 E sales@julian-bowen.co.uk

21/12/2016 16:21

JB 14

Julian Bowen Limited New Zodiac Bunk Bed

Come and visit us in Hall 4 Stand E20 Bentinck House, Park Lane Business Park, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notts NG17 9LE Tel: (01623) 727374 Fax: (01623) 754555 e-mail: sales@julian-bowen.co.uk www.julian-bowen.co.uk All products are available on the Julian Bowen Gold Direct Home Delivery Service

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170 | January Furniture Show H4

JTW promises competitive containers Supplier of competitively-priced containers JTW plans to launch several new ranges on stand 4-D62 at the NEC …

Kansas bedroom

Mini Canterbury dining

New launches from JTW will include reclaimed pine and metal as well as distressed painted finishes, root dining and living furniture and a selection of upholstered and wooden dining chairs – all at competitive prices.

Root furniture is a new product range for JTW, and the response to its unique look has been “fantastic” – JTW reports that the range is enjoying exposure every Saturday on a BBC cooking programme.

All furniture products from JTW must pass rigorous testing and examination from UK-trained quality control teams employed full time by the company. This ensures that damages are minimal. In addition, mail order packaging is standard on all furniture, to ensure the company can cater for both retail and online sales.

As part of its ongoing expansion plans, JTW has opened a large warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where it carries stock of 12 ranges of furniture as well as various dining chairs.

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The company now has offices in Brighton, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Los Angeles, as well as showrooms in Ho Chi Minh and Los Angeles. Sourcing products mainly from Vietnam, Indonesia and China, JTW may have a low profile in the UK, but it remains one of the nation’s most popular suppliers of unbranded cabinet furniture.

Placing an order is straightforward. Buyers simply log on to the website and fill in one form, and the order will be shipped within one week. In terms of order size, JTW is happy to supply 20 and 40ft containers.

Retailers concerned about lack of floor space for new ranges should visit JTW at the January Furniture Show to ask about the incentives offered by the company on new displays.

T 07836 704277 (Kenny) T 07987 313 7622 (Luke) T 07957 143496 (Emily)

22/12/2016 09:07

Hall 4, Stand D70

With our biggest stand ever and an inspiring new look, we look forward to seeing you!

We’re unveiling four new collections for 2017 and showcasing one of the best performing Oak ranges.

New Bedroom Range in Oak

New Living & Dining Range in Painted with Oak Tops

Relaunch of Cuba Oak Range

New Bedroom Range in Grey, Painted with Oak Tops

Exclusive Show Offers

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Heritage, here and now Now established as one of the UK’s go-to cabinet furniture suppliers, Heritage Furniture is returning to the January Furniture Show this month – on stand 4-D70 – to cement its credentials through a swathe of new launches. Furniture News questions MD Saeed Mohmed on the flourishing business as it looks forward to a busy year …

Burnham

Since a refined and rebranded Heritage Furniture returned to the scene in 2015, its solid portfolio and service promise has seen the company come on in leaps and bounds. After celebrating its 10th anniversary last year – and reporting huge YoY revenue growth of 60% – Heritage aims to bring four new ranges to this year’s show, and reveals plans to further extend its offer this year.

Heritage’s Wardley oak living and dining collection, launched last January, has fast become the company’s bestseller. This month, it will be bolstered by the addition of a bedroom range, available in oak or a grey-painted version with oak tops. Two handle options

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come as standard, whilst the range offers four wardrobe options and different configurations of chest, supporting varying depths of drawers.

Heritage is also launching a new grey-painted living and dining range.

Heritage will also relaunch its Cuba oak, bringing another of its stronger ranges back in the fore.Offering a huge depth of choice with modular units that facilitate various uses, Cuba, available in a natural colour with a matt lacquer-finish, is a competitively-priced collection with two choices of contemporary handle – one wooden, the other in a metal, T bar-style.

“Development is already under way to introduce

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January Furniture Show H4 | 173

Shaker

Osby

Cuba

Cuba

Cherbourg

further new ranges and painted finishes this spring,” says Saeed. “We have strengthened our partnerships with our manufacturers, and are currently developing new links with those who can meet our needs.”

Aside from targeting growth with existing accounts, Saeed hopes to work more closely with them than ever this year, and is looking to support their product and business needs on an increasingly individual basis.He also hints that discussions are under way with buying groups, and reveals an ambition to double turnover.

Much of this proposed progress would not have been possible had Heritage not invested so much in its back office and sales infrastructure across 2016 – numerous developments which mean increased inventory, and, in turn, an improved ability to safeguard stockists’ orders.

“We’ve hired more in-house personnel to support the back office and operational activities, as well as recruiting a sales representative for the south of England,” says Saeed. “Our large holding capacity and inventory has been greatly expanded to support existing and further growth. We’ve been able to reduce delivery lead times even further, appoint dedicated account

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managers, and our container sales have more than trebled.”

Saeed also reveals the imminent launch of a bespoke website, fully integrated and personalised to each client: “Everything to support retailers will be at their fingertips – there will be a soft launch of the website this month, and full roll-out in February.”

Heritage’s new ranges, alongside existing favourites, all dressed to impress and supported by a full sales team, will be on display across the company’s 160m2 stand this month.

Any who miss the show can contact Heritage to request a visit from its show van which continuously tours the UK. The company will also be participating in a number of UK fairs later this year.

“As a company, we’ve achieved a lot of recognition so far, and are hoping to engage even more retailers at this event,” says Saeed. “As a preferred, design-led company in the cabinet industry, we’re looking forward to strengthening our partnerships with existing and new clients.”

T 01254 660777

21/12/2016 16:21

JTW Now stocking

12

ranges

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Choose 20’ or 40’ container Choose from 12 stocked ranges on one container to ship in 7 days Mail order packaging as standard Build order from massive stock in our Vietnam warehouse Trust JTW; we ship over 1000 containers to the UK every year Contact us: Kenny 07836 704277 kenny@jtwproduct.com Luke 07983 137622 luke@jtwproduct.com

ST Visit AN us HA D on LL D6 4 2

Emily 07957 143496 emily@jtwproduct.com

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176 | January Furniture Show H4

Kettle focuses on the latest trends Kettle Interiors will bring two new ranges to the show, where it aims to reaffirm its position as one of the industry’s leading lights …

TT offers classic country style in a grey or white finish

“The importance of trends and the effect of influencers – stylists, bloggers and journalists – shouldn’t be underestimated,” says sales director Simon Ainge. “We make it one of our priorities to ensure that our ranges are on the trend curve, so that retailers can respond to mainstream consumers with furniture that reflects the latest hot look without breaking the bank.”

The supplier’s AB collection of industrial furniture with aged-effect solid oak, introduced at last year’s show, is testament to this commitment, and has enjoyed success in many stores. More recently, the TT collection has introduced classic country style in grey and white finishes.

These collections will feature as part of the supplier’s line-up at this edition, along with its best-selling oak, pine and painted collections, but it is the launch of NT and NR that will prove the highlight.

“The hygge trend has been a huge influence in interiors over the last year or so, and it has refocused consumer eyes on Scandinavian interior style,” says Simon. “With this in mind, we’re introducing the light oak NT range, which owes some of its design cues to Danish furniture.

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“Of course, it is still important to make the collection accessible to a broad spectrum of homeowners, so we haven’t overdone the reference – just introduced gently curved edges and tapering legs to give the effect but to still make the collection relevant for most homes.”

In the NR collection, Kettle Interiors has embraced classic country style, this time with flag-patterned grey lime-washed oak tops, a nod toward antique French provincial style.

Contrasted with a white paint finish and brass-effect handles, this attractive collection boasts a luxrious, eclectic feel.

A line of upholstered dining chairs will also be unveiled. In a choice of plain or button back and with a dramatic wing-back style, these chairs are available in two colours and can bring a fresh look to any of Kettle’s oak or painted collections.

Along with 25 new lines from The Wicker Merchant of wicker baskets, storage units and furniture, these new collections can be seen for the first time at the show, on stand 4-D20.

T 01536 444960 E sales@kettleinteriorsagencies.com

21/12/2016 16:21

Sinoa

Come and see us at The January Furniture Show NEC Hall 4 Stand C60B

1. Water Based Lacquer 2. Finance Support 3. Mixed Loading

Furniture Agents required A family owned and managed Chinese furniture factory in Qingdao seeks experienced sales Agents.

If you have good connections with Retailers, E-Retailers or Wholesalers please email Dora with your CV. In support of our UK sales we will be exhibiting at the Birmingham Furniture Show in January 2017 where appointed Agents can introduce their customers to our furniture ranges.

T: 0044 7810 748 605 E-mail: Dora@murong.co.uk muronguk@126.com

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New Year.

New Design.

New Website. www.furniturenews.net Simply the industry’s best read.

Pick up your copy from the January Furniture Show, stand 4-F25 PUBLISHED BY

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UK MEMBER

21/12/2016 19:33

180 | January Furniture Show H4

Global domination Since 2008, the Global Home group quietly established itself as one of the major suppliers of cabinet furniture to the UK market. At this year’s January Furniture Show, the various divisions of Global Home will present the group’s latest developments from stand 4-E30, while Corndell Quality Furniture will be present on stand 4-E59 …

Suffolk

When it comes to economies of scale, Global Home’s operation is hard to match. The group boasts a vertically-integrated programme, at the highest level supplying client-specific product designed by a multinational in-house design team from a 10,000ft2 office in Vietnam.

In the case of these briefs, design, manufacture and quality control are all managed in-house – Global has a proven track record of managing production facilities capable of supplying the most demanding and largest customers, all to the most stringent international standards.

Investment in dedicated factories and finishing plants enables Global to manufacture to exacting design briefs, whilst ensuring industry best practice is followed at the same time.

Going hand in hand with its design capability is one of the biggest genuine mixed container programmes on offer from any supplier. All ranges are consolidated in a new 500,000ft2 warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

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Using the live stock order system, clients can build their containers online, and receive order confirmation within 60 seconds. Loading follows a few days later, and containers reach a UK port within five weeks.

There is no MOQ for any product or range – according to the group, this is a truly unrestricted mixed container offer. Invoiced in GBP, with delivery and duty paid, there is no extra paperwork involved, nor currency fluctuation issues.

For clients that might find 20ft or 40ft containers a bit daunting, there is a full UK wholesale facility.

Sizeable 85,000ft2 warehouses in the UK and Ireland maintain high stock levels, ensuring fast delivery can be maintained all year round. Again, UK wholesale customers can order from live stock through the UK online portal, which is especially useful for checking stock at weekends and when the sales office is closed.

And so to the furniture itself – all Global Home ranges are designed in-house with specific markets in mind.

Over 170 collections are produced for the worldwide >>>

B

21/12/2016 16:32

M&P Ch

M&P Chairs Limited WWW.MANDPCHAIRS.CO.UK

110 - Slat Side (& High Back) Chair

111 - Spindle Side (& High Back) Chair

112 - Fiddle Side (& High Back) Chair

114 - Slat Low Carver

115 - Spindle Low Carver

116 - Fiddle Low Carver

QUALITY EUROPEAN HARDWOOD (BEECH AND OAK) CHAIRS THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELECTION OF OUR RANGE - PLEASE CONTACT US FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON OUR FULL OFFERING ALL AVAILABLE FROM STOCK • FINISHING SERVICES AVAILABLE LARGE OR SMALL QUANTITIES • DISCOUNT FOR COLLECTION EMAIL OR CALL US TO REQUEST A BROCHURE AND PRICE LIST Please come and see us at the January Furniture Show 2017 in Hall 4 on Stand 4E57 Please visit our website to see our full ranges - WWW.MANDPCHAIRS.CO.UK All enquiries to: Mike Hodgson – mikehodgson@gmx.com • Call: 07802 648383 or Paul Hodgson – paul.holroyd.hodgson@gmail.com • Call: 07469 819520

129 - Windsor Wheel Back Chair (& Carver)

122 - Slat High Back Granddad Chair

127 - Fiddle Back Rocking Chair

120 - Rush Seated Chair

293 - Child’s Rush Seated Chair

131 - High & Low Kitchen Stools

138 - Spindle Bar Stool

334 - Rush Seated Bar Stool

SHA3 - Shaker Chair (Rush & Wooden)

KEN1 - Kent Chair (Rush & Wooden)

CAR1 - Carra Oak Chair

CAV1 - Caversham Oak Wooden Seated Chair

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182 | January Furniture Show H4

Chesapeake

Annecy, Corndell

York

Sherwood

market, but obviously for the UK market this roster is refined to ensure that only the bestsellers are marketed.

Long known for the bestselling Salisbury waxed oak collections and its derivatives, Global has produced successful painted and two-tone ranges over the last couple of years, which have rapidly gained market share.

For 2017, four more additions to the collections are set to truly make Global a one-stop-shop for the discerning retailer.

Of course, pricing is key to success. Because of its international trading base, Global has been able to

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hold prices for UK customers despite the dramatic fall in the value of the GBP following the Brexit vote – consequently, an already-competitive pricing structure is now even more so.

Whether buying direct containers or from UK wholesale, retailers can be sure that the value for money they receive is second to none, the group states. In today’s volatile marketplace, confidence that prices are steady allows retailers to more effectively plan ahead.

Two years ago the quintessentially British manufacturer Corndell was rescued from >>>

21/12/2016 16:32

YIHUA

Yihua Life is owner of HTL which is the biggest sofa supplier in UK. Yihua is also the biggest wood furniture supplier in USA market. Furniture includes modern collection, contemporary collection & rustic collection.

Besides, Yihua is the important flooring supplier in EU such 3 strips flooring, engineered and solid also.

First Floor, Millennium House, Victoria, Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM24RW T 07931881388 www.yihuatimber.en.alibaba.com www.newclassicfurniture.com

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Sherwood

administration by Global Home. Following a complete overhaul from the ground up, Corndell is now once again a robust, developing supplier with a dynamic, forwardthinking management team.

The addition of new collections to already-strong portfolio for 2017 will further reinforce the brand’s appeal to the trade.

For the first time, selected Corndell products and collections will be available on a direct container programme – either standalone or mixed with Global Home ranges. This development will open up a greatly expanded variety of styles, price points and choice for buyers, all from one source.

For both Global Home and Corndell, 2017 is a year that promises consolidation and growth, and to back up these ambitions both are offering highly-competitive deals for customers old and new – including up to 50% off regular prices for new store displays.

Brochures and further PoS material covering the ranges on offer is available on request.

With such a wide variety of ranges from which to

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choose, both Global and Corndell are well positioned to supply the wider marketplace without compromise.

Global Home Vietnam E sales@globalhomegroup.com Global Home UK T 01872 223523 E info@chfhome.com Global Home Ireland T 0043 334 9694 E sales@globalhomeireland.com Global Home London T 0203 417 7240 E cpdirect@hotmail.com Corndell Quality Furniture T 01993 776545 E johangrobbelaar@corndell.com

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186 | January Furniture Show H4 Advertorial

Multiplus 3m in champagne and havanna

Sunset in champagne and havanna

Wiemann expects a “spectacular” 2017 Once again, Wiemann’s stand at the show – 4-C50 – will be well worth a visit, as the award-winning German bedroom furniture manufacturer shows more than 20 models ranging from entry level to top quality VIP and semi-solid …

Wiemann will unveil new carcass finishes, innovations and more than 12 exciting ranges. The new VIP collections include: Boston, a versatile bi-fold system with statement angled doors available in sophisticated champagne, havanna and white; and Sita, which comes in a champagne carcass with stylish newfinish timber oak highlights and the option of champagne glass or matt doors.

Lyon is a new bi-fold collection added to the core range, and will also be on display in champagne, with timber oak highlights and matt doors. New promotional ranges include Padua, Bern and Windsor 2.

Comprehensive bestseller, Luxor, will also feature in the fresh new carcass finish, polar larch. Visitors will also see Berlin and Miami in new finishes for these best sellers.

Other ranges to be on display on stand 4-C50 include the ingenious Multiplus – which will feature an exciting option of

a fixed central panel with sliding access recesses either side – alongside Sunset, Loft, Malibu and Eastside, and new VIP collections New York and Kansas.

Visitors will also be able to see new core ranges Alassio and Menorca, as well as new top-quality semi-solid collections Biscaya, Modena and Wega.

Simon Hewitt, MD of Wiemann’s UK and Irish agents, Litmus Furniture, says: “2017 for Wiemann is going to be about innovative, stylish designs with practicality at the centre. We wanted to demonstrate the extent and variety of our collections at the show and give visitors a taste of what’s to come.”

As well as Wiemann’s product style and quality, retailers can enjoy the benefit of a nationwide delivery and installation service which is proving increasingly popular.

