3 minute read
Beds and bedroom
In it together
Alison Hammond visited the Kent factory
Sleepeezee is featuring in NatWest and ITV’s Backing Business initiative. The collaboration between the bank and TV network champions small businesses, focusing on the hardships they have faced and how the two organisations can help to overcome these challenges.
The latest mini-documentary in the series sees NatWest business customer Sleepeezee in action at its factory in Rochester, Kent. The short video features reality TV star, actress and author Alison Hammond as an ‘intern’ for a day. She takes part in the mattress-making process, meets the factory team and discusses Sleepeezee’s family culture with Steve Warren, Sleepeezee md.
‘What I love about it here is the people,’ says Hammond.
‘Well, it’s the workforce that makes Sleepeezee, and even though we’ve been through some tough times in the past couple of years, we’ve managed to keep everybody together,’ says Warren.
As part of the Backing Business campaign, ITV offers matched funding for eligible businesses towards advertising for campaigns, and additional creative support if required.
NatWest offers an array of support to ‘make it easy to do business’. From helping businesses manage their money better through banking tools such as its mobile app and accounting software, to connecting business owners with experts and specialists such as relationship managers and business coaches, the Backing Business initiative is a support network for small businesses.
In light of the pandemic, Sleepeezee has received significant support from NatWest that has allowed it to continue its development in bed manufacturing in the UK.
‘The support from NatWest keeps Sleepeezee at the forefront of technology in the factory and helps drive investment towards becoming a much more sustainable company. We are always looking for more new ways to expand our sustainability efforts, alongside our recent instalment of 665 energy-saving solar panels at our factory, which contribute more than 46,000kg to our CO2 reduction per year,’ says Amy Curtis, Sleepeezee head of marketing.
NatWest provided the company with a Government-backed Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan of £2m to support it through the pandemic, ultimately guaranteeing that Sleepeezee could make it through the crisis and keep its employees together. In addition, NatWest provided financial support for three key sets of machinery to improve Sleepeezee’s environmental credentials and factory efficiency, including solar panels, tape edgers and a quilt machine.
Sleepeezee has NatWest’s continued support with access to diverse services such as mentoring and the bank’s introduction to other key services such as insurance groups. Visit: www.sleepeezee.com
The dark side
Dunkeld
Darker finishes have grown in popularity for one supplier
The past 12 months have seen a considerable increase in sales of darker finishes for Core Products. Two ranges that capture the essence of darker finishes are Boston and Dunkeld, both from Core’s Highland Home collection of traditionally styled flatpack furniture.
Boston has been a popular product within the Core Products portfolio for almost a decade and has seen annual growth over the years. Made from a combination of softwood, hardwood and ash veneered inset panelling, the range is finished using a deep wood stain and several layers of semi-sheen lacquer, creating a surface finish that is both hard-wearing and easy to clean. Real metal handles complete the look.
Dunkeld is a new addition to Core’s portfolio but in just a matter of months is already achieving good sales. Based on the Boston design but in a midnight blue semi-matt paint finish, with contrasting tops made from solid hardwood frames with ash veneer inserts, it is finished with a warm antique wax. To complete the look, brushed steel effect cup handles are used on the cabinet pieces. An extensive selection of bedsides, chests, dressing table, wardrobe and bookcases is available to choose from.
The Highland Home collection captures the look and feel of traditional cabinet-built construction methods, in simple, easy-to-assemble flat-packed kits. Each piece is far easier and smaller
Boston to transport, meaning quicker deliveries and cost savings against equivalent assembled products.
Delivery to store is free on orders over £500, with the option of delivery direct to the customer’s home, with costs based on the weight, not the size of the product. Visit: www.coreproducts.co.uk
