One-off costs settling a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) price probe hit profits at the group behind Oxfordshire supplier Där Lighting last year.

Restructuring advisors say they accepted the offer from newco Kettle Home for the assets of Kettle Interiors U.K. only yesterday (Mar. 29, 2023) after what it described as an open marketing process that attracted significant interest from here and abroad.

Sanderson Design Group has agreed a licensing agreement with J Sainsbury that will see the supermarket group's Habitat brand develop a wide range of products in collaboration with the Morris & Co. and Scion brands.

Newly-formed company Kettle Home is the new owner of assets including intellectual property and inventory after wholesaler Kettle Interiors U.K. was placed into administration last Friday.

Living, dining and bedroom furniture supplier Teemo has appointed former Made.com general manager Kevin Guillaume as chief operations officer Southeast Asia.

Furniture wholesaler Kettle Interiors U.K. has been placed into administration with all 126 of its employees made redundant, restructuring advisors have confirmed.

A court has handed West Midlands cabinet, mattress and bedframe importer and wholesaler Serene Beds and Furniture another ten days to reorganise its affairs.

Stakeholders in wholesaler Kettle Interiors U.K. are working to complete a restructuring process that will secure the future of the Corby based furniture supplier.

The U.K. subsidiary of Swiss-owned upmarket outdoor furniture brand Gloster maintained high six-figure profits in the year to December 31, 2022, new accounts reveal.

Sanderson Design Group says it is committed to protecting its interests ahead of a hearing next month regarding an intellectual property dispute with Waltham Forest Council.

The near-term future of West Midlands beds and cabinet furniture distributor Serene Beds and Furniture is uncertain after a court filing on Monday.

British furniture manufacturers made a positive start to 2023 with output climbing compared with January last year. December figures have also been revised upwards.

Pine and hardwood cabinet furniture distributor Devonshire remained profitable through 2021/22 as wider gross margin helped mitigate lower output.

Britain's largest flooring wholesaler says it wants to grow its business with larger retail and trade customers by more than £100 million over the next five years.

The shutdown of the U.K. arm of Sweden-headquartered furniture brand Rowico is entering its final stages as restructuring advisors clear the last of its remaining inventory.

East Midlands furniture importer and distributor Birlea has introduced a new price list with reductions of an average 11 percent across its entire product roster.

Shipping pressures and dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic meant last year was the most challenging yet, according to bedroom furniture and upholstery distributor Furniture Wholesale Group (FWG).

The Vita Group says it has doubled staff headcount and increased production four-fold at the foam manufacturing plant it acquired from sofa maker Natuzzi in the two years since the takeover was announced.

Retail giant Next and Sanderson Design Group (SDG) have agreed a licensing tie-up for the latter's Clarke & Clarke brand that will see its product range diversify into new categories including furniture.

A West Midlands interior design company that created interiors for show homes across new-build developments has folded leaving a large tax liability.

Exports of core furniture categories including upholstery, beds and cabinets reached all-time high levels in 2022, breaking a record that had stood for the past four years.

U.K. furniture makers' turnover declined on an annual basis for the first time in almost two years in December as weak demand through the autumn impacted production at the end of the year.

Alan Sweeney has stepped down as Alfrank Designs CEO after almost 17 years to launch a new agency and sourcing business with one of Ireland's leading furniture buyers. He will continue to work with the dining and occasional furniture supplier on a part-time basis.

Restructuring advisors handling the insolvency of the U.K. arm of bedroom and dining resource Rowico say they are clearing inventory following their appointment last month.

The U.K. future of international bedroom and dining furniture resource Rowico is unclear after its wholly-owned business unit here was placed into the hands of restructuring advisors late last month.

Profits left in the company advanced again for Northern Ireland based dining furniture wholesaler World Furniture (NI) last year as the supplier continued to build value.

Decorative lighting supplier Searchlight Electric built stock levels and maintained healthy cash reserves on new borrowing last year against a difficult trading backdrop.

Weaker-than-expected sales and higher costs impacted pro-rata trading profits at the trade and direct home shopping bedding, home textiles and soft furnishings supplier Rapport Home last year.

The principal U.K. arm of global office furniture manufacturing giant Herman Miller booked smaller profits here last year as higher staffing and material costs outweighed the impact of rising sales.