T 01482 635283 E sales@litmusfurniture.co.uk

For more information, visit

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Wood

See you Hall 4 A40 NEC January – See our new styles

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188 | January Furniture Show H5

Hall 5

A C Furniture.................................5G48 Adjustamatic Beds...................... 5D75 All Sofas..........................................5H22 Annaghmore Agencies...............5D48 Aristarchus Global Sourcing.... 5E48 Ava Sleep........................................5D70 Bedtastic Upholstery.................. 5C70 Besp-Oak........................................ 5A30 Billib Sales (UK).............................. 5D1 Birlea Furniture............................ 5G30 BJS Distribution........................... 5B64 BodyEase........................................ 5B45 Bogda Trading.............................. 5F50 Brandvital........................................ 5B15 Breasley Consumer Products.. 5C40 Buoyant Upholstery..................... 5F30 Celebrity Motion Furniture......5D40 CFD Sofas.......................................5H48 Cilek..................................................5H24 Cintique........................................... 5C20 Classic Furniture (Binbrook).....5J50 Consort............................................5D20 Cotswold Chair Company.......... 5C53 Cottonsafe Natural Mattress.....5J45 Cowthorpe Oak Furniture........ 5H60 Creative Furniture Company... 5E60 Delis.................................................. 5A20 Divine Sleep................................... 5F70 Dormeo UK.................................... 5A35 Dundalk Furniture Direct......... 5G45 Easy Decors................................... 5C65 Easy Sleep Beds............................5H45 EFS SRL UK.......................................5H1

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Elano................................................. 5B10 Excel Furniture Direct............... 5F80 Exclusive UK.................................. 5B40 Flexiload Asia..................................5F15 Flintshire Furniture....................5H50 Flitwick Frames........................... 5F90 Furmanac....................................... 5D30 Furnico............................................ 5E30 Furniture Clinic............................ 5A32 Furniture Link.............................. 5C30 Furniture Plus............................... 5C30 Furniture To Go...........................5G40 Gannons.......................................... 5E70 GFA................................................... 5E40 GIE.................................................... 5C75 Glassdrummond Importers & Exporters........................................ 5B70 Global Furniture Alliance......... 5E40 Haani Furniture........................... 5B62 Harrison Brothers (Furn).........5H25 Healthcare...................................... 5F60 Hestia............................................... 5D30 Hestia Motion............................... 5D30 Hestia Upholstery........................ 5D30 Highgate Beds...............................5H70 Homeserve Repairs..................... 5A20 Hyde Line Furniture...................5D60 Hyder Living.................................. 5A31 ICD Sofas...........................................5H1 Ideal Home Ltd............................. 5F90 IFD....................................................... 5A1 Irineu Sergio Pires......................5A52 JCS Furniture.................................5G62

Keen Classics................................. 5F50 Kids Avenue.................................... 5A10 Kingstown Furniture..................5D20 KT......................................................5D20 Kushan Skyline Int Trade Co...5H47 Kyoto Futons....................................5D3 Leather Master............................. 5A20 Lebus Upholstery.......................... 5E10 Lifestyle Europe Furniture........ 5G15 Lynch Sales Company................5D44 M Sadiq Furniture........................ 5C53 Made for You................................. 5H51 Matza............................................... 5G70 Meble Wojuk..................................5G40 Medi-Matt..................................... 5C40 MiBed............................................... 5D30 MiChair........................................... 5D30 Mini Divani....................................5D47 Mlily................................................. 5F60 Morris............................................... 5B10 Morris Furniture Brands............ 5B10 Naked Beds.................................... 5C40 Nathan Upholstery....................... 5B10 New Trend Concepts..................... 5F3 NHF..................................................5D60 Protect-a-Bed.............................. 5D43 Proximity......................................... 5A15 Relax Seating................................ 5C75 Restful Furnishings.................... 5F72 Royams............................................. 5B15 Salus Beds...................................... 5C40 Sareer Furniture.......................... 5B45 Scandinavian House.................... 5A10

Serene Furnishings..................... 5B30 SF and M......................................... 5F85 Shankar............................................ 5G10 Sherborne Upholstery.....5D10 & C15 Signature Living.......................... 5G45 Sitbest................................................. B10 Sitting Pretty Chairs..................... 5J10 Sleep Design Ltd.......................... 5C52 Sleep Relax by Haani.................. 5B62 Smart Trading EU....................... 5H60 So4Bed...............................................5J45 Soames Clock Company..............5J20 Sofa Source UK.................5G20 & F22 Sofahouse Imports..........5F40 & E45 Staingard........................................ 5A20 Steens Group A/S......................... 5B20 Stream.............................................. 5A15 Stuart Jones.................................. 5H49 Suite Deals..................................... 5B80 Sweet Dreams............................... 5H10 The Artisan Bed Company........5D80 The Furniture Company (GB).5D45 Time UK.......................................... 5A50 Trentside Products..................... 5E85 Twenty 10 Design........................5G62 U 2 Living (UK)............................. 5C60 Visualsoft.........................................5B85 Welcome Furniture.........5E20 & F20 Whitecrow Studio........................ 5B60 World Furniture.............. 5H35 & G75 Worldwide Furniture Source... 5F48 Yeoman Upholstery.................... 5F90 Yihua Life....................................... 5F50

21/12/2016 16:32

Signa

SL

Signature Living - Upholstery, Cabinet & Mattresses Come visit us at the January Furniture show, Birmingham NEC

Stand G45 - Hall 5 signatureliving@outlook.ie / +353 429 382 693 or +353 419 849 093

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190 | January Furniture Show H5

Hydeline’s Comfort Plus

Santorini

headrest in action

A manufacturer of luxurious leather sofas for more than 30 years, Hydeline (stand 5-C15, 01908 968228, sales@hydeline.co.uk) is renowned for offering quality and comfort, and for its seamless supply chain.

The past year saw the company establish a real presence in the UK market, with existing customers achieving “excellent” sales levels driven by its models’ quality of construction, comfort levels and innovative features. The Boston model, in particular, with its Comfort Plus headrest, proved a winner.

Hydeline offers competitive prices, two- to three-week delivery on up to 10 stock models, a 10-12 week special order delivery time and efficient local administrative and back-up services.

Hydeline’s new 2017 models will broaden its offering significantly in terms of design, and include further innovative features on the company’s market–leading power-reclining sofas such as: an adjustable lumbar option; a memory function for two favourite seating positions; One Touch Close function; and a cable-free power option.

The Rovigo, from Matza’s Vintage Chic collection

Bedmaker Matza (stand 5-G70, 01924 458699) will launch a range of children’s beds. The collection is firmly under wraps until the show, but customers can expect the same high standard of design as is customary in everything created by Matza.

MD Asif Ayub says: “Our aim is to create a range which fills the gap between all-out themed, garish kiddy furniture which quickly dates, and the traditional grown-up single bed.”

Also on show will be Matza’s new PoS marketing system. “We looked at how to help our smaller independent customers best target their markets,” says Asif. “This solution is perfect for the store which does not have room for our full range but wants to give its customers a good selection.”

Part of Matza’s Vintage Chic collection will be on the stand. The Rovigo, Highgate and Park Lane bedsteads are all designed to offer maximum impact while being compact enough to fit into today’s bedrooms.

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Comfort

1

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11:04

Sophistication

E10 IN HALL 5 Lebus Upholstery Ltd, Queensway Ind Est, Dunlop Way, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, DN16 3RN, United Kingdom

For more information contact:

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t. 01724 407 751

e. sales@lebus.co.uk

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For over 50 years, Adjustamatic (stand 5-D75, 01293 734348) has built up a reliable customer base which now numbers in the hundreds of thousands – and many of these customers are looking to purchase their next British-manufactured Adjustamatic bed and mattress from their local independent retailer, states the company.

At the show, Adjustamatic will present innovative products designed for today’s furniture retailers, along with a range of mattresses that offer comfortable, contoured sleep.

NATIONWIDE REPAIRS (including Ireland) FULLY LIVERIED VEHICLES INSTANT REPORTS AND UPDATES CUSTOM PANEL REPLACEMENTS FIX YOUR 1ST YEAR SERVICE COSTS WITH OUR INSURED PACKAGES

Excel Furniture Direct (stand 5-F80, info@ excelfurnituredirect.co.uk) manufactures a range of sofas and chairs including custom-made corner sofas and chesterfields in fabric and leather. The company, which is making its debut at this year’s event, also wholesales imported models and carries out contract work for pubs and restaurants.

Onsite Furniture Repairs Repairing furniture, protecting brands, restoring faith

LEATHER | FABRIC | WOOD We manufacture professional repair products and provide training solutions to customers worldwide, so who better to use for all your service upholstery needs?

Nick Allan: 07554 994521 Tel: 0844 879 3691

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Flintshir

Visit us at stand 5-H50

T: 01244 814673 | F: 01244 559055 | E : sa les@ flintshirefurniture. co.u k

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Deon three-seater and Lorraine chair

Lebus Upholstery (stand 5-E10, 01724 407751, sales@lebus.co.uk) is set to welcome customers old and new to its stand, where the manufacturer will present its latest range.

Over the last few months, Lebus Upholstery’s dedicated design and development team has crafted new models that are set to help the company realise its ambitious plans for 2017. The new models bolster an already-successful collection which has helped the company its double capacity over the last five years.

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Lebus Upholstery was established in 1840, and has grown to become one of the UK’s largest upholstery manufacturers. The company supplies a wide range of furniture to retailers across the UK and Ireland from its modern, purpose-built 250,000ft2 factory in North Lincolnshire. The site, set over 5.5 acres, is one of the largest single operations of its kind in the country.

Investment in computer technology and its own foam and fibre manufacturing ensures quality control and efficiency go hand in hand at Lebus.

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As one of Ireland’s leading wholesalers, World Furniture (stand 5-H35/G75, www.world-furniture. biz) is an established company which has provided a comprehensive range of furniture to the retail sector for the past 18 years.

Its product portfolio features bedroom, dining, occasional, sofas and living room ranges. The breadth of World Furniture’s range is extensive, with pricing options tailored to fit customer requirements from single item pricing through to full container programmes. The company continues to supply all levels with in the retail sector, from small, owner-managed businesses to some of the largest retail groups in the UK and Ireland.

World Furniture recognises that retailers have a lot of choice when it comes to supply and as such, the business works hard to ensure its product, value and service sets it

apart. Delivering throughout UK and Ireland, World uses its own fleet manned by its friendly, professional staff, ensuring it provides an efficient delivery service.

Last year World saw its modern, contemporary ranges enjoy growth, and these will presented at the show. The company will also have an additional chair stand located in Hall 5, presenting a choice of over 80 chairs in an array of fabrics and leathers.

World Furniture offers pricing packages from single chairs up to 40ft HCs, where any chair and quantity can be mixed on the containers, coupled with a range of accent and tub chairs. World Furniture also offers a bespoke service for customer-specific requirements mixing existing designs with current fabrics. All chairs can be manufactured to suit the customers’ needs, in KD or assembled format.

The world’s leading publications united Excel Furniture is a UK manufacturer of mid to high-end 3 piece suite sofas, chairs and custom made corner sofas. The business also manufactures, wholesales and imports fabric and leather recliners. Excel deals in contract work such as pubs, restaurant seating, and contractors. Excel also makes Chesterfield in fabric or leather with the option for diamond crystal. Excel Furniture Direct is a new business, established in January 2016, and this year will be its first time exhibiting at the January Furniture Show, in Hall 5 on stand F80.

Visit our stand Hall 5, stand F80

The International Alliance of Furnishing Publications (IAFP) was established in 1997 to encourage communication between the world’s furniture markets.

January Furniture Show

It currently comprises 18 magazines, each a leader in their own country.

CONTACT MUBARAK ON

07841 328504 FOR MORE INFORMATION

T: 01254 433970 • E: info@excelfurnituredirect.co.uk • www.excelfurnituredirect.co.uk

The IAFP opens doors to international markets – visit the website to find out more …

Excel Furniture Direct Unit 6a Elco Building, 89 Montague Street Blackburn, BB2 1EH

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Louis grande dining set

Whitford silver

Shankar (stand 5-G10, www.shankaruk.com) continues to set the trend in dining, accent and armchairs, chaise and ottomans with innovative design and an extensive range. As well as complementing its most popular ranges with new chair leg options and fabrics, for this year’s show Shankar will have many new arrivals, including dining tables.

Shankar’s collections have been carefully selected, bringing its customers a constant flow of new ideas and designs. All items can be mixed and matched, and a vast range of dining chairs may be purchased separately from its renowned chair gallery.

Although the company is growing rapidly, Shankar is still a family-run business, and its aim is to never lose that personal touch. Shankar prides itself on being an efficient company, offering high-quality products, together with impressive customer service and support.

Flintshire Furniture (stand 5-H50, www. flintshirefurniture.co.uk) has spent a long time researching oak and hardwood manufacturers around the world to complement its bedroom collection.

Flintshire maintains the belief that only sustainable hardwoods should be used for its furniture and that the companies visited must mirror its environmentallyfriendly approach to manufacturing.

All the company’s furniture is made from solid American oak or hardwood with no veneers, and is constructed from solid-piece timber. All bed frames come with a solid wooden slatted base and metal-tometal fixings.

After extensive research, Flintshire has found a solution to suit its ambition for high quality at all times. In order for the company to continue with the future development of new ranges and designs whilst retaining quality, Flintshire is now manufacturing furniture at its own custom-built 110,000ft2 factory in Malaysia.

The Occasional Chair Collection from Serene (stand 5-B30, 0121 505 0270, www. serene.co.uk) hit the ground running last year, following its successful launch at the 2016 January Furniture Show. Quality manufacturing, stylish design and an attractive palette of colours on soft fabrics combine to present an impressive range of occasional chairs, with more set to be added for 2017 at the show.

Hamilton is one of the many new designs set to be unveiled. As a diamond-quilted tub chair, Hamilton looks strong in any one of its four bold fabric tones, each accentuated by the design’s tapered oak legs. This chair is presented in a soft velvet fabric in a choice of blue, cyan, lavender or silver.

Visitors can expect Serene to build on its dining furniture, recliners and occasional chair offer with additions to existing ranges and several new contemporary-oriented collections.

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Cowth

SPACE SAVING FURNITURE

NEW RANGES TO INSPIRE! NEW For 2017 • A new bedroom range in cream, joins our best selling ranges!

• 5 new occasional pieces added to our collection.

• Brand new for the show - DINING CHAIRS!

Hampton Court Bedroom Range.

New

Double Robe

2 + 2 Drawer Chest

7 Drawer Wide Chest

Dressing Table and Dressing Table Stool

VISIT US A THE T JAN FUR NITU UARY RE S HOW

STA ND 5 H6 : 0

Coat and hat stand

Wide tv unit

Large open top tower

Hall/Shoe tidy

Open top tower

DVD unit

Nest of tables

Square wine table

Coffee table

Round wine table

Small sideboard

SMART TRADING WILL ALSO BE ON THE SAME STAND AT THE FURNITURE SHOW FOR ALL YOUR MIRROR REQUIREMENTS!

CONTACT SMART TRADING EU LIMITED CONTACT COWTHORPE OAK FURNITURE ON

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01937 589188

Small cupboard

Corner tv

Console table

Small bookcase

sales@smart-trading.co.uk www.smart-trading.co.uk sales@smartoccasional.co.uk www.smartoccasional.co.uk

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The UK’s ‘numero uno’ for vacuum packed mattresses

Come & see us at

The January Furniture Show, NEC Stand C40, Hall 5 T: 01629 821510 E: customerservices@breasley.co.uk MADE IN UK

unomattress.co.uk

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Uno Junior Uno Deluxe Uno Deluxe firm

Uno Revive Uno Vitality Uno Vitality Plus

Uno Pocket 1000 Uno Pocket Ortho Uno Pocket 2000

Uno Memory Pocket 1000 Uno Memory Pocket 2000

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Join the revolution with Breasley Breasley will display its new Uno vacuum-packed mattress collection, featuring the full range of products from the entry-level Junior mattress to the Memory Pocket 2000 …

Salus Contempo

Uno Pocket 2000

Part of the You boxed mattress collection

Uno

Each of Breasley’s Uno mattresses has its own USP and features technologies such as Adaptive and Fresche Bioscience for freshness, comfort and protection, plus a 10-year guarantee. A range of free PoS is available to retailers, including a display stand that holds nine rolled mattresses. Breasley has also created a new Uno website along with a full range of product videos for all models.

Also on display at the NEC will be the You boxed mattress collection, also now with a 10-year guarantee.

This ‘perfect 10’ range of folded and rolled mattresses is definitely not a ‘one-mattress-suits all’ solution – the range offers a wide choice of comfort feels including Viscoool and latex, and up to 3000 ConiCoil pocket springs, plus a 100-night sleep trial, and represents an opprtunity to become part of the boxed mattress revolution.

New technology means that all mattresses – from

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single to superking size – fit into one standard-size branded box measuring just over 1m high.

Alongside the Uno and You collections will be Breasley’s premium Salus brand, featuring the Contempo Collection. Quality fillings combine with modern design – ranging from the V1000 to the LV5000 – in the range, which comprises a mix of Viscoool, latex and 5000 individual pocket springs.

Visitors can also see the Salus Bionix Duo and Quattro mattresses in action. This innovative design features Breasley’s exclusive motion drive technology, which means the user can tailor the mattress to their individual needs and requirements to achieve the optimum sleep or resting position.

Visitors can find Breasley on stand 5-C40.

T 01634 712580 W breasleyconsumer.co.uk

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H Y DE

L INE

Our market-leading power-reclining sofa features include:

Comfort Plus headrest: Adjust the power headrest to your ideal position and simply relax.

Lumbar support: Achieve optimal back posture support with our adjustable lumbar support option.

Memory function: Save up to two favourite seating positions

One-Touch Close function: Return your recliner to the upright position with a single touch of a button.

Cable-free power option: Avoid the need for a nearby socket and unsightly cables with our power pack option.

E: info@hydeline.co.uk T: 01908 968 228

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See us at the NEC - Hall 5, Stand C15

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Meeting modern demand in style This month’s cover star Classic Furniture returns to the show with a refined offer, further cementing its status as one of the nation’s leading cabinet furniture suppliers. From new recycled and industrial ranges to a raft of dining chairs and the latest Flexiload collections, Classic Furniture is set to impress visitors to stand 5-J50 with a wealth of new developments …

Brompton

Following select previews at a successful in-house show in November, the stage is set for numerous launches.

Central to these is a selection of around 30 fabricupholstered dining chairs in various colours. “There’s enough choice in the selection that stockists will be able to pick and choose their own range, and have more of a say in how they style their dining ranges in store,” says director Andy Rippin. “We don’t want buyers to think there’s only one suitable dining chair style per range – there’s much more freedom of choice.”

In terms of cabinet, Classic Furniture will introduce three new recycled ranges – two for the bedroom and one for dining and living. For buyers’ clarity, the company is now grouping its growing recycled offer

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within its Heirloom brand. Classic will also introduce Floreat, a modular light oak collection manufactured in Europe that allows the user to design their own AV wall combination, to integrate LED lighting and a plasma TV if desired.

