Wednesday, September 18, 2019
TOP STORIES
Sales, profits fall back for class-leading online dining furniture retailer
Tough comps and more challenging market conditions saw the top and bottom line fall for high-profit online dining furniture retailer Atlantic Shopping last year.
Dreams, MattressOnline and Linthorpe Beds win retail categories at Bed Awards
Dreams retained its Bed Retailer of the Year crown at the Bed Industry Awards last night with Internet retailer MattressOnline and independent Linthorpe Beds also claiming wins in the other retail categories.
Vispring wins Bed of the Year with Harrison Spinks, Vitafoam also claiming supplier awards
Vispring's pitch to a younger customer base was rewarded with it winning the Bed of the Year category of the NBF's Bed Industry Awards last night. Harrison Spinks and Vitafoam also won supplier awards.
La-Z-Boy U.K. names new commercial director among senior hires
Mark Draper has been promoted to commercial director at upholstery distributor La-Z-Boy U.K. with the business also announcing new heads of both marketing and independent sales.
Eighth straight home miss for John Lewis
John Lewis & Partners posted lower sales across all three of its main product directorates last week including an eighth successive miss for its home category.
High-end Italian furniture maker buys £4.4m London property
Pianca, the northeast Italian maker of products spanning premium made-to-measure bedrooms to modern upholstery, has acquired a Grade II listed Central London property.
Ireland's €1bn furniture industry plots resurgence
Furniture makers from across Ireland will descend on Dublin next month to discuss and plan ways industry participants can collaborate to rebuild the sector.
Axminster Carpets to downsize, seeks voluntary redundancies
Heritage carpet maker Axminster Carpets will streamline operations at its Devon factory after announcing voluntary redundancies.
Regulator probes completed takeover of carpet yarn company
Antitrust regulators are examining the completed takeover of a £47 million carpet yarn spinner earlier this year to see if it contravenes U.K. competition rules.
Company behind Woodpecker Interiors brand folds leaving creditors short
The company behind the Stoke-on-Trent based furniture and home accents retailer Woodpecker Interiors has liquidated leaving a six-figure sum owed to creditors.
IKEA buys seven wind farms for €136m
Ingka Group, owner of the bulk of IKEA's global store estate, has agreed to pay €136 million for an 80 percent stake in seven Romanian wind farms.
Shops, like exhibitions, benefit from quality over quantity
Evaluating store numbers is ever more challenging.
INTELLIGENCE
Market Data
Detailed market information about each of the Upholstery, Beds, Cabinet Furniture and Floorcoverings sectors at suppliers' prices.
Discover the up-to-date value of:
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UK production
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Imports
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Exports
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Key Trading Partners
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Total UK market size
BEST READ IN THE PAST MONTH
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Sales trend improves for Harveys/Bensons despite cancelled orders after systems switch
The pace of sales decline slowed for Steinhoff International Holding's U.K. household goods unit in the three months to end June 2019 with Bensons for Beds outperforming its sister chain Harveys so...
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Consumer Confidence: Major purchase index falls back after July gain
Big-ticket sentiment among prospective buyers fell back in August as consumer confidence took a dive over fears regarding the U.K. economy.
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Bedroom chain Sharps outlook bullish amid upwards sales, profits trajectory
Revenue and underlying profits inched forward for Sharps in the three months to end June with the national bedroom and home office furniture chain saying its order book is in a healthy state.
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Foam company seeks compensation, accusing partner of joint venture breach
Two major European foam companies are in dispute after one accused the other of overstepping the mark in the region where the pair have operated a joint venture since the 1990s.
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Sofa maker Lebus profits up despite sales slide
A fall in overheads boosted profits at Lincolnshire sofa maker Lebus Upholstery after sales were hit by the long spell of sunny weather that brought six straight years of growth to an end.
INTELLIGENCE
Retail Sales
Up-to-date monthly UK retail sales data spanning total furniture and lighting sales PLUS detailed breakdowns for each of the Upholstery, Beds, Cabinet Furniture and Floorcoverings sectors.
Proprietary granular data covering:
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UK retail sales value and y/y delta. Monthly and annual
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Breakdown by product category
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Historical data
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Monthly and annual figures
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Shops, like exhibitions, benefit from quality over quantity
Evaluating store numbers is ever more challenging.
Some threats facing furniture retailers are hiding in plain sight, not under the duvet
It is not just the new and emerging companies that established furniture retailers need to be following closely.
Free TV exposure for Harrison Spinks, but all of bed industry benefits
Rival bed makers to Harrison Spinks, who might be a tad green with envy after watching TV Tuesday night, will not feel any better when they read the following story.
Tariffs: Vietnam 'in the crosshairs', furniture CEOs told at U.S. summit
Shifting furniture production away from China to other nations in Southeast Asia to avoid tariffs is a strategy laced with risk, according to a senior former U.S. Government official.
