Manufacturing News
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- UPHOLSTERY
Upholstery brand Zofa has followed its ecommerce launch earlier this year with the introduction of a flagship showroom in the North of England.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Unsecured creditors of the historic former Silentnight entity whose assets were sold to a U.S. private equity company more than a decade ago received a third seven-figure payout last year.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Norwegian furniture conglomerate Ekornes has appointed experienced branded consumer goods leader Tine Hammernes Leopold as its new CEO.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
Shares in the Chinese furniture group that acquired Norwegian furniture giant Ekornes back in 2018 have fallen to their lowest level since an IPO nearly a decade ago.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Higher costs hit Buoyant Upholstery's profit margins during a period of supply chain upheaval in which the Nelson sofa maker said it managed to successfully keep disruption to customers to a minimum.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The Far East upholstery manufacturer behind the Kuka brand booked higher profits last year despite revenues coming under pressure.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Richard Gretton has joined GNG Group as commercial director. He arrives at the West Yorkshire manufacturer from Hypnos Beds, where he has spent the past half decade as global retail sales director.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The Jay-Be group booked larger profits last year as a seven-figure upwards property revaluation helped counter the effect of rising costs and supply chain challenges on the business.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Silentnight has embarked on a new marketing campaign to promote its quick-ship Just Sleep programme including television advertising and the unveiling of a mattress vending machine in a London train station.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
A new era has begun at the National Bed Federation (NBF), according to its president Jim Gerety, with its recent appointment of a new executive director followed by the election of four replacement Council members.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
U.K. consumers are being sold mattresses, sofabeds and headboards that either fail flammability regulations or have serious trade descriptions issues, according to new research by the National Bed Federation (NBF).
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- EVENTS
Registration is now open for the 2023 Bed Show, which takes place at the Telford International Centre from September 26–27, 2023.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The number of U.K. mattress manufacturers with relatively modest sales and fewer than 50 employees has risen exponentially in the past decade while the total of larger enterprises has remained broadly unchanged.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
Corporate reorganisation follows spring 2022 takeover by Norwegian furniture conglomerate.
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- TRADE & INDUSTRY
Exports of core furniture products such as mattresses, sofas and dining sets inched higher in the first quarter of 2023, rising to the highest level in four years.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
High-end furniture roll-up Italian Design Brands launched its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on Thursday, raising €70 million from the issue of new shares in the company.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Upholstery conglomerate Man Wah Holdings booked lower profits through 2022/23 as the impact of cheaper raw material costs was countered by a drop in revenue.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Import volumes of foam and sprung mattresses into the U.K. climbed for the third straight month in March, but the value of those products was lower compared with last year.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
U.K. importers continued to buy in less carpet in March as both the value and volume of goods arriving at British ports fell again, new figures show.
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- TRADE & INDUSTRY
Raw material price inflation has eased only to be usurped by rising costs elsewhere, according to a poll of U.K. producers by the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM).
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- UPHOLSTERY
TCM Living, the upholstery group behind the Ashley Manor, Alstons and Alexander & James brands, found margin in the first quarter but lower revenue and one-off restructuring costs meant profits still declined.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Upholstery giant Man Wah Holdings has been ordered to pay only a fraction of the damages a jury awarded last year after an intellectual property dispute with furniture components manufacturer Raffel Systems.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Restructuring fees are expected to swallow up most if not all of the agreed consideration for mattress machinery maker MPT Group following its insolvent rescue last month.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The Branded Furniture Company (TBFC) agreed an extension to its furniture license with Orla Kiely ahead of new product being shown at its Open House Event this week (May 9–12, 2023).
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The National Bed Federation (NBF) has paid tribute to its past president and bed industry great John Hancock MBE, who has died aged 84.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
Higher prices and the completion of winter sales orders kept U.K. furniture factories busy as turnover at the factory gate reached an all-time high landmark in March.
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- EVENTS
W Exhibition, the U.K. trade show for the furniture manufacturing and joinery industries, has rebranded as Materials & Finishes Show ahead of its scheduled return in Birmingham next year.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
John Lewis of Hungerford has agreed the £3 million sale and leaseback of its Oxfordshire factory amid wider plans to save cash by delisting from the Alternative Investors Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange.
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- DEALS & FINANCE
Global supply chain delays ratcheted up the pressure on mattress machinery maker MPT Group ahead of an insolvent restructure that has seen all jobs saved.