There will be a selection of high-end glass tables at the show too, which, says Andy, are already proving successful with buying groups and department stores.

As Flexiload’s UK distributor, Classic Furniture will also present new ranges on that company’s behalf, including the contemporary Napoli, the industrial metal-and-timber Metro in living and dining, and the addition of new pieces and colours to the successful Portland dining and living range.

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Home office and a new range of freestanding kitchen items now feature within the collection. These too are offered in a stone grey painted finish with oak tops, or all oak finishes. The elegant design features gentlyrounded front profiles, and a Portland Grand option has been added to create additional dining items with thicker tops. New products include an extending single pedestal dining table and a ladder-back dining chair.

The Portland home office collection features six cabinets, while the kitchen collection features small and large larder units and small and large island units.

In addition, the Portland bedroom offer has been extended. Stone grey, cream and white painted finishes are offered with oak tops, and an all-oak option

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completes the offer. The range features fully-assembled chests, and the bed frames and wardrobes are part assembled and fit together quickly and easily. There is also a choice of handles to suit individual tastes.

These latest launches heavily reinforce the portfolio of a company which has invested significantly in warehousing and distribution over the last year. Classic Furniture supports its range from stock, underpinned by a rapid delivery service and reliable customer support.

“The new showroom has taken us to a different level,” says Andy. “People were so positive about our new developments during our in-house show that I’m expecting to encounter a warm reception at the show.”

W classicfurn.co.uk

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Sitting or sleeping, Sweet Dreams has the answer Sweet Dreams is looking forward to presenting its collections at the fair – particularly its upholstery, this being the first showing of the range since it came back under the Sweet Dreams umbrella – on stand 5-H10.

Clarence Pocket Air divan

Sweet Dreams’ British-made collection boasts similar breadth and depth as previously. The choice of fabrics is a little less extensive, but more focused. The quality specifications are the same, the models all carry a fiveyear warranty and, crucially, the 2-3 week delivery on all options (10 working days for most) is unchanged.

At the NEC, Sweet Dreams will take the opportunity to display the models in fresh fabrics.

There will also be a new line of imported upholstery on show for the first time. Sweet Dreams is introducing four ranges – three leather-look, and one fabric. Amalfi, in chocolate leather-look and comprising a two-and-ahalf seater and a two-seater sofa, as well as a matching storage stool, boasts a power recliner to all four sitting positions and USB charging points. There is a pocket spring unit to the seat cushions, a spring suspension system to the base and use of fibre, Dacron, PE foam and other luxury fillings to promote long-lasting comfort.

The two other leather-look sofas, Genoa and Capri, offer manual recliners. Capri comes in a 3-2-1 format, Genoa a two-seater and three-seater. Both come in the chocolate colourway and feature a pocket spring unit to the seat cushions and spring suspension system to the base. Ravenna, an inviting 3-2-1, plus storage stool, features manual recliners.

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Knightsbridge

That said, Sweet Dreams is best known for its ownmanufactured beds and mattresses, and these will be at the heart of the display. The Pocket Air collection of divans – relaunched with entirely fresh models last September – will be shown, including models not previously exhibited.

Among these will be Clarence 4000. The mattress cover contains cashmere, and the microquilting beneath contains both cashmere and wool. The damask border comes in two colourways – wheat and nickel – to match the divan base.

Other divan collections will be on show, and Sweet Dreams anticipates a strong take-up for its special show offers on mattresses, displayed on bedframes which they are designed to complement. Several new frames will also be at the show, including Ryder, a fabric bed with gas-lift ottoman storage.

Sweet Dreams’ collections extend to bedroom furniture, children’s bunks, and the company’s latest sofabeds.

Three clic-clac models will be launched: Texas, in brown or grey fabric with shaped styling; Iowa, also in fabric with two scatter cushions included; and Ohio, in brown or black leather-look.

T 01282 830033 E sales@sweetdreamsuk.com

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Sleep science on show The show will see the launch of Ava Sleep, a manufacturer of mid- to high-end mattresses that operates from Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire …

Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft, MBE, attests to the recovery properties of her Ava mattress

The creation of Dr Ilyas Ansari, a scientist, engineer and mattress technologist, Ava offers “independentlyverified, award-winning, innovative, smart, bodyadaptive, high-performing, luxurious and ridiculously affordable mid- to high-end mattresses” across four collections.

According to Ilyas, who regularly writes on sleep and mattresses on his company’s blog, Ava is the first UK bed company to have secured FIRA’s Ergonomics Excellence Award for its Science to Sleep mattresses, and is the only UK bed company to have developed comprehensively researched and independentlyverified High Performance Advanced Medical Class Foam Technology, giving its mattresses proven health benefits.

Ilyas followed a systematic approach to create his mattress collections, exploring how the product’s health and wellbeing benefits might be maximised, ergonomics, plus the advantages of independent validation.

In pursuit of the latter, he joined forces with sleep scientist Professor John Groeger of Hull University and ergonomics authority Levent Caglar of FIRA.

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Ava has also developed its own Ergobatic High Performance Advanced Body Support Core System and ErgoPlus High Performance Pressure Relieving Body Support Core System for application across its domestic mattress range.

“I wanted to give consumers the most advanced mattresses, guaranteed to improve the quality of sleep, comfort and support, whilst countering the fake imitation mattresses which inundate the market,” says Ilyas, who describes Ava as “a revolutionary scienceto-sleep company”.

Ava’s four ranges comprise: the Endurance Collection; the MindBody Collection; the Synergy Collection; and the Statement Collection.

These technologically-advanced yet affordable collections are the culmination of some 20 years of work

by Ilyas, who is now looking to commission agents to assist in the distribution of the brand.

Visitors to the January Furniture Show will find Ava Sleep on stand 5-D70.

T 07719 495599 W avamattresses.co.uk

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The UK’s First Ever FIRA Ergonomics Excellence Award winning mid and high end mattresses Pioneers in the UK Bed Industry The first ever UK bed company to win FIRA Ergonomics Excellence Award The first ever UK bed company to have developed a comprehensively researched and independently validated High Performance Advanced Medical Class Foam® Technology for mattress application The first ever UK bed company to commission two independent Sleep Research and Ergonomics Studies on the same mattresses with institutes of international repute

Research Partners World famous Sleep Scientist Professor John Groeger, Hull University for Sleep Research Eminent Ergonomist, Levent Caglar, FIRA for Ergonomics Study Prof John Groeger

Levent Caglar

Sleeping Secret of Elite Olympic and Paralympic Medallists 7 times World Champion, 5 times Paralympic Gold medallist and multiple World record holder, Hannah Cockroft, MBE

"An AVA mattress helps me recover better with restful nights. Sleeping off the winter miles like a baby on my new mattress".

Perfect Four Collections by AVA® Explore our mattresses at Stand D70, Hall 5, January Show 2017

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Mlily’s UK operation is on the ball “Exciting times, exciting plans, exciting products, and an exciting future” is how China’s Mlily describes the recent expansion that has seen it listed on the Shanghai stock exchange, as well as being named Manchester United’s first ever Global Mattress and Pillow Partner. Furniture News looks at the global mattress brand coming to stand 5-F60 this month …

MUFC first team players Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Luke Shaw at the Aon Training Complex with Mlily in October

Mlily is certainly not lacking in ambition. Already one of Asia’s largest exporters of mattresses and pillows, the leading brand of China’s Healthcare Co is stepping up its global presence, building on 15 years of experience with these latest developments.

The partnership with Manchester United (MUFC) has only catalysed the company’s progress in the UK. The five-year agreement with the football club means Mlily advertisements have been visible on league match days at Old Trafford on the team’s digital perimeter boards, reaching the club’s huge fan base, and, although the company already serves hundreds of retail partners in the UK, it plans to build this base further through the launch of multiple ranges at the NEC this month.

Mlily is also working with MUFC’s sports scientists to develop ever-more effective sleep solutions. As quality sleep is an important part of a player’s preparations,

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Mlily mattresses and pillows are being used in the sleeping pods at the club’s Aon Training Complex, and the company plans to work with staff at the training ground to record and interpret data, with an aim to enhance player sleep and recovery.

“Mlily has an established record of accomplishment of producing a high-quality product,” says MUFC group MD Richard Arnold. “We want to make the best use of the latest technology and expertise that can help our team, which in this case is the sleep and recovery of players. A global partnership with us will certainly help Mlily achieve its global ambitions and bring a highquality product to our worldwide family of fans.”

Visitors to Mlily’s stand will discover more about these plans, and perhaps even meet a footballing legend.

T 01582 400604 W mlily.uk

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Matza

Visit us at The January Furniture Show - Hall 5, Stand G70

www.matza.co.uk (T) +44 (0)1924 458699 (F) +44 (0)1924 458688 Unit 200, Bretton Industrial Estate, Bretton Park Way, Dewsbury, WF12 9BS.

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BROMPTON

LOFT

OUTBACK

HALL 5 J50

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CAMROSE

MELTON

SORRENTO

TEL: 01472 398280 WWW.CLASSICFURN.CO.UK

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DRIFTWOOD

MELTON

SORRENTO

TEL: 01472 398280 WWW.CLASSICFURN.CO.UK

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DRIFTWOOD

MELTON

TEMPEST

HALL 5 J50

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Monitoring sleep and helping recovery The end of 2016 saw Protect-A-Bed, a global leader in mattress protection and healthy sleep, launch the Rem-Fit brand, which, centred around sleep and recovery technology, allows the user to analyse their sleep, maximise recovery and enhance daily performance – and can be seen on stand 5-D43 this month …

Protect-A-Bed has paired its new recovery mattress, the Rem-Fit Sleep 400, with an innovative Rem-Fit Sleep Monitor and app, which acts as a personal sleep consultant, giving the user the power to monitor, analyse and improve their sleep.

Paul Lake, Protect-A-Bed’s, marketing manager, explains: “By combining our hybrid mattress, the RemFit Sleep 400, with the Rem-Fit Sleep Monitor, we are allowing users to have a far deeper understanding of their sleep patterns, sleep cycles and sleep stages. This detailed analysis is provided in a user-friendly app, giving the user the ability to measure and improve their sleep, which is extremely powerful!

“On top of this, the mattress comes with a 10-year guarantee and can be delivered the next day. Also, to make the buying decision even easier, customers can take advantage of a 60-night comfort trial, which means if they are not completely delighted with their Rem-Fit Sleep 400 mattress they can have it collected at no cost.

“It’s not surprising early feedback has been extremely positive. Retailers have been excited by the presentation

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in store, which allows for a bit of theatre and an enhanced retail experience, and they have loved being able to set out an o�er which puts them at the cutting edge of technology and service and allows them to match and better some of the eye-catching online propositions.”

Rem-Fit successfully launched online and in store last month. Simon Zamet, Protect-A-Bed’s CEO, says: “We are only at the beginning of our journey with plans for an extensive roll-out of Rem-Fit and an expansion of both the mattress and technology o�er.

“By Q2 2017 we hope to have launched our new smart pillow with anti-snore technology, sleep monitoring and embedded speakers for easy listening that won’t disturb your partner!”

With social media channels dedicated to sleep advice, nutrition and exercise plans, Rem-Fit o�ers a clear point of di�erence, and aims to challenge and engage the customer with a unique retail experience.

T 020 8731 0020 W rem-fit.co.uk

21/12/2016 19:40

ARE YOU READY FOR A

SLEEP REVOLUTION? Boxed Hybrid Mattress Technology 60 Night Mattress Sleep Trial Next Day Delivery 10 Year Mattress Guarantee PLUS THE REM-FIT SLEEP MONITOR

Retailers can become an Exclusive REM-Fit Stockist with specialist in-store packages!

Analyse your sleep, Maximise your recovery and Enhance your daily performance with the world’s most advanced sleep technology system.

Visit us at the January Furniture Show: Stand No. 5-D43’

The Rem-Fit Sleep 400 Mattress is combined with an innovative state-of-the-art Rem-Fit Sleep Monitor and app, which acts as your personal sleep consultant. Giving you the power to monitor, analyse and improve your sleep.

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0208 731 0020

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info@remfit.co.uk 21/12/2016 16:54

PHONE

+ 44 (0) 1924 454 678 SEE US AT THE JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW HALL 5 H70

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“We take pride and care in our work”

EMAIL

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Highgate’s unique sleep solutions New products from Highgate Beds at this year’s show will include an addition to the Healthopaedic family in the next generation of Zero Gravity mattresses …

Mozart in copper

With a focus on a feeling of improved weightlessness and comfort, and employing the latest in-house technology, the next generation of Highgate’s popular brand is set to prove a major draw to stand 5-H70 – Highgate has relocated within the show this year to a prime position next to the VIP bar at the back of Hall 5.

Awareness of Highgate’s Healthopaedic brand grew considerably in 2016 – according to the company, sales showed no sign of slowing throughout the year, and are expected to maintain their momentum.

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A new show van will be touring Highgate’s major accounts this year, bringing the company’s mattresses, easy-open mini ottomans – now lower to assist each of use – and the wealth of the Healthopaedic brand to stockists’ doors.

In the meantime, Highgate Beds has launched a fresh new website that shows the Classic and Zero Gravity ranges with a colourful array of fabrics and stylish headboards.

As this development suggests, Highgate is constantly

21/12/2016 16:54

January Furniture Show H5 | 217

Puccini 5000 in a coal Ascot

Puccini 5000 in a denim Ascot

Tencel 2000 in lilac wool

working on developing innovative products, and is working hard to incorporate on-trend colours and shades – such as copper and teal – within its new ranges.

Highgate has also expanded its fabric range to include an Ascot swatch, woven in a tweed style. The Ascot is laborious to manufacture by hand, but the finish on the tones of denim, coal and turquoise, to name a few, is of an extremely high quality.

The website is constantly updated – the entire

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Zero Gravity 3000 in denim

headboard range is now online, as well as the fabric swatches and the latest beds and bases.

Offering bases in exclusive colours, sumptous mattresses – many of which have side-stitched borders, with spring counts of up to 9000 – and, of course, the innovative Zero Gravity technology, Highgate Beds is looking to wow its audience at the January Furniture Show this month.

T 01924 454678 E info@highgatebeds.com

21/12/2016 16:54

BIG KIDS BEDS

! n ea m e w t a h w e se l ’ l u yo d n a st Come and see our COME AND VISIT US AT THE NEC JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW 22/25TH JAN 2017

HALL 5, STAND B20

FN 334_Section N.indd 218 NM7270 - Steens 4pp Furn News Show Issue2.indd 1

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NM7270 -

!

16 17:30

• TOUCH AND FEEL EVERY RANGE

• SEE OUR SHOW ONLY PRICE OFFERS • UNIQUE COMPETITION • COME TO THE STAND AND SEE SOMETHING UNIQUE. www.steensgroup.com

01489 778890 sales@steens.dk

Unit 5, Berrywood Business Village, Hedge End, Southampton UK

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COME AND VISIT US AT THE NEC JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW 22/25TH JAN 2017

HALL 5, STAND B20

& BEDROOM FURNITURE TO MATCH!

AT STEENS WE HAVE NEW AND UPDATED RANGES TO VIEW BAROQUE BLACK

NORFOLK CREME

MILFORD PINE

SANDRINGHAM GREY

SOFTLINE

NORFOLK GREY

W

www.steensgroup.com

01489 778890 sales@steens.dk

Unit 5, Berrywood Business Village, Hedge End, Southampton UK

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NM7270 -

!

16 17:30

COME AND VISIT US AT THE NEC JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW 22/25TH JAN 2017

HALL 5, STAND B20

RICHMOND CREME

RICHMOND PINE

RICHMOND WHITE

SANDRINGHAM WHITE

MILFORD WHITE

BAROQUE WHITE

WE HAVE THE BIGGEST COMPETITION - COME AND SEE...

• TOUCH AND FEEL EVERY RANGE • SEE OUR SHOW ONLY PRICE OFFERS • UNIQUE COMPETITION • COME TO THE STAND AND SEE SOMETHING UNIQUE. www.steensgroup.com

01489 778890 sales@steens.dk

Unit 5, Berrywood Business Village, Hedge End, Southampton UK

FN 334_Section N.indd 221 NM7270 - Steens 4pp Furn News Show Issue2.indd 4

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See us a 222 | January Furniture Show H5

Steens to present updated offer The January Furniture Show is an essential part of Steens’ yearly activities, providing an ideal opportunity to present new and updated products. The company will be exhibiting on stand 5-B20.

Softline bedroom

This year, Steens will be presenting the new ranges introduced in 2016 with additional options and finishes.

These new ranges were brought in in August, and now retailers can take advantage of readily-available stocks and PoS materials.

As with all Steens’ ranges, these can be delivered into retailers’ stock or drop shipped directly to the consumer.

As there is no middleman and the company produces all the ranges in house, retailers are provided with great value for European-produced furniture.

Kids furniture is a major part of Steens’ offering, and an updated and expanded Steens For Kids range will be on display. This will include a new grey finish and the introduction of a triple bunk. At the show, Steens will be displaying what it considers to be the largest children’s bed ever produced. Along with this, will be a chance to win an iPad by guessing the size and weight of the bed.

Accessories also continue to be an important part of Steens’ story, and a number of new designs will be launched for the first time.

New internationally-focused products include the Skyline Hallway range and the updated popular Z Up sliding door modular robe system with its many features and options, maximising space utilisation.

Promotions are always a feature of Steens’ plans for the January Furniture Show, and this year will be no different. There will be opportunities to take advantage

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of discounts only available during the show covering displays and stock. The company’s aim is to make these offers as simple and compelling.

In addition, Steens will be offering pallet-based promotions where retailers can buy a single or multiple pallet pre-prepared for sale in store. The pallet will include multiple boxes of the same item and have proven ideal for pick-and-go in-store promotions.