Contemporary housewares supplier Joseph Joseph Group booked record sales last year as its international business gained further traction.

Factory gate furniture price inflation climbed at the end of last year though raw material and input cost data augurs more promisingly, with that rate falling to its shallowest level since the spring of 2021.

Revenue climbed by more than a third at British homewares and lifestyle brand Sophie Allport ahead of it appointing a new CEO to elevate the business to another level.

The reopening of the hospitality industry boosted textiles manufacturer and distributor Richard Haworth, one of the largest U.K. suppliers of filled bedding and soft furnishings to the sector.

High value lighting, furniture and accents supplier Porta Romana booked adjusted profits of £4.1 million in the year to April 30, 2022 on all-time high revenue.

A South West based logistics company whose services include two-man white glove delivery on behalf of big-ticket customers has filed a notice of intent to appoint an administrator (NOI).

Import volumes of wood living, dining and bedroom cabinet furniture have now trended lower in every month since March last year, according to new figures.

Indian Ocean founder Jamie Hobbs is stepping down as managing director to focus on design and strategy. The high-end outdoor furniture company has appointed commercial director David Mahony to be his successor.

U.K. furniture manufacturing turnover rose at below-inflation levels for a third straight month in November according to data out Friday morning.

Likewise Group will add further infrastructure in the first half of this year with new distribution facilities in the South East of England and Scotland.

The md of Ercol Furniture [ercol] says the Buckinghamshire manufacturer remains focused on further building U.K. production after it returned to profit in 2021 and maintained that level last year.

Birlea Furniture says the first Disney furniture and home ranges since it agreed an exclusive U.K. and Ireland distribution deal are due to be in stock early February.

Furniture wholesaler Julian Bowen has appointed Jason Hillier to cover sales in London and the South East of England.

Living, dining and bedroom wholesaler Balmoral Furniture booked higher profits last year as revenue increased and margin widened as a result of fewer restrictions.

Revenue climbed by more than half for North East living, dining and bedroom cabinet distributor Baker Furniture through 2021/22 as it yielded the early benefit of its new distribution centre.

The outlook for foam availability and pricing will be pegged to three main pillars through 2023, according to the trade association representing suppliers of polyurethane slabstocks used by the mattress and upholstery industry.

Fabrics group Panaz said the decision to diversify its existing supply chain led to more flexibility on cost and helped to shield it from geopolitical risk.

Major U.K. lighting supplier Cascade says its target for the year ahead is liquidity rather than profit after a period in which it encountered cost headwinds.

Designer Contracts, the £41 million supplier to the U.K. new build interiors sector, says it has improved and simplified its furniture and lighting packs for customers looking for turnkey solutions.

Furniture wholesale group Seconique built year-end stock levels by more than £8.5 million in a trading period pockmarked by supply chain challenges.

The start of the final quarter saw living, dining and bedroom cabinet shipments climb for the first time in four months as U.K. buyers found alternatives to China.

British furniture makers' turnover growth accelerated at the start of the fourth quarter despite the uplift in exports being the weakest since February 2021.

Vida Living, one of the largest suppliers of furniture to the U.K. market, found big sales growth last year but profits declined as rising input costs meant gross margin narrowed.

The private equity backed group that owns custom fitted furniture maker Neville Johnson paid eight-figure dividends to shareholders in a period when it agreed extended borrowing and saw trading profits fall.

The value of U.K. furniture exports has jumped by more than £200 million so far this year thanks to increased activity with major trading partners including the U.S., Ireland and France.

Profits fell sharply at Gwynedd cabinet maker Welcome Furniture in the past year as strategic partnerships with online retailers failed to fully mitigate a tough contract market.

United Furniture Industries, the company behind Lane, one of the most storied furniture brands in the U.S., has closed down without warning, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

Furnishing fabrics and wallpaper supplier Osborne & Little repaid almost £3 million of debt and doubled group profits through 2021/22 as it kept a lid on costs as custom returned.

Greenapple Systems, which was at the vanguard of the supply of glass furniture into the U.K. retail market, has completed a solvent shutdown of the business following a decision to close made last year.

ScanCom International, the Scandinavian outdoor furniture manufacturer with offices in countries including the U.K., found profit growth despite production challenges in the past year.