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- DEALS & FINANCE
The md of the Yorkshire distribution company that bought the Corian solid surface material to the U.K. home furnishings market has completed a management buyout.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Tempur Sealy International (TSI), the world's largest bedding company and owner of U.K. bed market leader Dreams, has agreed to acquire Mattress Firm, the largest bed retailer in the U.S., in a cash and shares deal worth $4 billion.
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- COMMUNITY
Edward Tadros, chairman of family-owned furniture maker Ercol until the summer of last year, has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and furnishing industry charity.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
Export sales jumped by a quarter to help South Wales furniture maker Bisley continue its recovery from the impact of Covid disruption through 2021/22.
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- LEGAL & RESTRUCTURING
Consumer creditors and the tax authorities are the biggest losers from the fallout of the closure of an award-winning Yorkshire kitchen vertical that had built its ethos around sustainable design and manufacturing.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
A director and shareholder of MPT Group, a well known North West manufacturer of machines used in the production of mattresses, has acquired certain assets of the company via an insolvent buyout.
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- CASE GOODS
Gola Wood Works, a cabinet furniture company registered at Downpatrick, County Down, has been placed into administration through restructuring advisors at KPMG.
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- CASE GOODS
Bedroom furniture manufacturer Home Decor has seen its liabilities slashed thanks to a loan waiver from its longtime private equity backer.
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- UPHOLSTERY
First quarter U.K. and Ireland revenue declined in line with the global trend for Stressless brand owner Ekornes in the three months to end March.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Industrial conglomerate Leggett & Platt, a key cog in the U.K. mattress supply chain, posted a weaker first quarter performance as it lapped a record period last year.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
U.K. kitchen giant Wren has expanded its showroom network in North America as it looks to build on major investment in manufacturing in the U.S. market.
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- UPHOLSTERY
South Wales upholstered furniture manufacturer Ashwood Designs has appointed Gary Thompson as sales director.
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- UPHOLSTERY
A Scotland based ecommerce trader has become the latest supplier of upholstery to fall foul of the U.K. flammability regulations with four of its models said to present a serious fire risk.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
The longtime private equity backer of Brintons says it has successfully negotiated revised debt covenants with the banking syndicate that lends to the group, shoring up the historic carpet maker's finances.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Dubious traders tricking U.K. consumers into buying cheap mattresses that purport to be made with much higher specifications are costing the bed industry £100 million a year, says the National Bed Federation (NBF).
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Industrial conglomerate Recticel says foam company Carpenter has communicated its intent to pay less than had been previously agreed to acquire its Engineered Foams business.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
Magnet owner Nobia said first quarter revenue declined in the U.K. as it began a wide-ranging restructuring programme that sees the closure of two kitchen factories here and other business model adjustments.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Profits declined at one of China's largest diversified furniture manufacturers last year as rising costs chewed away some of the benefits of double-digit revenue growth.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The National Bed Federation (NBF) is launching a month-long campaign called May Be Time for a new Mattress through May with the aim of supporting retail marketing efforts through what is often a slower trading period.
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- FURNISHINGS & ACCENTS
Fabrics and wallcoverings supplier Sanderson Design Group shrugged off the impact of flat sales and rising input costs to find profit growth in the year to January 31, 2023.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Bed spring maker Leggett & Platt Springs U.K is reorganising its commercial department in preparation for the planned retirement of longtime executive David Nuttall.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The Chinese furniture group that acquired Stressless brand owner Ekornes in a highly-leveraged buyout back in 2018 has introduced a new private equity minority shareholder as part of a refinancing of the Norwegian company.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
Flooring group Victoria says the laying off of hundreds of workers at Balta plants in Belgium and the shift of production to factories here and in Turkey will deliver synergy gains of no less than €15 million per year.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
Profits declined sharply at Elstead Lighting last year as narrower gross margin and rising administrative costs countered the positive impact of sales growth, particularly in export markets.
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- DEALS & FINANCE
The group behind prestige Italian furniture brands including Gervasoni, Gamma Arredamenti and Meridiani is planning to raise acquisition capital with an initial public offering (IPO) on Milan's Euronext exchange.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
A long-awaited Register of Approved Mattress Recyclers is now live in a major development in the industry-led effort to divert old mattresses from entering the waste disposal stream.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Buoyant Upholstery, one of the U.K.'s largest sofa manufacturers, has invested over £215,000 on the installation of 700 solar panels on the roof of part of its Lancashire facility.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Bed maker Sleepeezee says investment at its Kent factory along with supporting overseas carbon offsetting projects have helped it achieve key sustainability targets and maintain its carbon neutral status.