For Steens, the January Furniture Show will mainly be about showing the new ranges introduced throughout 2016 combined with a number of new finishes and individual pieces, which will set the direction for the first half of 2017. In the second half, the company expects kids furniture to be a major development focus.

Apart from new products, 2017 will also be about the company enhancing its service offering. This month, Steens begins a new partnership with a Danish carrier providing guaranteed twice-weekly collections from the factory into the UK. This will ensure lead times are kept to a minimum.

Steens will also be increasing the ranges it stocks in the UK, and, in doing so, will expand its next-day delivery offer. This service has proven to be successful, and the company will be uniquely positioned as one of the only EU-based furniture manufacturers to have all its ranges also stocked in the UK. W steens.dk

21/12/2016 16:54

World

See us at Manchester – stand

The Ja nuary Furnit ure Sh o Hall 5 w , Stand G75 & H35 Unit 2, Ballyharry Business Park, Donaghadee Road, Newtownards, Co. Down BT23 7ET

T: 028 9182 8202 F: 028 9182 8082 E: info@world-furniture.biz

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19/12/2016 16:54 17:45 21/12/2016

invite you to view our new ranges for 2017 at the NEC, Birmingham

Hall 5 on Stand G10

Shankar (UK) LLP, E5 MoorďŹ eld Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV2 4QT

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21/12/2016 16:54

THE

AVIATOR RANGE FROM SHANKAR

The industrial yet elegant range of aluminium furniture will add a contemporary note to home interiors.

Handcrafted by artisans, with a stylish ďŹ nish that will make you feel as though you have just stepped out onto the runway.

2 DRAWER CONSOLE TABLE

3 DOOR SIDEBOARD

2 DRAWER BENCH

Tel: 01902 399764 / Fax: 01902 714005 sales@shankar.uk.com / containersales@shankar.uk.com

www.shankar.uk.com FN 334_Section N.indd 225

19/12/2016 16:54 10:22 21/12/2016

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW

PIAZZA SUITES 5-7 35A Keighley Road, Silsden, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 0EB Tel 01535 656002 | Info@scanthor.co.uk FN 334_Section 226 Scanthor 334.indd N.indd 1

21/12/2016 15:13 16:54 28/11/2016

THE MARK OF A GREAT BRITISH FURNISHINGS MANUFACTURER

The Manufacturing Guild Mark has been the mark of excellence, distinguishing Britain’s top furnishing manufacturers, since 1993.

Retailers, specifiers, distributors and customers sourcing and buying furniture from an MGM holder can rest easy knowing that the company has achieved exemplary standards.

www.furnituremakers.org.uk/excellence Sponsored by:

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21/12/2016 17:01

228 | Out & About

Event: The British Furniture Confederation (BFC) Export and Growth Event, sponsored by Stephen McPartland MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group (APPFIG) Location: Dining Room B, the House of Commons Date: Tuesday 11th October Lowdown: This afternoon tea saw key members of the trade gather in Westminster to discuss the future of UK exports in the light of Brexit.

The industry lobby group was keen to ensure that the Government understands the contribution the furniture sector makes to the UK’s economy, and to express concerns about the level of support available.

The event was attended by Greg Hands MP, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, who highlighted the new Government’s commitment to increasing UK exports to £1t by 2020

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Out & About | 229

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230

BEDS & BEDROOM •••

Canberra

Germany’s largest footwear manufacturer and Austria’s largest producer of upholstered furniture have together set their sights on retailers in Europe, Asia, and the US with a new range of jointly-developed beds, slatted frames, and mattresses.

This month, global footwear brand Birkenstock (www.birkenstock.com) will introduce a collection of sleep systems at imm cologne, developed in partnership with bed and mattress manufacturer ADA, which combine functionality with striking contemporary design.

Alongside the power of a global brand and high-quality products, Birkenstock promises to offer furniture and bed retailers an attractive partner programme. The first products will be delivered at the end of Q2 2017.

For the third year running, Siesta Beds (0121 773 9969, info@siestabeds.co.uk) is holding an open week for existing and new customers at the Mulliners Works, Bordesley Green, Birmingham B8 1BY, in line with the NEC January Furniture Show from 22nd-25th January. Understanding that buyers’ time is precious, an out-of-hours service is also offered – by appointment only – allowing visitors to make full use of the show.

Those visiting during the day will also have the opportunity to view the manufacturing processes and be introduced to office staff.

Making use of the showroom, all new models will be displayed, together with the launch of the company’s 2017 catalogue.

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231

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hushabyebeds.co.uk

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232 | Beds & Bedroom

Kindred Chapter range in a stone finish

Kindred, the new complete bedroom furniture brand from Kindred Living (01325 329000, www.kindred.co.uk), features a line-up of classic and modern designs that have been robustly researched to meet the needs of today’s increasingly demanding consumer.

The classic portfolio is inspired by the craft of the past and reimagined for the 21st century.

The Chapter range delivers a classic Shaker style with a simple profile and delicate beading. Paired with a neutral colour palette of partridge grey, porcelain and stone, the collection would suit period homes as much as modern properties.

Alongside the range of four modern and two classic door designs, additional feature doors in glass, mirror and walnut are available to add further personality. The classic collection also includes a range of chests with matching or accent oak tops, as well as an extensive choice of handles.

The brand is backed with a full suite of marketing materials, and the collection is supported with Articad and EQU CAD catalogue packages.

Kindred is available ex-stock from the company’s dedicated 25,000ft2 warehouse.

The Natural Comfort collection

Natural fibres and the latest pocket spring technology ensure that Hypnos’ mattresses offer support and comfort

Award-winning bed manufacturer and Royal Warrant holder, Hypnos (www.hypnosbeds.com), has been handcrafting luxury beds and mattresses from natural, sustainable and breathable materials for over 100 years, leading to the creation of its new Natural Comfort collection, which harnesses a balance of natural fillings.

The collection features four seasonal-turn mattresses, each generously and carefully filled with the optimum mix and weight of fine natural fibres including wool, horsetail, cashmere and alpaca to offer comfort, whilst actively helping to regulate body temperature and wick away moisture.

Equally, the collection offers support from Hypnos’ latest three-zone pocket spring technology.

These springs are designed to support the areas of the body which need it most by aligning to, and minimising, the sleeper’s pressure points for extra head-to-toe full body support with extra care for the spine, back and posture.

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233

Repeat Clients

Say It Best!

“From start to finish he helped drive the sales, motivate staff, leading by example to ensure, no matter what came our way that we all pulled together to achieve the results required.”

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Bryn & Tina Whitaker • Kenmore Interiors 1st December 2016

“We are unreserved in our recommendation of Lynch Sales, we did not dream of this level of business during a closing down sale and could not have done so without these guys.

BRILLIANT JOB - THANK YOU.” Jon Quilter • Quilters 26th November 2016

“Our fourth Lynch Sale in four years speaks for itself! Outstandingly successful as always.

Amazed by the rapid sale of clearance items.”

David Wood • Worcester Furniture 26th October 2016

“Well how should I put it? Yet again the Lynch sales team exceed expectations.”

Richard Foster • Fosters for Furniture 7th October 2016

No one runs a “Lynch Sale” quite like the Lynch Sales Company. For results you can bank on, contact the originators of high impact promotions.

Contact Gareth Price Tel: 07974 209761 www.LynchSales.co.uk

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Copyright 2016 Lynch Brothers Licensing Corporation

FN 334_Section O.indd 233

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234 | Beds & Bedroom

Geometric in grey

Studio by Silentnight (www.silentnight.co.uk/studio) is a new contemporary bed and mattress brand which enables shoppers to build their own configuration in four steps, and top it with the company’s latest mattress. Studio by Silentnight offers a choice of bed frame styles, colours, storage and sizes. Each is handmade in the UK and delivered with minimal assembly required.

Each frame style is available in four colours – ebony, grey, natural and teal. The Geometric style has a winged design with sharp, sophisticated lines, while the elegant Curve offers a softer silhouette. Simplicity, an understated, minimalist shape, completes the trio.

Smart storage is at the core of the offer. A choice of drawers – in optional sizes – and half ottoman styles make it easy to hide clutter.

Curve in teal

The Studio mattress is available in three comfort choices, and offers an innovative combination of breathable gel-infused foam and state-of-the-art memory foam which contours the body for complete comfort. Combined with Studio Flex profiling, this mattress allows tailored support. The mattress comes conveniently rolled and boxed.

With a 60-night comfort guarantee, Studio by Silentnight allows customers to test their choice at home and exchange it if necessary.

Beds in the Studio by Silentnight collection are available in Double, King and Super-King sizes. The Studio mattress is available in four sizes. Products all come with a five-year guarantee, and the mattresses feature an Allergy UK-approved soft-knit cover.

COMFORT AWAITS.

Perfectly crafted with lavish materials, our Pillow Top Opulence mattress will put you soundly into a comfortable sleep. This mattress boasts a memory foam top covered in micro-quilted fabric for optimum comfort, 1500 individual support pocket springs and natural cotton comfort layers.

Sweet dreams!

For more information on our range of products or to become a stockist, contact us on +44 1484 427 373, or email; enquiries@deluxe-beds.co.uk. www.deluxe-beds.co.uk

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21/12/2016 17:01

HaB Fu

t

h

n o d e t i r a t t s u l h as o v e r e

1

2

3

easyturn in three easy moves 1. Unzip the easyturn mattress top 2. Flip it over 3. Zip it back up again. Done.

Top quality beds such as ours tend to be more generous with the fillings. This makes for a great sleep but adds to the weight of the mattress, making turnability a real issue for many customers.

The standard answer to this is to make the mattress no-turn, which consequently can affect longevity.

Well, we’ve turned convention on its head with the ingenious easyturn system. This clever design keeps most of the weight in one section, making the layer that actually needs turning much more manageable.

Three models were launched at the Bed Show; we’re sure once you try easyturn you’ll never want to turn back to those pre-revolution days.

new from

Even more innovation

Hush-a-Bye Beds, Canal Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 8RL T: 01225 779135 W: hushabyebeds.co.uk

FN O.indd HaB334_Section Furn News page AW235 .indd 1

21/12/2016 11/10/2016 17:01 10:35

FURNITURE NEWS NEW DPS dec 5 2016.qxp_Layout 1 11/28/16 1:37 PM Page 1

When launched, Sealy’s revolutionary Hybrid Collection was hailed as the most innovative development in bed technology in years.

With innovation comes evolution...

POCKET ULTIMA 2800

FUSION

1400 Pocket Springs, 1400 Mini Pocket Springs and 8cm of Geltex.

Features Unirail.

PostureTech CS spring system, 1400 Mini Pocket Springs and 6cm of Geltex.

Features Unirail.

POCKET SERENITY 1400

1400 Pocket Springs and 6cm of Geltex. Features Unirail.

NB: Listed spring counts are based on a king size spring unit (measuring 5ft x 6ft 6in /150cm 200cm).

The number of springs will alter on a pro-rata basis dependent on mattress size and spring unit surface area.

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REGENCY 3600

1400 Pocket Springs, 2200 Mini Pocket Springs and 4cm Geltex. Features Unirail.

The re-imagined Hybrid Collection oers all the same pioneering technology but with an additional ground-breaking feature...

No need to turn or rotate‌ ever.

Simply put the mattress in place and enjoy. The stunning, re-fashioned designs all contain Geltex, our unique, gel-infused foam providing breathability, pressure relief, comfort and support.

For more information, contact our Sales Hotline on 016973 20342 or visit www.sealy.co.uk

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238 | Beds & Bedroom

THE RESULTS ARE IN There is no denying that sleep is vitally important to our health and wellbeing. It directly affects the quality of our daily lives, including mental sharpness, productivity and emotional balance. But, as a nation, how seriously do we take sleep? Sealy believes it has the answer …

The bed manufacturer has conducted a sleep census in collaboration with Loughborough University’s Clinical Sleep Research Unit. The census – the largest of its kind ever – explored the slumber habits of Brits and respondents from countries including China, South Korea, Australia, and South Africa.

The census revealed a worldwide sleep debt – the perceived amount of sleep people need to effectively function mentally and emotionally the next day, minus the sleep they actually get each night.

While the sleep debt in the UK is by no means the worst globally, men lose 28 minutes a night on average and women fare worse, missing out an average of 56 minutes each night.

This equates to a staggering five days a year in lost sleep for men, and 10 days a year for women. The largest sleep debt in the world emerged in South Korea, with men losing an average of one hour and 42 minutes each night, and women losing an average of one hour and 23 minutes.

It is not just the quantity of sleep which is important, but the quality, too. The census results highlight that a shocking 77%

FN 334_Section O.indd 238

of Brits fail to wake up each morning feeling refreshed and well rested, while just 2% say that they enjoy this feeling every day.

This puts the UK at the bottom of the global ‘wake-up league’, with those in China most likely to leap out of bed in the morning, followed by the inhabitants of Australia and South Korea.

When asked what factors are keeping us awake at night, the need to use the bathroom (55%), an old, uncomfortable bed (46%) and partner snoring (42%) led the responses.

Meanwhile, 23% claimed they were being kept awake by a partner using a mobile phone or tablet in the bedroom.

As a nation, and as a planet, we are not getting enough restorative sleep each night. This means we may not be functioning, learning, working, creating and communicating at an effective level – no other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort.

Sealy is dedicated to helping its customers become deeper sleepers, and offers useful advice via various online resources.

W sealy.co.uk W sleep-census.com

21/12/2016 17:02

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240 | Beds & Bedroom

Boutique Opulence

SHIRE COVERS ALL THE BASES The Shire Bed Company is going from strength to strength. Having recently made significant investment into expanding its manufacturing facility, acquiring a further 60,000ft2, increasing the size of the operation to over 100,000ft2, the company is currently in the process of designing a new head office and showrooms …

The company continues to develop its portfolio, and recently launched a range of new products. The Roll & Rest collection of vacuum-packed mattresses is ideal for anyone needing a mattress in a hurry – the comprehensive collection features 10 models, including Daisy, Iris, Carnation, Orchid, Freesia, Azalea, Amaryllis, Lotus, Violet and Jasmine.

The extensive ranges of open-coil, orthopaedic spring, reflex foam and pocket-sprung mattresses are all available in standard core and memory foam topper options. According to Shire, all the mattresses will return to full size, ready to use two to four hours after opening, and can be transported in the back of an average-sized car.

Shire’s second-generation Active Response collection includes four mattresses with performance finish covers – Active Fresh, Active Care, Active Breeze and Active Cool.

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The company’s limited collection of boutique-inspired pocket mattresses are Elegance 1500 and Opulence 3000. The soft pocket-sprung mattresses come with high-quality fillings, including cashmere, silk and wool.

Both mattresses have woollen tufts, air vents and handles as standard, and are completed with a soft fabric to complement the supportive pocket spring unit.

Fara Butt, sales and marketing director, says: “We are passionate about product quality and work very hard to bring our latest collections to our customers.”

The company’s beds, mattresses and divan bases are supplied nationally and internationally to major retailers and the contract sector including education, care and hospitality.

T 01924 439898 E info@shirebeds.co.uk

21/12/2016 17:02

Eden

Eden Land has more than 15 years of experience in designing, producing and exporting furniture. The company has participated at various international furniture shows since 2006, and its factory is located in Dongguan, Guangdong, China. Eden Land has an in-house quality control team to monitor the whole production process, and offers competitive prices to suit market needs. The company’s strengths lie in producing beds, storage beds, chairs, bedroom case goods and sofa beds made of faux leather and different fabrics types.

Please feel free to contact us at:

info@edenlandmsia.com You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

edenland.com.my

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07/12/2016 17:02 11:51 21/12/2016

JFS Showguide DPS_Layout 1 12/12/2016 12:26 Page 1

NEW COLLECTION

Have you seen what’s new from Furmanac?

Hayley and Harper Mattresses in Orpington Surround

The New Violet bedframe

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The New VR Mattress

21/12/2016 17:02

Be the first to see the exclusive re-launch of the handmade lift and recline MiChairÂŽ collection on stand D-30 in hall 5 at the January Furniture Show.

Visit: www.Furmanac.com Call: 01384 408844 Email: Sales@furmanac.com FN 334_Section O.indd 243

21/12/2016 17:02

244 | Beds & Bedroom

RELYON INVESTS IN RETAIL DISPLAY SYSTEM British bed manufacturer Relyon is working towards restoring its position in the luxury natural pocket-sprung market with a new display system.

Renowned for creating some of the best beds in the world, Relyon has long been a trusted supplier of handcrafted mattresses and beds for independent retailers. Last year, the manufacturer invested over £500,000 in a new display system which was rolled out to over 70 stores.

Relyon brand director David Wescomb says: “The Relyon Heritage Collection is a range of beds of such outstanding

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quality, and the appeal of the new display system underpins its ability to amplify the message of luxury and handcrafted quality to the end customer.”

The new display system, which can be tailored to suit the specifications of each individual store, offers retailers the option of three different towers – a fabric swatches tower, features and benefits tower, and a natural fillings tower, which

21/12/2016 17:11

Beds & Bedroom | 245

The Relyon showroom

David Wescomb with the

From left: David Wescomb; Relyon area sales manager Nick Hutchinson; and Fenwick of

new Relyon display stand

Leicester’s bed department manager Vijay Unadkat and store director David Illingworth

displays the handcrafted elements which comprise a top-end Heritage Collection mattress.

Offering a stronger customer buying experience, the new Relyon brand video takes centre focus on a 40in television screen within the display stand, which, alongside the lecterns and hanging graphic panels, more effectively communicates Relyon’s unique selling points.

Fenwick of Leicester was the first store to receive the new display stand at the beginning of November, replacing its Classic Collection of beds for five top-of-the-range Heritage Collection models.

“Fenwick of Leicester are thrilled with the instant impact of their new five-bay Relyon display stand,” says David, “which has been turning the heads of customers and staff alike. Within 24 hours of the new display stand being installed into Fenwick

FN 334_Section P.indd 245

of Leicester’s bed department, they had made three sales of their brand-new top-end Heritage models.”