Fewer containers of living, dining and bedroom cabinet furniture arrived in the U.K. at the end of the first quarter including a halving in the quantity of goods shipped from China.

Designer furniture maker Carl Hansen & Søn has begun a consultation with factory workers in its homeland ahead of planned redundancies as it adjusts to weaker consumer demand.

Two key supply chain partners to the U.K. furniture industry relied on new business wins for growth as they called out weaker trading conditions in big-ticket categories.

Profits almost trebled for North West supplier Hill's Panel Products through 2021/22 as the key supplier to the fitted furniture sector negotiated upstream challenges.

U.K. furniture production volumes declined at the end of the third quarter as manufacturers grappled weaker order books amid rising costs.

Furniture conglomerate Actona Group says it has given the vast showroom at its Danish headquarters an extreme makeover as part of plans to make every visit by trade customers an experience.

A survey of leading British furniture manufacturers has laid bare the impact of rising production costs on their businesses, with many now struggling to turn a profit.

Furniture wholesaler Kettle Interiors has paid tribute to its founder John Kettle, who died Saturday, November 5, aged 73.

Panaz Holdings has promoted Nadeem Memon to group chief financial officer with responsibility for the fabrics and furnishings group's expanding roster of business units.

The owner of home and giftware importer Lesser & Pavey found big revenue growth in the past year but underlying profits were hit by skinnier margins.

Restructuring advisors say multi-million pound filled bedding supplier Norfolk Feather is yet to formally enter insolvency despite the reported closure of its business earlier this month.

Cabinet and upholstery supplier Mark Webster Designs sold the vast majority of its stock to its largest customer two weeks ahead of the formal appointment of administrators as it sought a managed wind down of the business.

Filled bedding company Trendsetter Home Furnishings built on a return to profit with an eight-fold rise in earnings in the past year, but cautioned of headwinds in the period since.

Higher costs saw profits almost halve for bedding supplier Comfy Quilts in the year to end January despite sales having climbed thanks to it doing more business with a company under common control.

Actona Group found top line gains as the Danish furniture conglomerate expanded its global activities through acquisitions in 2021/22.

Renewed upstream supply chain price pressures will result in further rises being passed on to retailers, as new inflation figures out Wednesday showed continued stubbornly high rates across the industry.

Upmarket interior design and furnishings supplier Sanderson Design Group found profit growth in the first half of its 2022/23 financial year after almost doubling licensing income.

Headlam Group, the U.K.'s largest floorcoverings wholesaler, has bolstered its leadership team with two new independent non-executive board hires.

Furniture, mattresses and home accents distributor Gallery Direct pumped cash into stock build last year in a period where it returned to profit on vastly increased output.

U.K. listed textiles group says part of its German-based operations has struggled as a result of weak consumer confidence.

Higher output outweighed rising costs and thinner margins as North West household textile supplier Turner Bianca found bottom line growth in the year to end March.

Britain's sofa and mattress makers are being landed with a new wave of price increases from across the upstream supply chain according to correspondence seen by The Furnishing Report. Some suppliers are also on allocation.

Platt & Hill, a supplier of foam and fibre fillings products to the beds and upholstery manufacturing sectors, slipped to a loss last year as higher costs outweighed the benefit of increased output.

Headlam Group's search for a new chief financial officer has entered its seventh month after a prime candidate for the position decided at the last-minute to withdraw.

An insurance claim and wider gross margin helped profits climb at flooring wholesale group Headlam in the first half of the year despite an already-signposted decline in revenue.

Northern Ireland based furniture wholesaler Annaghmore Agencies recovered some of the revenue lost to the pandemic last year in a period that saw it build its inventory position.

An Italian design company based on the banks of Lake Maggiore enjoyed its strongest year in the U.K. in almost a decade as home sales surged in the aftermath of lockdown.

The restructuring advisors handling the insolvency of Nottinghamshire furniture importer Mark Webster and its parent company have said operations have now ceased following their appointment last month.

An auction house that has cleared stock for some of the biggest names in the furniture industry has ceased trading and signalled its intent to appoint administrators.

The probability that three major foamers will continue to serve the U.K. mattress and upholstery markets has increased after Carpenter and Recticel conceded the planned takeover of the latter's engineered foam unit would lessen competition.

Cabinet and upholstered furniture maker Ben Whistler returned to profit last year after the bottom line took a hit through the first period of Covid.