DATA & LISTS
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Debt Report: Who's owed what by insolvent industry companies — September 17, 2019
Today's list contains six insolvent companies leaving combined debts of c. £1.6 million. Names all 25 creditors owed £10,000 or more.
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The Insolvency Report: Companies filing for administration, liquidation in the week to September 13, 2019
Six insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period September 6–13, 2019.
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Why retailers' assets are suddenly more valuable
The book value of John Lewis Partnership non-current assets increased by a whopping £1.67 billion between the summers of 2018 and 2019.
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Furniture, furnishings and flooring company insolvencies in the week to September 5, 2019
Six insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period August 31–September 5, 2019.
TOP STORIES
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Sales, profits fall back for class-leading online dining furniture retailer
Tough comps and more challenging market conditions saw the top and bottom line fall for high-profit online dining furniture retailer Atlantic Shopping last year.
-
Dreams, MattressOnline and Linthorpe Beds win retail categories at Bed Awards
Dreams retained its Bed Retailer of the Year crown at the Bed Industry Awards last night with Internet retailer MattressOnline and independent Linthorpe Beds also claiming wins in the other retail categories.
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U.K. sales surge for flooring manufacturer Amtico
The U.K. was a big growth market as luxury vinyl tile giant Amtico bolstered sales and underlying profits in the year to December 31, 2018.
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Furniture EPOS company launches trade product buying platform
Furniture retailers will be able to buy products direct from suppliers though their EPOS system after RetailSystem.com launched a dedicated trade buying portal.
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The Range enjoys profits, cash boost after new stores lift sales
Home, garden and leisure retailer The Range opened a dozen new stores on the way to returning to profit growth in 2018–19, with annual sales closing in on £1 billion.
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Sofa.com launches debut contract range including mattresses from Hypnos
Upholstery vertical Sofa.com is to enter the contract sector for the first time with a collection of products that also includes a tie-up with bed company Hypnos.
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Historic FIRA building faces demolition, prompting test house and trade association to mull moves
The FIRA building in Stevenage — one of the furniture industry's most recognisable landmarks — will be demolished if redevelopment plans put forward by the property owner go ahead.
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John Lewis "redesigning every part" of home programme after £17m sales slide
Department store chain John Lewis & Partners said it is launching 3,000 new own-brand products this autumn as part of an overhaul of its home merchandise programme.
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Dwell to open first store outside mainland Britain
Dwell, the modern furniture and home accents retailer, is expanding its store footprint with a first unit outside the U.K. mainland next month.
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Homesense adding six new stores as it rolls out TK Maxx tie-up
Homesense will open two new stores today amid six new openings over the next three weeks as the U.S. owned off-price furniture and home furnishings chain takes U.K. store numbers to nearly 80.
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OTHER NEWS
Vispring wins Bed of the Year with Harrison Spinks, Vitafoam also claiming supplier awards
Vispring's pitch to a younger customer base was rewarded with it winning the Bed of the Year category of the NBF's Bed Industry Awards last night. Harrison Spinks and Vitafoam also won supplier awards.
La-Z-Boy U.K. names new commercial director among senior hires
Mark Draper has been promoted to commercial director at upholstery distributor La-Z-Boy U.K. with the business also announcing new heads of both marketing and independent sales.
Eighth straight home miss for John Lewis
John Lewis & Partners posted lower sales across all three of its main product directorates last week including an eighth successive miss for its home category.
High-end Italian furniture maker buys £4.4m London property
Pianca, the northeast Italian maker of products spanning premium made-to-measure bedrooms to modern upholstery, has acquired a Grade II listed Central London property.
Ireland's €1bn furniture industry plots resurgence
Furniture makers from across Ireland will descend on Dublin next month to discuss and plan ways industry participants can collaborate to rebuild the sector.
Axminster Carpets to downsize, seeks voluntary redundancies
Heritage carpet maker Axminster Carpets will streamline operations at its Devon factory after announcing voluntary redundancies.
Regulator probes completed takeover of carpet yarn company
Antitrust regulators are examining the completed takeover of a £47 million carpet yarn spinner earlier this year to see if it contravenes U.K. competition rules.
Company behind Woodpecker Interiors brand folds leaving creditors short
The company behind the Stoke-on-Trent based furniture and home accents retailer Woodpecker Interiors has liquidated leaving a six-figure sum owed to creditors.
IKEA buys seven wind farms for €136m
Ingka Group, owner of the bulk of IKEA's global store estate, has agreed to pay €136 million for an 80 percent stake in seven Romanian wind farms.
Furniture supplier Artisan acquires PD Global online assets
The London based company behind the Artisan Furniture brand has acquired selected assets of PD Global, the furniture importer and distributor which ceased trading earlier this summer.