Relyon has long been committed to the independent market, and the investment in the new display enforces the manufacturer’s commitment to the sector, bringing the brand’s elements together in a 100% professional package for retailers and end customers.

David adds: “The new Relyon display stands will not only improve sales, but also allow us to work with new and existing retailers to build an even stronger store presence for our premium Heritage Collection.”

Now the installation of the display stands is well under way, it is being accompanied by fresh photography and further investment in a new website early this year.

W relyon.co.uk

21/12/2016 17:11

246 | Beds & Bedroom

Studio in black

WORLDWIDE FURNITURE SOURCE’S STRIKING LAUNCHES Worldwide Furniture Source is an established family business retailing and wholesaling to customers across the UK. Worldwide Furniture Source prides itself on its fresh designs, diverse collections and low prices. The company is introducing new wardrobe ranges this year and is looking forward to the launch of its new Casa Leather recliner sofa lines shortly.

The business has added a striking new grey colour to its wardrobe collection as well as the popular black, white and oak, so there is a colour to fit all customer needs.

On Worldwide Furniture Source’s stand at the January Furniture Show – stand 5-F48 – all of the company’s new models will be displayed alongside the firm favourites.

The past year has proven to be a successful one for Worldwide Furniture Source and the company is looking forward to a successful year ahead.

W wwfsltd.com

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Studio in oak

21/12/2016 17:11

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Worldwide Furniture Source 198-202 Breck Road, Liverpool, L5 6PX T: 0151 263 5392 E: wwfsltd@gmail.com www.wwfsltd.com

£795 J&T/WWFS Advert.indd 1 FN 334_Section P.indd 247

£795 19/12/2016 09:15 21/12/2016 17:11

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Tel - 01785250888 Fax - 01785241888 FN 334_Section P.indd 248

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t

KINGS Contrac

TEL - 01785 250888 FAX - 01785 241888 E - SALES@WHOLESALEBEDS.CO.UK

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LIVING ROOM •••

TT Collection

The recently-launched TT Collection from Kettle Interiors (01536 444960, sales@ kettleinteriorsagencies.com) will be on show at the January Furniture Show, stand 4-D20.

Available in a choice of white or grey paint finish, the range features gently lime-washed oak tops and chrome cup handles, for a look that balances classic and contemporary influences.

With 35 items, including two styles of extending tables, and with many items featuring wicker storage baskets, the TT Collection brings a versatile range that boasts wide appeal.

Available from UK stock, retailers can access this new range as part of the supplier’s Wholesale, Stockist and Container supply packages. Shop floor display discounts are also available for new orders.

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Sher

MILBURN

Don’t miss our exciting new ranges at the January Furniture Show, where we shall have new developments to enhance our Fabric, Leather and Adjustable Bed ranges.

New covers will be particularly prominent this year, with both soft-feel and easy-clean fabrics in a wonderful array of colours.

Don’t miss us on stand nos. D10 and C10 right next to the main entrance in Hall 5.

Recliner available in 4 sizes

5Guarantee Ye a r ON ALL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS, ACTIONS & FRAMES

Sherborne Upholstery Limited Tel: 01274 882633 E-mail: sales@sherborne-uph.co.uk www.sherborneupholstery.co.uk (now showing all Fabrics and Leathers)

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252 | Living Room

Harrow

Camden

John Tuton

MAMMOTH SEATING ON SHOW THIS MONTH Comfort innovation brand Mammoth is putting pressure relief and comfort at the forefront of everyday living with the launch of its new upholstery collections on stand 5-E30 at the January Furniture Show …

Presenting its new sofa ranges – Camden, Harrow and Richmond – along with the launch of its rise-and-recline collection, Mammoth is taking an innovative approach to seating with its science of comfort ethos and the use of its unique medical-grade foam, combined with PostureCell technologies.

Camden, Harrow and Richmond come as two and three seaters and grand, standard or petite chair options. They are available in static, manual and automatic motions.

Following on from its successful collaboration with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and a winning commendation from NHS Innovations North last year for making its technologies available to the public, Mammoth’s new rise and-recline collection has been designed to bring advanced health benefits to consumers, offering additional safety support when getting in and out of the chair.

All Mammoth upholstery models have integrated medicalgrade foam cushions for support and pressure relief, and are available in an array of colour and fabric combinations. They also come with a wide selection of scatter cushions.

The full upholstery collection will appear on the Furnico stand – 5-E30 – Mammoth’s licensed manufacturer, at the four-day show, which runs from 22nd-25th January at the NEC, Birmingham.

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Mammoth founder, John Tuton, says: “We are dedicated to improving people’s lives through innovative design with comfort at the heart of everything we do. We are well known in the bed industry for our award-winning medical-grade foam mattresses, so we wanted to expand on that to offer 24/7 comfort to end-users. This is the reason we have developed our seating range and are branching out into other areas.

“From the outset, Mammoth has always done things differently. We have collaborated with sporting bodies and sleep/health experts to scientifically prove that our foam products really do work, and we can give retailers research, facts and health awards to back up our story, which offers a very strong selling point. Our innovation and strong focus on the science of comfort has, this year, been recognised by the NHS, which further reinforces the success of our healthcare-led approach.”

The Mammoth Hub – an interactive PoS unit featuring a consumer information video to help increase engagement, full swatch offering and examples of the company’s foam – will also be on show.

The company has also relaunched its website to feature its full range of upholstery and mattress products, and a retailer finder to help drive footfall into stores.

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See us at the January Furniture Show 2017 where we will be exhibiting our upholstery collection and launching our all new Mammoth Rise and Recline range.

Beds & Mattresses | Upholstery | Rise & Recliners

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254

•••

DG Dining

Launched in autumn, the DG Dining collection from Kettle Interiors (01536 444960, sales@ kettleinteriorsagencies.com) captures the success of the original bedroom collection with a choice of 21 items for living and dining use. On display at the January Furniture Show on stand 4-D20, the painted collection comes supplied with wood and chrome handles and contrasting natural oak tops.

Typifying classic English country style, the DG Dining collection’s elegant stance will appeal to homeowners wanting a versatile look. With items proportioned to work in homes both small and large, Kettle is already seeing great interest in the range. Supplied from UK stocks, DG Dining is available through Wholesale, Stockist and Container services with shopfloor display discounts on first-time orders.

Zurich

Alfrank Designs (www.alfrank.ie) is a well-established and respected supplier to the UK and Irish furniture market. Specialising in high gloss wood veneers and marble dining and occasional furniture, Alfrank has built a reputation for designing innovative quality products and providing retailers with exclusive collections at competitive prices.

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Guildford dining table

The Guildford dining table from Serene (0121 505 0270) is ideal for small-space living or those wishing to make clever use of the dining area. It is a compact table that can comfortably seat two and be placed against a wall for maximum use of the room. The table looks equally striking in either one of its oak or walnut veneer finishes.

Forming part of the extended Dining collection from Serene, Guildford is competitively priced, benefits from large levels of stock and will suit a wide variety of ages and tastes.

Aleal’s (www.aleal.pt) collections are made of pieces of furniture with originality, characterised by refined finishes. Aleal is a family business with an innovative vision, but maintains a commitment to producing furniture of a high quality. The company’s varied product portfolio opens up the possibility for people to express their personality and to custom-make their own settings.

Aleal has a wide offering, ranging from pieces for the living and dining room to bedroom and design accessories. Aleal’s collections are all made from highquality wood, lacquer, metals, leathers and glass. When combined, these materials create a medley of sleek, striking products to furnish the home.

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www.crestleather.com

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sales.uk@crestleather.com

Tel: +44 (0) 1706 643 121

Fax:: +44 1706 643 133

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www.yotfc.eu ge of sive ran n te x e rs An extende Y OAK IT L A U d Q an al oiled in natur . Also s finishe d re e u lacq le ITW availab

Seating solutions from Ye Olde Traditional

Available from stock, not from a container!

We offer:

• A fantastic range of paint and polished wood colour finishes • A bespoke range of fabrics, faux leathers and leathers for upholstery Pictured above: Dijon 90 4/6 Seater, 90 x 90 closed, Extends to 160 x 90

Te l e p h o n e : 0 1 6 0 4 8 9 0 9 5 6 YOTFC ltd. 3 Roe Farm, Cogenhoe NN7 1NL Email: md@yotfc.co.uk or brd@yotfc.co.uk

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Seating solutions from Ye Olde Traditional

Harrington Upholstered

Harris Solid Seat

Howard Upholstered

Provence Solid

Provence Rush

Provence Leather

Junior

Delta

OAK cross back

Churchill

New Grandfathers!

Upholstered Oxford X Back

destal ht: 212 Pe Pictured rig er Pine nd te Ex Pedestal und Centre 7cm 107cm Ro nding to 14 table Exte s Cr Bistro os Shown with Back chair hed W or Finis Available IT siz tion of es Large selec of table and styles

x-back Bistro Rush

Farmhouse Fiddle

X-back Bistro Solid

Rustica Rush Seat

Bretton Rush Seat

Stamford

Bretton Solid Seat

Amish Solid Seat

Farmhouse Slats

LiĂŠge Solid

Te l e p h o n e : 0 1 6 0 4 8 9 0 9 5 6 YOTFC ltd. 3 Roe Farm, Cogenhoe NN7 1NL Email: md@yotfc.co.uk or brd@yotfc.co.uk

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FURNISHER •••

Artmart Direct (07974 442783, www.artmartdirect.com) and Reflective Art will be running several exclusive new lines of mirrors and furniture this year, at impressively low prices. The company plans to debut several new highquality glass-on-glass mirrors, as well as a new range of ornate swept mirrors to meet growing demand.

Reflective Art is introducing several new styles of bedroom furniture and end tables. These include crystal items and a slanted crystal drawer bedroom set.

The company promises to reveal various deals and special offers thoughout the year.

Generation in raspberry cream, from Louis de Poortere’s Fading World collection

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Homeowners can now co-ordinate carpet and rug styling in the home with the unique Rugs & Runners concept from broadloom expert, Edel Telenzo (01422 374417, edeltelenzocarpets. co.uk). There is now the opportunity to select the colourway of a favoured Edel Telenzo carpet, and introduce it into a rug with almost unlimited dimensions and bordering options.

Mainline with leather edging The concept applies to any Edel Telenzo broadloom design, as Mark Rooney, UK sales director, explains: “Rugs and Runners is a really pioneering concept from Edel Telenzo, and the positive feedback from retailers and homeowners is already rolling in.

“We expect this to continue into the early months of 2017 and beyond, as store owners present customers with a fabulously bespoke rug-making service, where the styling of a rug can blend seamlessly with the carpet found beneath or in close proximity.”

Each design is produced in a wool or wool blend. Users select a design from Edel Telenzo’s portfolio, choose the dimensions to fit the space, then look to one of the brand’s 88 edging options.

Two new rug designs, Generation and Agra Sur, are joining the Fading World collection from Louis de Poortere (info@ depoorterelouis.com, www.louisdepoortere.com).

These options are ideal for adding extra design interest underfoot, as Alan Russell, UK sales director, explains: “The new year sees Fading World expanded to make it a more diverse range than ever before, with two designs – Generation and Agra Sur – introduced in a 100% cotton flatweave.

These fresh looks ensure the Fading World collection offers something for everyone, an unbeatable combination of highest quality materials and versatile styling.”

Generation incorporates the familiar Fading World medallion but in a host of vibrant colourways, including pear cream, raspberry cream and yuzu cream, hues which echo the disruptive events of the Sixties. Agra Sur, meanwhile, pays homage to the brand’s vintage roots through multiple layers of distressed texture. Available in five shades, this understated design is interspersed with flashes of accent colour, keeping the eye guessing as it scans from one area of the rug to the next.

Fading World’s Generation and Agra Sur designs are available in eight stock sizes to suit any space, and arrive with a high-quality anti-slip backing.

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Reflective Art Ltd Top quality designer mirrors and furnishings at very competitive prices

Now Available

Pallet delivery anywhere in the UK ÂŁ35 + VAT

All prices are subject to VAT at 20%

Contact Jane Murray on T: 0797 444 2783 E: artmartdirect@hotmail.co.uk Unit 12 Block A, Nile Mill, Cotswold Avenue, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 8NH Tel: 0044 (0)797 444 2783

www.artmartdirect.com

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260 | Furnisher

To support the roll-out of its dedicated UK Stock Collection, Granorte (01785 711131, www.granorte.co.uk) has introduced a new PoS unit. Offering floors and walls backed by a new 48-hour delivery service, the 0.4m2 compact PoS unit houses 54 different products, ranging from original, luxury vinyl and recycled leather cork floors, to wall tiles.

Granorte’s Paulo Rocha says: “Over the last year we have been working hard on a new concept that would offer UK flooring retailers the opportunity to take advantage of the growing demand in cork floors and walls.

“Following extensive research, it became clear that we needed to settle on a core product mix that offers our retail partners the service levels that today’s consumers demand, and have this housed in the UK for immediate delivery.

We now have this in place, and as part of this package we are also delighted to unveil a new PoS unit that really highlights the aesthetic and performance benefits of cork.”

The stand features visuals that promote cork walls and floors as natural and sustainable, while also highlighting the practical benefits that include thermal insulation, Granorte’s acoustic absorption and new PoS underfoot comfort.

Mayfair Dorchester

A leader in rug design, Flair Rugs (01457 850660) will bring its impressive portfolio to the January Furniture Show as the brand commences activities for 2017.

With continual trend updates treating retailers up and down the country to a diverse selection of rug styles, the show will provide an ideal opportunity to present what is holding sway for the spring/summer 2017 season.

Gareth Davies, sales and marketing director, says: “The January Furniture Show is always a calendar highlight for us, and we are delighted to be taking part once more in 2017. We will be introducing our newest designs, across wool, super soft polyester and practical polypropylene fibres, with the vibrant Prismatic, the inherently intricate Venice and the vintage-inspired Persia just a taste of what’s to come.

“Flair will continue with its trend updates throughout the 12 months ahead, and we are also proud to offer retailers the opportunity to showcase our versatile collection through a new innovative PoS. This arrives in the form of a unique space-saving lectern, featuring eye-catching laminated brochure, ensuring all sizes and styles can be presented to customers without the need for a large in-store footprint.”

Portugal’s Envy Lighting (sales@iiiuk.com, www.envy-lighting.com) reports that its highquality ceramic table and floor lamps have made a significant impact in the UK since their launch in 2012, seeing continual YoY growth in both volume and the number of stockists.

Retailers such as Andersons of Inverurie, Arthur Llewellyn-Jenkins, Arighi Bianchi, Mia Stanza and Stokers Fine Furniture have all benefited from Envy’s contemporary designs, with models such as the Arche, Bilba, Carea, Daims and Pyra offering variety and quality for the discerning consumer.

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Artma

Artmart Top quality designer mirrors and furnishings at very competitive prices

Now Available

Pallet delivery anywhere in the UK ÂŁ35 + VAT

All prices are subject to VAT at 20%

Contact Jane Murray on T: 0797 444 2783 E: artmartdirect@hotmail.co.uk Unit 12 Block A, Nile Mill, Cotswold Avenue, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 8NH Tel: 0044 (0)797 444 2783

www.artmartdirect.com

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Balance floor lamp

Provence table lamp

Ti�any-style table lamp from Quoizel

BRIGHT IDEAS FROM ELSTEAD LIGHTING In the autumn, Elstead Lighting launched a supplement catalogue featuring more than 80 new products …

The latest introductions from Elstead include the Balance floor lamp, a contemporary range that comes in white with polished nickel elements and includes a table lamp, five-light chandelier and single pendant. It is also available in mocha brown with polished brass elements.

Another addition is the Provence table lamp. Available in a polished copper finish, this task light is suitable for any lounge or study room, and also comes in polished nickel, aged brass or old bronze.

Finally, Elstead presents another new Tiffany-style table lamp from Quoizel, which offers attractive hues of ruby red and buttery creams that come together with an imperial bronze finish. The intricate details on the base all combine to create a strong frame for its hand-crafted shade.

Elstead Lighting offers one of the widest ranges of decorative lighting in the country, supporting and accessorising both furniture and interior design showrooms as well as leading lighting specialists.

With a collection of more than 2500 models, including portables and mirrors, chandeliers and wall lights, along with

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a large selection of bathroom and outdoor lamps, Elstead is renowned for bringing unparalleled levels of choice and style to dealers and consumers. This is backed by over 150,000 fittings in stock, enabling high levels of availability and customer service.

The company offers a 708-page master catalogue, and dealers can also access A5 consumer versions to assist with sales. Additionally, the company recently launched a stylish freestanding lectern that helps promote the full ranges available by being placed in store.

Three years ago the company invested more than £1m in building a 9000ft2 showroom to present its entire range in an inspirational manner.

Elstead welcomes trade customers to Alton, Hampshire to choose product and engage with the facility as a training platform – Elstead offers a full factory tour, providing a detailed insight as to what goes into the production and quality management processes in place.

T 01420 82377 W elsteadlighting.com

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STAND OUT WITH BEAUTIFUL DECORATIVE LIGHTING

LIGHTING

TO ORDER YOUR 700 PAGE CATALOGUE CONTACT ELSTEAD LIGHTING TODAY enquiries@elsteadlighting.com • www.elsteadlighting.com • 01420 82377 • Elstead House, Mill Lane, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 2QJ

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TRADE SERVICES •••

Oak options have joined PCI’s leg range

Launched just over two years ago, the NBF’s dynamic, interactive Sleep Council Sales Academy programme (www.sleepcouncilsalesacademy.org.uk) is the only course of its kind for bed retailers.

It is entirely focused on sleep and beds, and has proved to be a valuable tool for many businesses that have seen their conversion rates and sales values increase as a result of putting their sales teams through the course.

Companies can now register team members for just £49 each and join the growing number of bed retailers who recognise the value of training and investing in the professional development of their staff.