Cabinet and upholstery importer Mark Webster Designs and its parent company Mark Webster Holdings were both formally placed into administration earlier this week.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has named the officials who will make up the inquiry group looking into the takeover of Recticel's Engineered Foam unit by Carpenter.

Furniture exports climbed in the three months to end June on the back of strong growth from the two largest buyers of U.K.-made goods.

Privately-owned furniture importer and distributor Mark Webster Designs and its parent company Mark Webster Holdings have each filed a notice of intent (NOI) to appoint administrators.

Chief financial officer promoted at £180 million ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturing conglomerate.

Growth slowed to its weakest level in over a year for U.K. furniture manufacturers in a sign production is catching up with the backlog from earlier high demand.

Declining demand, rising costs and overall economic uncertainty across Europe will lead to a decline in PU foam production this year.

Shippers are moving product more reliably around the globe in a sign supply chains may be beginning to normalise, according to a leading provider of analysis and advisory services in the sector.

Floorcoverings supplier Designer Contracts has opened a new facility in Berkshire that becomes its regional headquarters for the Western Counties area.

A South Yorkshire based ready-to-assemble furniture maker recorded a bigger deficit in the period that led to an external furniture group acquiring a quarter of the business earlier this year.

The London based company behind the Artisan Furniture brand recorded a fall in profits at its U.K. business in the 12 months to March 31 this year.

Fewer restrictions and a less onerous lockdown helped the wholly-owned U.K. arm of French furniture brand Ligne Roset return to growth last year.

Diversified Yorkshire cabinet group LPD saw its furniture division achieve eight figure revenue for the first time in the period leading up to a management buyout (MBO) this summer.

Headlam, Britain's largest flooring wholesale group, has built up stock levels ahead of what it hopes will be busier trading months to come. It follows a revenue decline in the first half.

The first new products since Birlea agreed a deal that sees it become the U.K. and Ireland distributor of Disney branded furniture are expected to arrive in the first week of October, its md says.

A longtime ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturing supplier to Amazon's U.S. platform has begun listing on the Internet giant's European's equivalent as part of a pilot programme.

Loaf has extended its home delivery contract with Wincanton for another three years, building on an existing partnership between the two companies already lasting the past six years.

Profits climbed sharply last year for one of the principal actors in the delivery of bulky flat-pack furniture boxes to U.K. consumers. That was despite a fall in revenue.

Underlying sales climbed sharply at Northern Ireland based furnishing fabrics and household textiles supplier Ulster Weavers last year as it benefitted from its relationship with retail giant Dunelm.

The acquisition and expansion of a new warehouse and distribution facility among other investments saw Liverpool home office and workplace furniture maker Dams spend almost £6 million on capex last year.

A Warwickshire supplier of outdoor furniture and living products to the likes of NEXT, Made.com and The Conran Shop saw profits jump by almost half last year.

Higher sales and an 810 basis point gross margin swing helped the U.K. wholesale and retail arm of cabinet furniture supplier Kettle Interiors to boost profits last year.

Current incumbent to remain on the board but step down as chief executive at supplier with operations spanning the globe including the U.K. after he found his successor.

Rising sales and wider gross margin helped Coventry kitchen furniture manufacturer Burbidge return to profit at the EBITDA line last year and narrow its net loss at group level.

The owner of outdoor furniture and living retailer Garden Trading says its bottom line will come in ahead of market expectations as a consequence of additional cost reductions.

Britain's antitrust regulator has elevated its investigation into the takeover of Recticel's engineered foam unit by Carpenter to an in-depth Phase 2 inquiry, heightening the possibility that parts of the deal affecting the U.K. will either not happen or be reversed.

Rachel Conroy, founder and CEO of Gateshead contract furniture supplier HLF, has been included in a prominent business magazine's 35 Women Under 35 2022 list — a rundown of high achieving business leaders.

Furniture factory output in the U.K. continued to run at record levels according to new May data with manufacturers racing to unwind big order books as a result of earlier demand.

Underlying revenue across the eFulfilment division of logistics group Wincanton edged ahead in the first quarter of its financial year despite the wider market slowdown in online activity.

Stakeholders have until Monday of next week to come up with a solution that will appease the U.K.'s antitrust regulator.