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- TRADE & INDUSTRY
Seven companies from the across the U.K. furnishings sector claimed King's Awards for Enterprise, including two for the Harrison Spinks beds, components and fillings group in Leeds.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The CEO of Natuzzi says the upholstered furniture giant is planning to offload more assets in deals akin to the disposal of a foam plant in southern Italy just over two years ago.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
James Heese, commercial director at ScS, has been elected to the board of the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) with a brief to support the trade association's new retail membership category.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
Ercol Furniture (ercol) is launching two of its best-loved designs in British ash with the Princes Risborough manufacturer saying it wants its backing for home-grown timber to be an example for the industry.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The multi-million pound launch of Strandfoam U.K. into the British market has driven down prices in the foam supply sector and disrupted the status quo, according to its owner.
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- TRADE & INDUSTRY
Consumer price inflation for household furniture eased to a 19-month low in March while input cost inflation at the furniture factory gate fell to its lowest level in over two years.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
A multi-showroom London floorcoverings company has put creditors on alert after it filed a notice of intent to appoint an administrator (NOI).
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Revenue growth accelerated for Bensons for Beds in the three months to end March with the vertically-integrated retailer announcing plans to step up its store expansion programme.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Imports of foam and sprung mattress imports into the U.K. increased on the back of shipments from China almost doubling compared with the same period last year.
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- EVENTS
Sleep Expo Europe, a new exhibition and conference for the European mattress, bedding and sleep tech industries, is to take place in the Netherlands in just over a year from now.
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- CASE GOODS
Imports from India and Vietnam halved in February to send overall timber living, dining and bedroom furniture shipments down by a quarter compared with last year.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The National Bed Federation (NBF) has appointed Tristine Hargreaves as its new executive director, succeeding Jessica Alexander whose decision to stand down was announced last October.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The chief executive of the upholstery group behind G Plan, Parker Knoll and Duresta says supply chain challenges have eased and demand returned to normal, putting it on the path to improved profitability.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The family of one of the great-grandsons of the founder of fabrics group Romo has bought out another great-grandson and his family in a transaction that concentrates ownership of the circa £100 million business.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Upholstered furniture vertical Arlo & Jacob is to expand into northwest England with the opening of a Cheshire showroom later this year.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Profits at Vispring jumped by more than a quarter as the Devon bed maker enjoyed rapid growth in mainland European export markets last year.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Cheaper shipping costs failed to prevent an eighth straight slide in upholstery import volumes in the first quarter with all three major source nations sending less product to the U.K.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Natuzzi recorded a net loss in the final quarter of 2022 citing higher interest rates as having increased borrowing costs as well as impacting consumer demand around the world.
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- TRADE & INDUSTRY
The value of U.K. furniture manufacturing turnover declined on an annual basis for the first time in two years in February, official data out Thursday morning showed, but January figures were better than first reported.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Kent bed maker Sleepeezee Holdings has agreed an £18 million buy-in transaction with Legal & General Assurance Society, securing the pension benefits of around 200 retired and deferred scheme members.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Revenue advanced for mattress ticking conglomerate BekaertDeslee last year on the back of the pass-through of higher input costs, and a major acquisition.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
Furniture maker and retailer HSL has opened its first store in north London with the launch of a new concept flagship format in Hendon.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Upholstered furniture conglomerate Natuzzi has postponed the release of its fourth quarter and full year 2022 financial results because of further verification work required at its Chinese joint venture.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The financial period leading up to the divestment of Millbrook Beds by the Croll family was a year of two halves, according to commentary in newly-filed accounts.
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- TRADE & INDUSTRY
2024 INDX show dates; Why Rowico U.K. had to close; Recticel updates on the sale of Engineered Foam unit; and Dreams plan to raise cash for homelessness charity Shelter.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Raw material price inflation and shortages impacted gross margin at Long Eaton sofa manufacturer Acclaim Upholstery through 2021/22 with it unable to immediately pass on rising costs to its largest customer.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Keith Wilson, who was instrumental in the buildout of La-Z-Boy's U.K. expansion including the takeover of Colne sofa maker Furnico, is to retire.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
Heritage carpet industry supplier Bonar Yarns has been placed into administration but restructuring advisors say they remain hopeful of finding a buyer for the business as a going concern.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
The company behind the Burmatex carpets brand deleveraged through 2022, a year that saw it make top and bottom line gains.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
South Wales home office and workplace furniture manufacturer Bisley has announced the death of its owner and chairman Anthony Brown at the age of 86.