The online course focuses on sleep knowledge, and shows how to use it to engage more effectively and profitably with customers – gaining their trust and becoming much more than a transactional salesperson.

The badge of an accredited Sleep Council adviser demonstrates professional achievement, encouraging customers to buy with greater confidence.

Peter Cook International (PCI, 0113 235 1111, www. petercookint.com) has long been renowned for its extensive choice of wooden legs for use on sofas, chairs and beds. Until recently, its range was produced entirely in beech, but this has changed with the introduction of oak timber in varying finishes.

Martin Cave, general manager, explains: “We have always been really proud of the wide choice of styles and colours we can offer our customers when it comes to supplying their wooden feet requirements. The addition of the oak timber was a natural progression after the successful launch of the FSC certification two years ago.

We are really pleased in particular with the weathered and aged effects we now have in stock.”

Every Wednesday buyers visit Alfreton, Derbyshire for the weekly Midland Furniture Auctions (MFA, 01773 832555, www.mfa.bid) sale. The bidders are eager for the latest styles and types of furniture, so there is always a demand for new stock – for anyone with furniture that needs to be sold quickly and effortlessly, MFA might be the solution.

End of lines, seconds, returns or excess furniture all reportedly sell well.

After 10 years of trading and selling hundreds of items each week, with no fee to pay if no sale is made, Midland states that sellers have nothing to lose by trying out the service.

Sales event specialist The Lynch Sales Company (www. lynchsales.com) has launched the Lynch Sale in a Box, which aims to help smaller furniture retail stores raise cash, reduce inventory and improve their standing in the community. The company’s new initiative aims to accomplish all those goals at an affordable cost.

“We receive a lot of inquiries from smaller stores,” says CEO Chris Lynch. “Many of these retailers are unable to sustain a traditional Lynch Sale Event as they really don’t qualify for our full programme. We have to turn them down because they are simply too small to justify us sending a sales conductor and sales personnel into their store.

“Now, after much research and development, we are able to provide a scaled-down version of our copyrighted sales events, which includes everything a retailer needs to have a successful Lynch Sale, minus our on-site management team, and at a vastly reduced cost to the retailers.”

The Lynch Sales Company is a family-owned sales event specialist based in Tennessee, US. Founded in 1914, the company conducts sales events for stores throughout North America, the UK and Ireland. The Sale in a Box event provides a 17- or 30-day Lynch Sale that includes signage, advertising, direct mail marketing, sale tags and complete consultation for the duration.

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Furniture

Handling EquipmEnt 0161 702 7002 sales@steelyproducts.co.uk Mattress Display Racks Folding Bed Stands Sofa Trolleys Folding Suite Stands Mattress “Trio Trolleys”

When you care enough to drive the very best

We supply to distributors, retail shops and warehouses

The Renault Master

Lowest loading height with maximum payload.

Get it loaded – every time!

Renault Master LoLoader®

Vauxhall Movano KneeHi®

Fiat Ducato Canniloader®

For more information on these vehicles, contact our sales office on 01884 33001 opt.1 or email mail@trucksmith.co.uk On the web: www.loloader.co.uk www.kneehi.co.uk www.canniloader.co.uk

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268 | Trade Services

Having designed business systems for over 40 years, Syscom (01384 344244, www.syscom. co.uk) is one of the UK’s most respected providers of flexible and affordable ERP Solutions.

Microsoft Dynamics AX for Furniture manufacturers, from Syscom, has been developed exclusively for the furniture and soft furnishing industries by the industry itself. It is the product of countless hours of collaboration with major players from these industries, and offers effective solutions to common industry problems.

Microsoft Dynamics AX for Furniture has taken the standard Microsoft AX ERP system to a new level, and through a single application allows the user to manage: sales order processing, dispatch

and invoicing including multiple pricing methods, pick to load, load balancing, capacity planning, bulk pick, integrated MRP; and fire certification tracking and risk management across multiple sites, countries or languages.

Travel documents allow the user to see exactly where orders are within the production cycle, to give customers accurate updates on their order.

In response to the request for flexibility, Syscom has teamed up with Bluestone Leasing to offer affordable, personalised packages, tailored to suit a business’ ongoing financial restraints and ensure its IT systems are a driving force.

All of the above is available for a single affordable monthly premium.

AWARD WINNING MATTRESS BAG

CAN BE REUSED UP TO 70 TIMES IMPROVES MANUAL HANDLING REDUCES DAMAGE & PACKAGING COSTS BULK BUY DISCOUNTS

0151 934 1250

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Repeat Clients

Say It Best!

“From start to finish he helped drive the sales, motivate staff, leading by example to ensure, no matter what came our way that we all pulled together to achieve the results required.”

For everything you need to know about

furniture

Bryn & Tina Whitaker • Kenmore Interiors 1st December 2016

“We are unreserved in our recommendation of Lynch Sales, we did not dream of this level of business during a closing down sale and could not have done so without these guys.

BRILLIANT JOB - THANK YOU.” Jon Quilter • Quilters 26th November 2016

“Our fourth Lynch Sale in four years speaks for itself! Outstandingly successful as always.

Amazed by the rapid sale of clearance items.”

Find out how membership of the Furniture Industry Research Association can benefit your business

www.fira.co.uk/membership T: 01438 777 700 E: info@fira.co.uk

David Wood • Worcester Furniture 26th October 2016

“Well how should I put it? Yet again the Lynch sales team exceed expectations.”

Richard Foster • Fosters for Furniture 7th October 2016

No one runs a “Lynch Sale” quite like the Lynch Sales Company. For results you can bank on, contact the originators of high impact promotions.

Contact Gareth Price Tel: 07974 209761 www.LynchSales.co.uk Copyright 2016 Lynch Brothers Licensing Corporation

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Latex foam bedding products distributor

• Latex Cores • Latex Comfort Sheets • Latex Pillows • Finished Latex Products • No minimum order quantity • Fast delivery • Flexible terms • Competitive prices

• Environmentally friendly • Anti allergenic, anti bacterial • Extremely flexible with perfect body support • Naturally breathable • Biodegradable • Durable and resistant • Even pressure distribution Latex Wholesale Ltd. Unit 18 Hayleys Manor, Upland Road, Epping, Essex CM16 6PQ office@latexwholesale.co.uk | tel: 0207 112 8171 | fax: 0870 123 6089

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Trade Services | 271 Founded in 1821, Cowens (01228 710205) has been producing nonwoven textiles to a high quality for nearly two centuries. Manufactured as a needled felt from a rich wool fibre and FR viscose blend, Cowens’ barrier felt has a soft feel which aids the padding and cushioning effect, providing a natural spring.

Finished in a pale cream colour, the felt enables even the finest fabrics to be used as upholstery covers without any material

Cowens’ manufacturing mill

Yorkshire-based Global Components UK (01924 260097, claire@gc-uk.com) supports bed and furniture manufacturers in the UK and Ireland with an extensive product range, competitive prices and a high level of customer service.

The company’s portfolio includes over 200 components, new FR upholstery-standard fabrics, and packaging products including mattress and divan bags, adhesive tape, tape guns, shrink wrap, bubble wrap and more.

show-through. With a strength to withstand robust manufacturing practices, and a good thickness which is easy to work with, this premium quality barrier felt conforms to legal requirements.

The felt is available in bulk quantities to meet the requirements of the largest customers, ranging from industrial contractors to high street retailers. Cowens aims to be competitive even against thinner alternatives.

Adhesive tape and tape guns

Lay-flat tubing

Schedule 3 Crib 5 Interliner Manufactured in the UK by

Schedule 3 Crib 5 Interliner forms a solid, non-combustible barrier on exposure to fire. A strong needled felt manufactured from a wool and FR cellulosic fibre blend. Soft and thick which aids the padding and cushioning effect, providing a natural spring. Pale cream colour, suitable for the finest cover fabrics without any material show-through. Strength to withstand robust furniture manufacturing practices. Founded in 1821, Cowens Ltd, have been producing non-woven textiles to the highest quality for nearly two centuries.

Full traceability from fibre bales to individual rolls. Certified to: BS 5852, crib 5 or crib 7 • BS 7176 • BS 5651

Please contact us for large or small enquiries.

Nationwide and exports orders taken Cowens Ltd, Ellers Mill, Dalston, Carlisle, CA5 7QJ T: 01228 710 205 E: sales@cowens.co.uk www.cowens.co.uk Cowen Advert.indd 1

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272 | Trade Services Hanlin (www.hanlin.co.uk) is a worldwide wholesaler of quality cow hides, reindeer hides, New Zealand, Australian and Icelandic sheepskin rugs and accessories. Since starting out in 1975, the family business has become the first choice for many companies.

Hanlin sources some of the finest products from South America to Finland, hand-selecting each hide to guarantee quality, unique pieces. With over 6000 cow hides from which to choose on the company’s UK site, Hanlin has photography of each one to ensure customers benefit from the full choice. All the company’s products are ethically sourced and available at impressive prices.

Hanlin will be exhibiting at Spring Fair next month, on stand 1L12-K13 in Hall 1.

Hanlin supplies highquality animal hides

Sprinter 314 CDIs deliver Starplan Bedroom’s products nationwide

Panther Warehousing (www.panthergroup.co.uk) has helped deliver a win for one of its customers, which scooped a top accolade at the recent NBF Awards for the second year running. Mattress Online won the title of Bed Retailer of the Year (over five million beds turnover) at the awards ceremony, an event held every year to shine a light on bed champions across the country who are considered best in class.

Steve Adams, MD of Mattress Online, says: “Our continued partnership with Panther has helped cement our position as a market leader. Their flexibility, reliability and high quality service has played a major role in our ongoing success.”

Mattress Online has been working with Panther for almost two years – with the firm providing two-man services for 40% of all its deliveries. This year, however, the retailer has introduced a one-man delivery service for standard products, with the option for customers to upgrade to two-man for an additional cost.

Established 13 years ago, Mattress Online was one of the first entrants into the online marketplace and now arranges 200 deliveries a day. Its partnership with Panther has helped the company provide high levels of service, offering next-day, two-man delivery, as well as delivering on the customer’s day of choice up to 30 days in advance. Last year, Panther also launched a new Bank Holiday collection service which proved to be successful for Mattress Online – with a 300% increase in volumes over the August Bank Holiday.

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Bosses at direct sales bedroom furniture retailer Starplan have chosen Mercedes-Benz (www.mercedes-benz.com) vans to help keep up the family firm’s reputation for customer service.

The Northern Ireland-based company’s latest six Sprinter 314 CDI Long chassis cabs are now working alongside six established Sprinters and a pair of 7.5t trucks – its English fleet – which undertake deliveries across mainland Britain.

Supplied by the Hull branch of Dealer Northside Truck & Van, they are fitted with high-capacity boxes by Alloy Bodies, of Manchester – these provide sufficient internal height to accommodate Starplan’s largest bedroom wardrobes, which stand 2.2m tall, and are decorated with eye-catching images of Starplan products.

“We commissioned our first six Sprinters in 2012, then added more the following year,” says Daniel McMurtry, Starplan’s operations manager for England. “They’ve proved to be excellent performers, superbly reliable and very cost-effective to run. We have also tried a few vans by another supplier, for comparison purposes, but they were no match for our Mercedes-Benz vehicles.”

Starplan provides its customers with an all-embracing service – the company does not use sub-contractors, but relies on its own employees to design, manufacture, supply and fit its furniture. The Sprinters are a vital link in the chain. “We rely on our vehicles to help us deliver our promise to customers of a service they can depend on,” says Daniel.

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274 | Trade Services British tech firm Epos Now (www.eposnow.com) has won EPoS Innovation of the Year at the national Retail Systems Awards 2015, thanks to its work developing the UK’s first PoS AppStore.

The start-up, which is now one of the UK’s largest independent EPOS suppliers, officially launched the AppStore last year, making hundreds of business-boosting web services accessible to hospitality, retail and beauty firms nationwide.

Jacyn Heavens, CEO, Epos Now, says: “We’re delighted that Epos Now has been recognised alongside some of Britain’s best-known retail giants at the Retail Systems Awards.

“It’s particularly great to see the judges impressed by the revolutionary work we’ve been doing with our PoS AppStore, developed to help our customers improve sales, customer service and efficiency long-term and adapt to their needs as their business grows.”

Over the past 12 months, the firm, which was started just four years ago, has helped over 10,000 businesses by introducing new PoS features. Other recent achievements include being ranked the fastest-growing tech firm in the East of England, and 13th nationally, in the 15th annual Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100.

Epos Now CEO Jacyn Heavens

Edge Transport’s new box trailer

Furniture logistics specialist Andrew Porter (www. andrewporterltd.co.uk) has been appointed by Furmanac to provide countrywide retail deliveries as well as warehousing. Furmanac had been using various carriers for its retail deliveries, but had experienced problems including product damage, missing items and failed deliveries.

Andrew Porter, based in Lancashire, invested in bespoke handling and storage solutions to minimise any risk of damage and to make picking easier. MD Tim Aspey says: “Bed products can easily become damaged during transit and handling, so we spent a significant amount of time planning how to overcome this.

“In our warehouse we created individual product locations with protective soft flooring and invested in bespoke bed trolleys to move the items, rather than them being carried. All elements of each order are stored together in their respective bays, minimising the chance of mis-picks and damage. All our delivery vehicles are purpose built to carry furniture. To enhance this further we have installed carpet to the floor of eight retail delivery vehicles, to ensure the best possible transportation conditions for the products and reduce damages.”

In addition, warehouse and delivery teams have been given additional training on the specific handling of bed products. All this has led to a damage rate of less than 1% over the three months the firms have been working together.

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Edge Transport (01244 957400) provides its customers with a reliable, high-quality distribution and storage service. Last year, Edge Transport went the extra mile to support its local Hospice of the Good Shepherd.

To help raise long-term awareness, Edge Transport invested in a new box trailer and customised it with the Hospice branding. The trailer will be used to transport Westbridge Furniture Designs sofas all across the UK, where it will be seen by millions of people, offering maximum exposure for this worthy cause.

The Hospice of the Good Shepherd is a residential and daycare service for adults with incurable lifelimiting illnesses in Cheshire, providing much-needed support to the families of those in need. Due to personal circumstances, this charity is one that is close to the hearts of Edge Transport employees.

Jonathan Edge, MD of Edge Transport, says: “You never know when you might need the care of a place such as the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. Sadly, two members of our family have required palliative care from the Hospice in the past, and we know how much the family relied on their support.

“The hospice needs over £2.5m each year to be able to offer support to those who need it the most, and everyone at Edge Transport wants to do all we can to make sure this happens.”

Last year, 15 members of the Edge team also took part in the Rough Runner 10k event in Manchester. Well known for its gruelling conditions, as well as the impressive running distance, the team made it to the finish line and were able to raise nearly £3500 for the Hospice.

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276 | Trade Services

ArrowXL’s two-man ArrowXL’s live order tracking service, AskAxl

delivery teams are trained

Dynamic timeslots reduce the

in specialist handling

delivery window to 30 minutes

VIP TREATMENT IS A WINNER Furniture delivery does not have to be inconvenient, says leading UK twoman home delivery specialist ArrowXL, which has won a string of awards for its performance and unique customer journey in furniture delivery.

ArrowXL specialises in delivering large, fragile and high-value furniture and beds into the customer’s home and their room of choice. Customers are offered six days a week delivery and collections, as well as a host of in-home services including unpacking, positioning and packaging removal, and taking away old products for reuse or recycling.

For more high-end and luxury furniture items, there is ArrowXL’s new VIP service, Platinum Home Delivery, which is ideal for retailers and manufacturers with high-value products who want an enhanced customer experience or have a level of complexity to their products.

Its two-man delivery teams are highly trained in specialist handling and are selected for their tradesman skills in assembly work and enhanced customer experience skills.

That is why ArrowXL was been widely recognised last year for outstanding service, innovation, efficiency and quality by leading industry experts.

The company was crowned Home Delivery Operator of the Year 2016 and won Best Use of Technology in the Motor Transport Awards. It was also a double winner in Retail Week’s Supply Chain Awards and Tech & Ecomm Awards.

“Our assembly and installation services ensure that your customer’s new sofa, bed frame or wardrobe can be used instantly, as we assemble the furniture in their home,” says Jan Walsh, head of proposition. “There is no need for further tradesmen’s appointments – our specialist technicians take

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care of it all in one visit, leaving your customer delighted.

“Our business strategy is focused on delivering the best customer experience. That’s why we offer a range of delivery options including high-value products requiring a more specialist high-end service, providing enhanced face-toface customer contact in the customer’s home, which in turn reinforces the retailer’s brand.”

Importantly, customers benefit from ArrowXL’s live order tracking service, AskAxl. This live online web app is designed to bring convenience, choice and certainty of delivery for customers purchasing larger items. AskAxl provides the customer with visual progress tracking of their delivery vehicle, and dynamic timeslots, where the delivery timeslot is reduced to just 30 minutes on the day of delivery.

“We make customers feel special because we spend more time helping them with their new delivery,” says Jan. “At the same time, our client’s reputation is enhanced as a reliable retailer or manufacturer that keeps its promises.”

This formula for success is reflected in ArrowXL’s latest TrustPilot score of 8.9 – the highest of any UK mainstream carrier.

ArrowXL delivers 14,000 products to more than 7000 homes every day, covering 98% of the UK mainland population, Monday to Saturday.

E sales@arrowxl.co.uk W arrowxl.co.uk

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who says furniture delivery has to be inconvenient?

Order tracking web app AskAxl 2hr timeslot reducing to just 30 mins on day of delivery Choice, convenience and certainty of delivery Specialist furniture handling, assembly, installation Delivered by a trusted, award winning business.