Profits more than doubled at the Ashley Wilde group last year as the Hertfordshire headquartered furnishing fabrics group delivered an eighth straight increase in revenue.

Container shipping schedule reliability remains at a historically low level while spot prices are falling from record highs and delays easing after a two-year stretch upended by the pandemic.

EBITDA was almost two thirds higher for Bentley Designs last year as the furniture importer deleveraged after it kept a tight rein on costs and revenue recovered, countering weaker gross margin.

Construction is underway at distribution centres in Scotland and the Midlands as national flooring wholesaler Likewise Group looks to double its logistics capacity this year.

Stock levels at Cleland McIver more than doubled by the end of its 2020/21 financial year as the soft furnishings supplier invested further in distribution capacity with a new 75,000sqft facility.

Lincolnshire cabinet importer and wholesaler Classic Furniture battled rising shipping costs and limited container slot availability as it booked its highest profits since 2014 last year.

The md of furniture components supplier Wade Spring says the combination of new export business and an expanded engineering offer were a major driver in increased profitability last year.

Bedeck returned to profit last year as the Northern Ireland based bedding company benefitted from a lower administrative cost burden of almost £2 million, including non-recurring exceptional items and a currency gain.

Furniture and home accents wholesaler Coach House smashed through a high ceiling to record largest-ever profits at its trading arm last year as it recovered strongly from the first year of the pandemic.

Investment helped the soft furnishings group behind the Iliv brand find further margin gains in a strong trading period during which it grew profits and repaid debt.

The value of U.K. furniture production remained at a historic high level in April but fell below revised record figures for the end for the first quarter.

The company that completed an insolvent buyout of a prominent North London furniture wholesaler whose products were sold on platforms such as Wayfair has a new name.

Ministry of Furniture (MoF), the contract manufacturer that emerged from Remploy in 2014, has moved to a new head office and showroom facility in Neath, South Wales.

Costco levered the power of brands such as Natuzzi, Thomasville, Bentley Designs and Silentnight on the way to strong growth in the U.K. which it has followed up with further gains in the period since.

Furniture exports out of the U.K. continued their recovery in the first quarter of 2022 but still have some distance to travel to return to historic highs.

Online vendors offering the goods of a North Yorkshire based wholesaler of occasional furniture and rattan home and garden goods which collapsed earlier this year are clearing the last remaining items from their platforms.

Henry Tadros will take over as chairman at heritage furniture maker Ercol [ercol] this summer, the Princes Risborough manufacturer has announced. He succeeds his father, Edward Tadros.

Majority position in East Midlands furniture wholesaler was sold to the Swedish investor Storskogen Group last year.

The U.K.'s largest flooring wholesale group believes ecommerce and a growing cohort of multiple retail customers can help it counter a weaker market this year.

Rollie Attard, chief operating officer at fabrics supplier Panaz, is to become chief executive in place of his father and company founder Tony Attard, who will become chairman.

Cabinet imports from China fell at the end of the first quarter on a volume basis with only higher prices lifting the value of shipments arriving at British ports.

Scandinavian dining and lounge furniture source issues clarion call for new partners.

The combined turnover of U.K. furniture manufacturers reached a ten-figure total in a month for the first time in history as factories continued to be busy fulfilling outstanding orders taken late 2021 and into the early weeks of this year.

Restructuring advisors offer bullish outlook for creditors of East Midlands supplier after co-owner's death prompted eventual closure last year.

Deliveries in the U.K. and Ireland grew at a faster pace for Stressless in the first quarter of 2022 than in any other of its main reporting geographies, with the value of sales reaching almost half of the total for the entirety of last year.

Nascent lifestyle brand Jasper Conran London is to expand an existing agreement with general merchandise retail giant Next into furniture and homeware for the first time.

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an inquiry into the planned takeover of Recticel's engineered foam unit by Carpenter Co., the U.S. conglomerate. Both are key cogs in the U.K. furniture supply chain.

High-end furniture company Timothy Oulton has strengthened its U.K. board with two senior appointments from within.

Furniture wholesaler Birlea has agreed a deal that will see it become the U.K. and Ireland distributor of Disney branded furniture and home accessory products.

Strong demand indicates a tailwind for home-related spending remains, according to Colefax Group, owner of high-end soft furnishings brands and a prestige British sofa maker.



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