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- TRADE & INDUSTRY
The number of furniture, furnishings and floorcoverings companies filing for insolvency reached record high levels in the first quarter of 2023.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
The owners of a Birmingham bedding company have completed a buyout of Serene Beds and Furniture in a deal that secures the future of the West Bromwich wholesaler.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Duresta has opened a standalone Long Eaton showroom in a move that the prestige upholstery manufacturer hopes will provide an advantageous sales aid for its retail partners.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Rising costs countered higher sales for upholstery and drapery fabrics supplier Warwick last year while cash declined after a large share buyback.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The Chinese upholstery manufacturer that a decade ago owned and ran a British furniture retail chain has posted weaker profits as a result of a reduction in output across its diversified activities.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The co-owned sofa-in-a-box brand Habbio and high-end upholstery business John Sankey have agreed new manufacturing licences after their hitherto production partner was placed into liquidation.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Wider gross margin and rates relief helped the wholly-owned retail arm of Natuzzi, which represents just a small fraction of the Italian sofa maker's total U.K. business, to cut losses through the pandemic.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The group md of Hypnos says the high-end bed maker has managed to build further top line momentum through 2022/23 despite the loss of a high-profile hotel contract and the tough economic backdrop.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
Retailer Bensons for Beds will on Thursday kickstart the next phase in its plan for the eveSleep brand, expanding and displaying its mattress programme across its c. 160-store national retail network for the first time.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
A hiring surge saw the Harrison Spinks group add over 100 new jobs in a period when revenue growth at its beds division outpaced that of its co-controlled components and fillings business unit. Higher costs meant EBITDA dropped by more than a fifth.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
National bed retailer Bensons for Beds will expand its store footprint this weekend with the opening of a new store near its Cambridgeshire manufacturing base.
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- EVENTS
20 U.K. exhibitors will show at Interzum next month as the manufacturers' event returns with sustainability high on its agenda after a four-year absence.
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- ECOMMERCE
The managed wind down at South Yorkshire ready-to-assemble cabinet manufacturer Addspace Furniture has had knock-on effects for a co-controlled ecommerce retailer.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
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.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
The CEO of ScS says the the upholstery retailer, which is flush with cash and has no debt, would give serious consideration to vertical integration if the right opportunity was passed across his desk.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Relaunched modular sofa brand Snug has agreements in place with all three of its legacy upholstered furniture suppliers following its takeover by ScS earlier this year.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The National Bed Federation (NBF) has boosted its retailer support offering with five marketing toolkits to increase awareness of the NBF-approved tick, and to share advice around the bed-buying process, after-purchase care, and mattress settlement.
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- TRADE & INDUSTRY
Furniture Village and ScS, two of the largest furniture retailers in the country, are among the first companies to become Approved Retailer members of the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM).
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
Creditors of Mark Harris Furniture, the furniture wholesale and retail company whose assets were sold via a prepack buyout last month, were owed more than £14 million at the time of the restructure.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Graeme Sutherland, the longstanding sales director at Ashwood Designs and respected stalwart of the U.K. sofa industry, has died, the upholstered furniture manufacturer has announced.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Bensons for Beds has launched a variable support mattress that is softer on one side and firmer on the other with the aim of meeting the changing needs of children as they grow towards adulthood.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Harrison Spinks Beds is upgrading its U.S. stock programme with a Los Angeles distribution centre leased in partnership with logistics specialist Rhenus Group. The move will help it drastically cut lead times.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Foam and sprung mattress imports into the U.K. fell high single-digits in January as a result a weaker figures from all three of the habitually largest origin countries.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Upholstered furniture imports cratered at the start of 2023, reflecting a combination of weak demand in the autumn when orders were placed, along with full warehouses across the U.K.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
The closure of a 17-store adjustable furniture and mobility products specialist spells bad news for a co-controlled ecommerce business, which faces the write-off of a large multi-million pound debt.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Naturalmat, the Devon manufacturer and retailer of mattresses and bedding made from organic materials, maintained profitable momentum last year as it invested online and in people.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
The year-on-year value of carpets imported into the U.K. declined 4.3 percent in January, a first drop in monetary terms since the summer of last year.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Sofas from the three further upholstery collections sold under the Argos Habitat brand that didn't meet U.K. flammability regulations were also manufactured in Eastern Europe, it was disclosed late last week.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Shareholder equity at mattress company Dormeo U.K. was wiped out through the second part of the pandemic ahead of its business and assets being sold to a supplier for £800,000 last month.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
A second straight period of growth helped North West flooring manufacturer Penthouse Carpets to last year achieve its highest sales since the financial crash of 2008.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Silentnight has appointed a new chief executive officer, with Neil Anderson to step down after four years with the U.K.'s largest bed manufacturer.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
British furniture manufacturers made a positive start to 2023 with output climbing compared with January last year. December figures have also been revised upwards.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Upholstery manufacturer and retailer heads south for third consumer showroom.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Tempur Sealy International and Sealy Australia have provided an additional £9 million of debt investment into their Sealy U.K. joint venture in the past four months to support its Cumbria-based manufacturing operations.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
A Buckinghamshire upholstered furniture manufacturer and retailer that dates back to the 1950s has refashioned its corporate structure after a predecessor company was placed into liquidation last month.