The UK’s leading 2-man fulfilment and home delivery specialist

ArrowXL is proud to have been awarded:

www.arrowxl.co.uk sales@arrowxl.co.uk

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278 | Trade Services

Encore cushions promise

Encore Fibre

good recovery

Encore Feather

Encore Springcore

ENCORE – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Launched in 2010, Fibreline’s Encore cushion brand has gone from strength to strength, and now offers three variants. Furniture News looks at how the manufacturer marries comfort and recovery to offer upholstery manufacturers a superior sit …

First came Encore Fibre, a cushion that looks and feels like fibre but boasts the recovery of foam. This was followed by Encore Feather, a cushion that looks and feels like feather but also has the recovery performance of foam.

The latest addition to the Encore range is Springcore, in which small pocket springs are inserted into a shaped foam core.

For the first time, a sprung foam cushion can be made in almost any shape or size, offering a significant advantage over conventional spring cushions.

The whole cushion range has been designed to retain its casual look – a four-year guarantee against sagging gives retailers confidence in the performance of fibre and feather (and now springs) in seat cushion applications. Further to that, Encore Fibre has been awarded the FIRA Gold seal of approval, outperforming all other fibre cushions in tests

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As well as the standard Encore range, Fibreline has developed a number of unique combination cushions for various manufacturers. This gives Fibreline’s service a more personal feel than many of its competitors.

The success of Encore has been such that Fibreline has doubled its capacity to meet demand and installed new cutting and sewing technology.

Fibreline is also working with local colleges to tackle the shortage of trained sewing machinists now in the industry. It is a problem that the whole trade faces – the company describes the ageing skill base of machinists as a “ticking time bomb”.

Fibreline, as ever, is looking long-term at its capabilities in order to satisfy demand for UK-made product in the years to come.

T 01535 606846 W encorecushion.co.uk

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PeterC

10% off this January using code JAN2017

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280 | Trade Services

Crest’s leather must go through four stages of production

LUXURY LEATHER REQUIREMENTS SOLVED Crest JMT Leather is a global producer of high quality leathers for contract and domestic upholstery applications. It owns and operates its own tannery in Vestenanova, Italy, which allows the business to ensure strict quality control at all stages of production, whilst utilising local and traditional skills to ensure its leathers meet the most demanding of requests.

Crest Leather, with tanneries in Italy, Thailand and Brazil, is a UK-based tanning group with Italian DNA. Its newest plant is in Italy, whilst its largest is in Brazil, and the business is constantly expanding into new markets. Crest keeps up to date with market trends and is enjoying continued growth.

Crest’s cowhide is sourced from reputable slaughterhouses.

The leather is a by-product of the meat industry, as the animals are not reared for leather initially, but for meat. Flexibility is offered to customers, with as little as 1 cowhide or as many as 1000 available to purchase at one time.

The company’s tanneries are regulated and reputable chemicals are used. Arizono is the Italian centre of leathermaking, having been awarded a certification for excellent leathermaking. Shipments are straight from Italy, therefore orders can be turned around from processing to bespoke in four weeks.

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The company expanded in 2005, with the Brazilian plant opening the same year. Over 700 employees work in Parana, the Brazilian tannery and plant, and they continue to consolidate and build on growth.

There are four different stages involved in the production of high quality leathers – raw hide, wet blue, crust and finished leather. The raw materials are cheaper and more readily available in Brazil, and the Brazilian processing plant takes the raw hide through the wet blue and crust stage. The leather is then transferred to the finishing plant in Thailand.

Crest is committed to improving its environmental stance, and during the past year it has focused a lot of attention on improving its environmental standards. During 2006, the company was awarded ISO 14001 certification for its tannery in Italy, which means it have achieved the highest standard of environmental management. >>>

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282 | Trade Services

The leather can be supplied in a range of colours

The company’s leathers are Crest offers a bespoke service if required

The business owns three tanneries,

suitable for both contract

in Italy, Brazil and Thailand

and domestic applications

The business endeavours to continuously reduce the environmental impact of all of its activities, and it maintains strictly regulated procedures designed to minimise any potential damage to the environment, which are updated and monitored regularly.

As part of its ongoing commitment to improved environmental responsibility, Crest also signed up to the Leather Working Group, an industry-led initiative being facilitated by the BLC Leather Technology Centre. This initiative brings together many leading retailers, tanners and brands from around the world to promote sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within the leather industry.

Following guidelines set out by the Carbon Trust, the business is also ensuring that it is doing everything possible to prevent or recycle waste in its offices and warehouses. Crest believes it is not only the big gestures that matter, so it is

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looking at the impact of everything it does and uses – from the light bulbs in its offices to the transportation methods it uses to deliver its goods.

Maintaining quality is important to Crest, and that is why it tans its leathers in an ISO 9001 environment. However, the company is conscious of the fact that quality products are only a part of what it provides, so Crest also works hard to make sure that it also provides a high level of customer service.

The business’ sales teams are knowledgeable in all aspects of leather and leather production, and can help with varied professional requirements.

There is a noticeable trend in buyers and manufacturers moving away from vinyl and using leather, due to its longer life expectancy. Crest says it is proud to be within the top five tannery groups in the world and a leading tannery in the UK. W crestleather.com

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284 | Designer

BUILD ME UP Build is an award-winning agency with a reputation for creating strong visual identities. Build’s client roster includes Virgin America, Made.com, Getty Images and Nike, as well as various independent businesses, designer-makers and events in the UK and abroad. Furniture News speaks to the studio’s principals about Build’s recent work with two clients in the furniture sector …

Build’s creative director Michael Place, and business director Nicky Place

W

hether you’re a global leader, an established furnituremaker or just setting out along the path, it’s important that your strengths, values and character are conveyed to potential clients and customers.

Good branding benefits businesses at every end of the spectrum, argues the founders of Leeds-based design agency Build, creative director Michael Place (MCP), and business director Nicky Place (NP), who recount their recent experiences with two clients at separate stages of their journey …

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Designer | 285

E17 Collection, Gavin Coyle Studio

Case study: Gavin Coyle Studio Gavin Coyle Studio (www.gavincoyle. co.uk) is a workshop based in Walthamstow, East London, that comprises a small team of cabinetmakers that work predominantly on bespoke commissions with sustainability in mind.

Brief MCP: Not all clients come to us with a brief. In the case of working with Gavin, the brief was defined over a few initial meetings and was essentially to create an identity to better reflect his work and ethos. He really liked our work for The Stow Brothers – an independent estate agent, also in Walthamstow – and thought we would be a good fit.

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NP: We sometimes find that not all clients have much (if any) experience of working with designers or a creative agency, but Gavin was different – he had worked with a designer on his last brand identity and website. He came to us wanting a complete overhaul of his current branding. Part of our job at this stage is to see if there is any equity in the brand that the clients would like to bring forward – but in this case Gavin wanted to start with a completely clean slate.

MCP: A large part of this project in particular was to create a website with a simple ecommerce section, so that Gavin could sell some of his products directly.

We worked with one of our longstanding developer partners to produce a beautifully functioning website with a shop, within a relatively limited budget.

Expertise MCP: We have a healthy interest in furniture, designer-makers and design in general (obviously), so we were aware of Gavin’s work and really liked it. From the off there was a mutual respect for each other’s trade. We’ve worked with many clients from huge to tiny, but usually they all have a pretty independent spirit.

This includes Made.com, for whom we redesigned their logo marque, just before they became a household name. >>>

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286 | Designer

Gavin Coyle in his Walthamstow workshop

NP: A real strength of ours is working with both big and small brands, bringing the same level of experience to the table for each. For a lot of smaller clients who are unlikely to have a mega-budget, hiring a studio such as Build with experience of working with big names can be reassuring – they are making an investment in their own brand identity.

We are very inquisitive as a studio, and open to new ways of thinking, but always with an eye on the client. One of our big beliefs is never doing what might be expected. We will always look to answer the needs of the project uniquely, which means we don’t do things by numbers or in a way that we’ve necessary done before – but the work is very rigorous and always relevant to the project.

MCP: Clients are usually really open to new ideas or approaches, although occasionally they do get cold feet! It is part of our job as designers to reassure the client, talk them through the process

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and try to show them how an idea could work with their own business. Gavin was completely open to our ideas and this initial feeling of trust just got stronger throughout the project, which was great.

NP: We also know firsthand about the challenges of setting up and running a small business, and so for smaller clients we can help steer on the things they might need aside from the obvious. For example, if they are setting up an online shop they need to think about customer T&Cs, shipping labels, and so on. These are all things that need to live within the brand, as they are key touch points for a customer.

Challenges MCP: The biggest challenge was the website – as noted, Gavin required a small simple shop adding to his site.

There can be an expectation that a shop can be simply ‘added in’, and although this wasn’t true for Gavin, it was a

“We’ve worked with many clients from huge to tiny, but usually they all have a pretty independent spirit” challenge to get a beautiful-looking integrated shop within a small budget.

Generally, I think this is because there are quite a few off-the-shelf ecommerce solutions available, and clients can often expect that these will not only do everything they want, but also be seamlessly part of the brand. We worked with our developer on how we could integrate a shop as simply and costeffectively as possible.

It’s also totally essential to make sure the website experience is extremely smooth across all browser types, from mobile to desktop. In Gavin’s case the website was the biggest touch point of

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Designer | 287 the identity – it’s how it lives in the real world. For other clients there might also be print, merchandise, even invoicing templates, that ensure that the identity permeates everything that represents the product or brand.

NP: Working across various media was very important. More and more brands and individuals are putting huge emphasis on digital, and this was definitely the case with the work we produced for Gavin. The website is often the first point of call for prospective clients, so it’s hugely important for small makers and designers such as Gavin.

Working process NP: Gavin made first contact, and we then met with him to talk through the project. This is always a really important point in a new project, and one we try to do face to face if possible.

We defined the brief with Gavin. In some cases we have to get to the bottom of the problem (if there is one). We very rarely just go by the client brief, we feel

it is good to challenge it, and this is often where things come to light that the client might not have considered.

More often than not we find that we ask questions that the client wouldn’t think about, as they tend to be very much wrapped up in the project and their business, and perhaps haven’t considered certain options. We then work out a plan of deadlines and milestones with the client, for first and second response, final response, final assets and rollout.

We then typically work on three different routes, each showing the identity on various relevant applications.

This part is really important, as a brand is much more dynamic than just a logo – it also helps the client see their brand as a living thing.

The client would ideally sign off on one of the routes that we would then refine. We would then in the case of Gavin design the website, get sign off and work with the developer on the build. The client is fully included on all stages as it’s important that they take ownership of the brand once our job is finished. >>>

Gavin’s take

A sample of the visual identity created for Gavin, who has made the woodpecker logo into signage for his workshop, as well

Why did you need branding?

We have always understood the importance of having a wellconsidered brand. The furniture we produce needs to be presented in a complementary way – whether that be through a well-designed website or a beautiful business card.

Predominantly, the site would be a portfolio showcasing the work we do with professional images. We also wanted to distinguish between the commissioned work we do and our own line of products, and incorporate a shop for customers to buy directly from us.

Why choose Build?

I had been familiar with Build’s work for quite a few years. What they produced seemed to chime with the way I imagine good design should be. There is a timeless quality to their work which is both playful and elegant. We decided to contact Build to see if this was something they would be happy to undertake, and fortunately for us they said yes.

What was the most difficult part?

I found the process more enjoyable than difficult. The hardest part was perhaps choosing which route to take from a number of strong contenders.

I’m sure there were many difficulties in implementing the design into the website, but fortunately I was only required for some of the more creative decisions.

What were the key elements to put across?

We were looking for Build to create a completely new brand and website from scratch. We wanted something which was thoroughly modern and elegant, and would age well.

What results have you seen so far?

We certainly have a more coherent brand, which gives us the confidence to present our work to new clients.

We are also seeing an increase in commissioned work, as well as growth in our own product range, partly due to our online shop.

as a branding iron

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288 | Designer

“Anyone working in the field of design – whether as a designer-maker, craftsperson or retailer – is going to be looking to catch the attention of a design-literate audience”

EST .1981

FOR QUALITY Yearn Glass & Co. - Mirror Manufacturers Unit G, 55 Wallis Road London E9 5LH Tel : 020 8533 3307 Fax : 0202 8533 7189 info@yearnglass.co.uk www.yearnglass.co.uk

Bricolage, Matt Kelly

Matt Kelly

Case study: Matt Kelly Matt Kelly is an independent furniture and product designer-maker from Yorkshire.

Brief NP: The brief is simply to create a strong visual identity for Matt. The budget is definitely not typical – Matt is going to be making some amazing furniture for the studio as part payment!

Expertise MCP: As Matt is just starting out, this

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project is visually a complete blank canvas, so it’s a great one for us as it’s a real opportunity to help shape how the business develops, which is partly what a successful identity should do.

We have worked with many fledgling businesses and we know what is needed to create a robust, flexible identity for a small business, and how to make it live in the real world.

That roll out, however big or small, is when it all starts to come to life for the client – from a website, mail >>>

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Yearn

EST • 1981

Tel: 020 8533 3307 • Fax: 020 8533 7189 Email: info@yearnglass.co.uk Showroom, Factory, Sales & Enquiries, Unit G-55, Wallis Road, London, E9 5LH

YEARN

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FOR QUALITY

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16/12/201616:51 12:26 21/12/2016

290 | Designer campaign or product catalogue to collateral for a trade show. For a retailer, it might entail shop interiors, signage, bags, packaging and so on.

What is ultimately required is specific and unique to each project, but the rigorous, in-depth thinking at the beginning of the creative process will shape the identity and allow us to roll it out in a consistent, considered way.

NP: Someone just starting out may think that they just need a logo for their business cards, but, and we’ve said it before, an identity is so much more that a logo. It really depends how serious someone is in their intent to establish themselves, and how ambitious they are to become more than the sum of their parts.

Of real importance too is the fact that anyone working in the field of design – whether as a designer-maker, craftsperson or retailer – is going to be looking to catch the attention of a design-literate audience.

It’s not enough to simply have a beautiful, desirable product – if you don’t have the framework in which to present it, it often won’t make it into the mind of a potential customer.

Consequently, part of a toolkit we create for a client might include a promotional pack or press kit to engage influencers such a bloggers or feature editors.

Risorama, Matt Kelly

Challenges NP: The first thing we discussed with Matt was the moniker he’s been using to get his work out there via Instagram – easy on the ply. It’s quite a funny play on the word, but we questioned whether it was strong enough to carry a brand.

MCP: As designers we see the name as an integral part of the identity, as it can be the linchpin around which the identity evolves, especially if we’re working from scratch. Clients can be quite wedded to their name, as it’s often the one thing they have long before their business starts to come to fruition (or it may already be established). So we sometimes have to work with an existing name, which is of course part of the challenge.

In this project, Matt has been very open to finding a new name for the business, which is fantastic as it’s opened up a myriad of possibilities around how the identity might develop.

Working process NP: As with any other project, we start with getting to know more about the client, particularly what their hopes and ambitions are for the future, or what their specific challenge is – for an identity project we typically start with a series of questions for discussion. This helps us to understand where we might need to take the project creatively, or

have opportunity to take it beyond what the client might be thinking.

Once we’ve got the name nailed we’ll work on how the core concept can be expressed in various ways, which helps the client see how the identity can become that framework to represent their business. After that we work on the assets required for delivery, which can take anything from a couple of weeks to a few months. >>>

Logos created for Matt Kelly’s operation

Matt’s take Why did you need branding?

I have been making furniture on and off for the last two years, showcasing my work purely through Instagram. The past year has been really exciting for furniture projects, and I’ve loads more in the pipeline, so it makes sense to start branding my furniture and what I do.

Why choose Build?

We kind of chose each other – we connected through Instagram, and conversations have developed from there. I have been a huge fan of Build’s output for many years, especially the Warp Records projects. I feel so lucky and excited to be potentially working with them on my furniture branding. I love the thread of furniture projects they have been involved with to date – especially the Gavin Coyle Studio branding. That woodpecker is genius.

What were the key elements to put across?

We are at the early stages of the design process. Through conversations thus far, the key words that sum up my approach to design are considered, practical and playful, and the three that sum up my furniture style are simple, functional and modular. Let’s see what they come up with!

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292 | Designer

In conclusion Where are the projects at right now?

NP: Gavin’s site is live, he’s had a great response from the rebrand, and his business is going really well. We’re hopefully going to be working with him on some promotional items this year.

Right now we’re working with Matt on a pre-launch taster show at an independent retail space in Leeds. This is going to be a bit of a test-bed for the products, and will almost certainly play a part in shaping the direction of the identity as much as helping Matt with the design and purpose of the products themselves. We’re excited to see how that goes, and what happens from there.

Do your projects ever radically change direction?

NP: The Gavin Coyle Studio project hasn’t, but we have had some change quite radically. It’s important that terms have been agreed before we start work on a project. We have terms and conditions we send to the client – this is to protect both sides for any emergencies or changes in the project.

This can be, for example, a project over-running, or a client changing their mind. We will always try to deliver over and above expectations, but we have had the occasional client who just wants

“A lot of people believe that a well-designed product (for example, a lovely handmade table or chair) will sell itself, and this isn’t always the case” more and more. It’s important everyone understands and agrees what’s required from the outset, and it can really help maintain a good client-designer relationship.

What have you learned from these projects that might influence your direction?

MCP: We learned that we’d like to work with more furniture brands and designer-makers. It’s a wonderful industry, with a lot of great people doing really amazing things, so it would be great to meet more people and businesses in this area. Hopefully, we can bring our expertise and experience to both established brands and emerging designers in the future.

What should a client consider before approaching an agency such as yours?

NP: I think the big one is to be open – trust the agency to do what they do best.

Be open to new ways of thinking about your business, and be brave.

Is this kind of branding within the budgetary reach of any company?

MCP: I’d like to think so! Any business, big or small, that is serious about what it is doing should understand the value of a good, solid brand identity.

NP: Although it might be completely relative, a good brand identity isn’t cheap. It’s definitely an investment – not just in the design itself, but in the future of the business. It can also be instrumental in bringing a brand or product to the attention of its customers.

A lot of people believe that a welldesigned product (for example, a lovely handmade table or chair) will sell itself, and this isn’t always the case.

A well-considered and beautiful identity can give weight to any business, and can really make the target audience take notice.

Branding is super important, and especially so where the product is aimed at a design-savvy audience. It conveys so much about the business, its ethos and principles, and who its customers are – it can even be the difference between success and failure.

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Jac side tables, Gavin Coyle Studio

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Designer | 295

SIMPLIFYING CONTEMPORARY LIVING Das Haus – Interiors on Stage is a design installation featured each year at the German interiors exhibition imm cologne, where an influential designer is provided with a chance to comment on modern-day living through a simulation of a residential house combining architecture, interior design and furnishings. Renowned US designer Todd Bracher has been chosen to create the installation for the 2017 edition of the international event.

Todd in his Brooklyn-based studio

E

stablished in 2012, imm cologne’s Das Haus – Interiors on Stage installation is hosted on an open stage measuring around 240m2 at the international furnishing show. Taking the form of an imitation of a residential house, its layout, furnishings, decor and architectural elements change each year in line with the plans of a new designer chosen by imm cologne.

The project focuses on contemporary furnishing trends in addition to the

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aspirations of the public and social change. It aims to address pressing issues such as how to make the most of the living space and what function the home should have in an increasingly fast-paced and evolving society, offering the designer a space in which to answer these questions.

The end result is a fully integrated interior design which makes use of thoughtfully-chosen furniture, colours, materials, lighting and accessories. The

concept should be future-oriented as well as practical, functional and original.

The installation gives the designer an opportunity to present their unique style in addition to making a personal statement on contemporary living.

This year, Todd Bracher, a leading name in the US design scene, will create the installation at imm cologne. Born in New York in 1974, Todd studied Industrial Design at the city’s prestigious >>> Pratt Institute, and completed a

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296 | Designer Masters in Interior and Furniture Design at the Danish School of Design in Copenhagen. Todd also lived in Europe for 10 years, learning the inner workings of the design industry.

In 2007, Todd founded his own studio in Brooklyn, New York, and works as a design strategist and creative director, collaborating with leading design brands from around the world, including Cappelini, Fritz Hansen, Herman Miller, Humanscale, Issey Miyake and Swarovski. His work is characterised by a quest for functionality, whilst offering solutions to problems of contemporary life and work.

Todd has a fascination with science combined with appreciation for human needs, and feels it is his role as a designer to identify solutions that make life easier for people whether at work or at home. “Design is not about my opinion. It should be about truths and have meaningful impact on both the end user and the business that is providing those solutions,” he states.

Todd’s Das Haus project features clear architectural design and moments of sensory surprise, whilst reconfiguring the elements of home living with varied but overlapping zones designed and furnished to meet modern-day needs.

Under a floating roof are two interwoven but contrasting frames – one a large space surrounded by bookshelves as walls and a semi-transparent shell, the other a black cube over which a ball seems to hover as it emits a moonlight glow.

Todd turns the concept of a conventional sequence of rooms on its

Todd currently works as a design strategist and creative director

head and into a vision of intertwining zones – one for dining, one for rest and one for hygiene. The aim here is to almost build a bridge between Americanstyle open-plan living and the traditional European style.

“The home in many ways has been slow to evolve while life is rapidly evolving. It is curious how if you buy a home today that currently exists, it carries with it a legacy of function that belongs to the individuals who the home was built for, or the culture it was built for. It is a challenge in my opinion to adapt homes for contemporary life so we live how we need to for our lives, not for lives from 50 years before if they are no

Todd’s Das Haus installation takes inspiration from science and nature

The Das Has project questions the nature of modern-day home living

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longer relevant,” Todd says.

By deconstructing the concept of home living into its component parts and assembling it anew, Todd translates the basic human needs of sustenance, rest and hygiene into elemental spaces.

In this, he achieves his goal of creating an intuitive, straightforward project, reducing things to the essentials and leaning towards functionality. However, at the same time, the installation still manages to exude a sense of elegance due to the inspiration it takes from nature.

For Todd, the near future is set to be an interesting time for the evolution of the home, as it becomes part of our personal experience more than ever before.

“The next generation will be led by the smart home, meaning that personalisation will happen at an architectural level and not simply through decorative means. For example things such as light control – sun and artificial – and acoustic and physical adaptations based on a particular need at a particular time will become more widely used. I feel that scientists such as anthropologists and psychologists will be part of establishing the tools that measure modern needs, whilst designers will implement them,” he concludes.

Visitors to imm cologne – held from 16th-22nd January 2017 at Koelnmesse in Cologne – can view Todd’s Das Haus installation in Hall 2.2 at the exhibition.

W imm-cologne.com W toddbracher.com

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END OF LINE SECONDS RETURNS

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298 | Designer

Oxit Design is a design and manufacturing studio founded in 2014 in Stuttgart, Germany. Combining metal with wood, leather and textiles, Oxit specialises in design with folding techniques to give a stable yet light and geometric look to its pieces.

In Design: Kite, Oxit Design “We want to deliver value to furniture design by rethinking material use, designing with light, minimalistic, architectural lines and objects” “Kite is produced using an innovative process without tooling costs, folded from a 3mm-thick aluminium plating. This gives the piece lightness and a compelling graphic structure, as well as an inviting form of seat shell”

Snapshot: Oxit Design’s aim is to create multi-functional furniture pieces by finding intelligent solutions in material detail and construction.

The company delivers German-made design to meet a variety of budgets, and substance and sustainability are features which are prioritised in its work.

W oxitdesign.com

“We wanted to create a chair to be 100% recyclable to provide sustainability to the user”

“The folding structure of the seatshell provides optimal comfort and ergonomical support in the back, allowing for flexibility”

“Weather-resistant powder coating allows for both indoor and outdoor use”

“Kite is also offered with a removable felt seat cushion and seat shell lining which follow the graphic structure of the chair”

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CASA BELLA FURNISHINGS Bespoke upholstery manufacturers

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New fabrics for 2017

Casa Bella upholstery based in Blackburn Lancashire is a dynamic fabric sofas and chairs manufacturer with over three decades of specialising in bespoke and made to measure sofas chairs and corner units supplying retailers throughout UK & Ireland.

Our commitment is to provide an excellent service to our clients and end user with a philosophy that each individual piece of furniture is bench made with pride and care by our skilled in house upholsterers and staff. Many of our designs are well established commercially and ongoing with latest trend fabrics without the brand name price tag.

Need your sofa a few inches bigger or smaller, Seats firmer or softer or even like a park bench is not a problem. We will make it to your requirements and lifestyle.

We offer fabrics from various suppliers including Warwick Fabrics, J Brown Fabrics, Cover-Tex, Ross Fabrics, J S Singletons, Lynn Bowman , Talbot Textiles, Tabatex, Rosemount Fabrics, Phoenix Fabrics, Cristina Marrone and Balmoral Textiles. So we pretty much got it covered when it comes to choosing that fabric for all budgets.

Tel: 01254 661661 | 07720 073043 | Fax: 01254 661802 | Email: casa.bella@btconnect.com

www.casabellafurnishings.co.uk Weekly delivery service to NI & ROI AIS, Minerva and other buying group members welcome

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302

ADVERT INDEX Aerofoam........................................... 273 AIS Furniture Show..........................53 Alpha Designs..........................126-127 Ambassador Textiles..................... 142 Arrow XL............................................ 277 Artmart.................................... 259, 261 AVA...................................................... 207 Ball & Young............................. 134-135 BFM.......................................................117 Bluebone............................................... 61 Boyteks.....................................264-265 Breasley Consumer Products ..................................................... 198, 199 Camel Group.......................................131 Casa Bella.......................................... 300 Charltons Furniture.........................115 China International Furniture Fair ................................................................. 71 Classic Furniture FC................. 42-47 CO2/Encore.............................. 291, 293 Collins and Hayes......................96-97 Core Products............................151, 153 Cowens................................................271 Crest Leather.................................... 255 Danalight.............................................161 Dar Lighting..................................... 106 DB Mirrors.........................................129 Deluxe Beds...................................... 234 Duvalay.............................................. 239 Eden Land..........................................241 Elstead Lighting.............................. 263 Excel Furniture................................ 195 Export Furniture Exhibition.......... 12 Febland Group...................................141 Flanders Investment and Trade 63 Flexiload.................................... 210-211

Flintshire Furniture........................193 Forte Furniture.................................155 Furmanac................................ 242-243 Furniture China.................................... 6 Furniture Clinic................................192 Furniture Importers...................... 250 Furniture Industry Research Association........................................269 Gallery Direct...........................145-147 Global Components....................... 275 Global Home.................................74-81 Greenwood Retail........................... 109 Hanlin....................................................67 Heritage Furniture...........................171 Highgate Beds..........................214-215 Himolla.................................................55 Home Inc............................................143 Homestyle GB..........................162-163 Hush-a-Bye...................231, 233, 235 Hydeline..............................................201 Hypnos..................................................37 Indian Hub................................157, 159 Indonesia International Furniture Expo...................................................... 69 International Alliance of Furnishing Publications...... 195, 302 International Furniture Fair Singapore............................................. 13 Ireland Oak.......................................294 Italian Furniture Company..........185 J+T/Worldwide Furniture Source .............................................................. 247 January Furniture Show................. 98 JTW .............................................174-175 Julian Bowen.................................... 169 Kelston House...................................137

BE PART OF A WINNING TEAM IN 2017 Reach the trade by advertising with Furniture News, the leading magazine for the UK furniture sector

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Since 1986, Furniture News has offered market news, insight and new products, and its international scope is unsurpassed – it is recognised by the International Alliance of Furnishing Publications (IAFP) as the UK’s leading publication.

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Siesta Beds........................................299 Signature Living.............................189 Silentnight....................................20-21 Sinoak (Murong)..............................177 Smart Trading/Cowthorpe Oak .197 Spring Fair...........................................57 Steely..................................................267 Steens Furniture.....................218-221 Steinhoff........................................49, 51 Stroolmount......................................301 Sustainable Furnishings Council .............................................................. 234 Sweet Dreams.................................. 205 Syscom............................................... 283 TCH Furniture..................................103 TCS IFC, BC.......................................... 19 Thailand International Furniture Fair..........................................................65 The Furniture Company............... 194 The Furniture Makers’ Company .............................................................. 227 The Insert Company......................269 Trucksmith.............................. 231, 267 Vietnam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair............ 10 Weir & Carmichael.........................268 Westbridge Furniture Design ........................................................110-111 Wiemann........................................... 186 Woodman Chairs.............................187 World Furniture.............................. 223 XYZ Agencies.....................................119 Ye Olde Traditional Furniture Company.................................. 256-257 Yearn Glass.......................................289 Yihua Group.......................................183

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Kettle Interiors............ 89, 91, 93, 95 Latex Wholesale.............................. 270 Lebus Upholstery..............................191 Libra.................................................... 149 Liftsafe/Furnibox........................... 281 Light & Living.....................................59 London Fabric Show........................... 9 Lynch Sales Company......... 233, 269 M & P Chairs.......................................181 M7 Polska.............................................58 Malaysian International Furniture Fair...........................................................11 Mammoth Technology................. 253 Mattressman.................................... 303 Matza .................................................209 Maxi Mover....................................... IBC Metal Beds..............................248-249 Midland Furniture Auction.........297 Mlily....................................................... 17 NBF Sleep Council.............................38 Northpoint.............................................8 One Call Furniture...........................156 Peter Cook International.............279 Pharmore............................................139 Protect-a-Bed..................................213 Rauch....................................................101 Rest Assured................................ 85, 87 Retail System...................................267 Rotherwood Furniture....................133 Rowico........................................ 120-121 Scan Thor .........................................226 Sealy.......................................... 236-237 Seconique...........................................167 Shankar.................................... 224-225 Sherbourne Upholstery.................251 Shire Beds............................................ 41

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It currently comprises 18 magazines, each a leader in their own country.

The IAFP opens doors to international markets – visit the website to find out more …

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304 | Last Word

PAUL ROM CEO, ROM ROM is a successful international player in the furniture sector which sells over 30,000 fabric or leather furniture sets to more than 20 countries worldwide every year.

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Last Word | 305

H

ow did you enter the trade?

My family have been in the furniture trade since I can remember. My parents started their own company selling linen chests in the beginning of the 1960s with no start up capital whatsoever. They were particularly inspired by Danish design as opposed to traditional Belgian furniture, making them a big hit at the time.

My father always did what he liked, not what others did. It is this passion for following your heart that I inherited from my father and what led me to working in the furniture trade. I always knew that this company, his company, ROM, was going to be my life task.

What was your inspiration?

I have always been inspired by my father’s determination but I also felt as though I could bring a sense of youth to the company. When I started working at the company I was young and our design team was young as well. We worked for young customers and turned the traditional world of sofas upside down.

We occasionally came across customers who shook their heads at what we were doing but we didn’t care, we had a passion for what we were doing and we knew it would be a success.

What has been your career high point?

For both myself and my team, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing that certain sense of amazement and excitement in our customers’ eyes during trade fairs. The excitement and feedback that comes from it is what we thrive on.

There are more than 25 people designing, developing, coding and conceptualising continuously at ROM and all the work that is carried out is done so that we can enjoy these moments of watching people’s reactions to the products. We still have lots of ideas to develop and will always thrive on the excitement of showing our customers our latest launches and developments. ... and the low point?

In 2009 we were facing difficulties due to the financial crisis. I was looking at an empty warehouse for engineered wood.

The master carpenter came up to me and said: “If we don’t find at least €2000, we have to stop our production. We don’t have any more wood.” ...and the turning point?

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“My father always did what he liked, not what others did. It is this passion for following your heart that I inherited from my father and what led me to working in the furniture trade” We found the €2000 that were needed and worked extremely hard to get back on our feet. We have come a long way since then but I will never say “we have made it”. You never really make it and you can never really be too sure. You always have to keep looking forward.

Describe a typical working day There are no ‘typical working days’ for us at ROM, but there are methods and tools that help us to stay creative and efficient.

We regularly host small meetings to implement complex projects. Well prepared personal discussions are much more important to me, and they are the most efficient way of leading.

Even more important is the conversations we have with customers and suppliers about how our ideas can be implemented in the ways that our customers need. Finally, we travel a lot and see a lot of things that others don’t see. These things become formulated ideas and eventually lead to those renowned lightbulb moments!

What date on the business calendar do you most look forward to?

Honestly, the summer holidays. I travel a lot during that time, I get to see a lot and I get away from my routines. At the same time, it gives me lots of time to think.

That’s the perfect mix. When my summer holidays are over, I come back with pages full of ideas and concepts. Many of them may be bonkers, but the others always allow us to move forward as a company and that is what it’s all about.

What is the most important issue affecting your business right now?

Our products provide more and more possibilities for our retailers to offer individual upholstery with added value to their clients. For this added value to reach the end customer, we need capable and well-trained sales personnel. Not every retailer has this kind of personnel.

We must find a common solution for this problem, since well-trained sales personnel is the most important tool for high street trading to get ahead of online competitors.

What company do you most look up to?

There are so many companies that are changing our world with their tremendous creativity, whether it’s Apple, Tesla or a small, creative restaurant just around the corner. I have the utmost respect for people who create something special through courage, love and persistence.

What would you most like to change about yourself?

That list would go beyond the scope of this interview! Complacency is guaranteed to end success.

What do you enjoy most about working in the trade?

I feel that I am able to find myself in my work which is a real privilege. Working with creative and valuable people makes me happy. And the world of furniture is incredibly diverse! We cover economic, financial, technological, technical, organisational, ethical, psychological, social and sales-related topics – what more can you wish for?

If you had to start over, you’d probably pursue which career?

I would do it all over again - just better!

Leave us with an industry anecdote!

A while ago, I walked down a trade fair hallway. Behind me, I overheard some customers say: “Look, the furniture industry’s Steve Jobs is walking in front of us.” That was a huge compliment – not for myself but for my incredibly creative, efficient and personally valuable team at ROM!

QUICKFIRE COMEDY OR DRAMA? Drama – but just because James Bond was not on the list!

RURAL OR URBAN? Urban. Most creative people live in cities SWEET OR SAVOURY? Sweet – especially Belgian pralines

21/12/2016 18:30

On the web this month The Furniture News website is constantly updated with fresh stories. Browse www.furniturenews.net on your desktop of mobile to access the latest content, or sign up for our newsletter

Further Reading Do you have a story to share?

To contribute, call the editorial desk on 01424 776105 or email victoria@gearingmediagroup.com

Are you looking to place product before the UK’s buyers?

To advertise or submit product information, call the sales team on 01424 776100, or email sam@gearingmediagroup.com

Do you wish to receive a copy of the magazine every month?

You can subscribe to receive the magazine monthly by emailing subscriptions@gearingmediagroup.com.

News: Carpetright reflects on a “challenging” H1

Keep up to date You can also sign up to receive free access to the digital edition each month, as well as the twice-weekly Furniture News e-newsletter, via the specific links at www.furniturenews.net/magazine – or email sam@gearingmediagroup to be manually signed up for the digital services.

Don’t forget to follow the Furniture News Twitter feeds, @FurnitureNewsED and @Victoria_FNmag, to keep up with the latest news and opinions from the team.

News: Grampian Furnishers submits plans for new flagship

Furniture News is an invaluable resource for those operating in the UK domestic furniture and furnishings sector – but it’s just one of the titles published by Gearing Media Group.

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News: Pepyn Dinandt appointed CEO of Hilding Anders

Those involved in the contract furnishings market should take a look at Hospitality Interiors magazine (www.hospitality-interiors.net), while anyone seeking furniture manufacturing machinery or supplies should check out Furniture Production (www.furnitureproduction.net).

In next month’s issue: Making online reviews work for you | Product features across every room of the home

Further Reading Jan 17.indd 306 1 FN 334_Section S V2.indd

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