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- EVENTS
British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) is expanding its events portfolio with the launch of Furniture Component Expo, an event it hopes will connect manufacturers with companies from across the upstream supply chain.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
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.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Major direct-to-consumer mattress business Dormeo U.K. has traded continuously through an insolvent restructure after a diversified international bed industry supplier came to its rescue.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Mattress and bedding manufacturer Duvalay has expanded into the baby sector after buying cot mattress specialist Nursery Connections out of administration.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Argos has added sofas, armchairs and footstools from three further upholstery collections to a product recall first announced a month ago when it revealed SKUs from its Tammy programme didn't meet U.K. flammability regulations.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
The closure of a 17-store direct-to-consumer brand selling rise and recline chairs, adjustable beds and other mobility aids earlier this year leaves creditors facing a shortfall north of £12 million.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
The Carpet Foundation, the manufacturer-funded body that promotes carpet generically in the U.K., is to undertake a new burst of consumer advertising after the success of a similar campaign last year.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The just-agreed licensing deal between Maker&Son and The Hastings Sofa Company won't imperil outstanding orders or the interests of the existing supply chain, the upholstery brand says.
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- UPHOLSTERY
The owners of The Hastings Sofa Company have agreed a deal with Inc. & Co for them to become the licensee of the Maker&Son brand in the U.K. and Ireland.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Rising input costs countered an improvement in underlying demand at the U.K. upholstery factory acquired by U.S. furniture giant La-Z-Boy in the first financial period since its autumn 2021 buyout.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
National kitchens retailer Wren is to diversify its product range with the launch of Wren Bedrooms, expanding its customer offer into fitted wardrobes, chests, dressers and standalone items.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Maker&Son suppliers with lorry loads of unpaid-for furniture waiting to be delivered to customers are braced for more change in the way the embattled upholstery brand operates.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Darren Baird and Joseph Baggott have joined upholstered furniture manufacturer Ashwood Designs as operations director and finance director respectively.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
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.
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- COMMUNITY
Kent bed maker Sleepeezee has taken the total amount it has donated to The Children's Hospital Charity into six figures with its latest annual contribution.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
A debt owed to mattress retailer Dormeo U.K. by a co-controlled entity increased by a seven-figure sum in the period leading up to that company calling in restructuring advisors last month.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
Martin Peace, an until-now near constant presence at major carpet supplier Abingdon Flooring in the decades before and after it became part of the Victoria group, has retired.
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- UPHOLSTERY
U.S. upholstery conglomerate La-Z-Boy saw revenue inch forward in the three months to January 29, 2023 on the back of a stellar performance from its company-owned retail business in its domestic market.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
Premium kitchen maker Poggenpohl has retimed the relaunch of one of its flagship U.K. showrooms for a second time.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
The Chinese conglomerate behind the Mlily mattress and bedding brand says it was profitable again in 2022 thanks to manufacturing efficiencies and an improved situation in Europe following the pandemic.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
A three-year programme to consolidate factory space will save Axminster Carpets a seven-figure sum annually and rightsize the business for the future, its owners have said.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES
Mattress supplier Dormeo U.K. is on the verge of completing a restructuring process after it filed a notice of intent to appoint an administrator (NOI) late last week.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
Stakeholders in the Evans of High Wycombe furniture business say they are awaiting clarification of the brand's future after its until-now operating company was placed into liquidation last week.
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- UPHOLSTERY
Delivered sales growth returned in the U.K. and Irish markets for Stressless upholstery brand owner Ekornes in the fourth quarter in an otherwise testing period that led to the downsizing programme announced in January.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
Victoria-owned Balta is proposing the transfer of wall-to-wall carpet production from Belgium to the U.K., citing challenges being able to make products profitably in its homeland.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE
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.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS
Mohawk Industries, the world's largest floorcoverings supplier, said all of its European flooring categories experienced significant volume declines in the fourth quarter as customers cut back spending.
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- LEGAL & RESTRUCTURING
Customer deposits represented a third of the debts of a now-closed Northern Ireland based bedroom and kitchen furniture manufacturer and retailer that traded across the U.K. and Ireland.
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