The upstream mattress and upholstery supply chain has limited bad debt exposure following the reorganisation at the motion furniture group behind the MiBed and Hestia brands, according to new statutory filings.

U.K. factory gate furniture turnover declined at its sharpest rate in 29 months in July but the Office for National Statistic (ONS) says the previous three months were not as bad as originally reported.

Two furniture industry organisations have teamed to launch a free service that will support furniture and furnishing businesses in closing their skills gaps and recruiting new apprentices.

Post-pandemic revenue recovered for the U.K. arm of high-end Italian furniture maker Poltrona Frau but higher costs weighed on the bottom line.

The Dewsbury beds manufacturer behind the Komfet brand has filed for insolvency leaving creditors facing a forecast shortfall of approaching £2 million.

Sean Holt has been named managing director of Commercial Interiors U.K. (CIUK), the trade association representing the contract furniture and furnishings sectors.

Lancashire fitted furniture manufacturer J&J Ormerod (JJO) agreed a new multi-million credit facility last year as it continued to fund the purchase of a majority stake in the business by its employees in 2021.

The largest owner of IKEA stores worldwide is expanding mattress recycling to more European markets but says not enough is being done to disincentivise others from incinerating old goods.

High-end Devon bed maker Enchanted House maintained upwards momentum last year as it continued its ascent after investment through the pandemic.

A gear shift in output through the pandemic has put Birmingham bed manufacturer Dreamland Beds in the Premier League of U.K. bed manufacturing in terms of size.

Top end bed manufacturer and retailer Savoir boosted revenue and earnings power through 2022 amid receding pandemic impacts and wealthy clients continuing to buy.

Sofa covers, re-upholstery and curtains company Plumbs made headcount reductions as it sought to find cost savings amid an increasingly challenging market last year.

West Yorkshire bed manufacturer Kelcol Bedding Co landed six-figure profits in the first year since the founding Kelly family sold the business.

The West Midlands manufacturer behind the adjustable beds and upholstery brands MiBed and Hestia has effected a second corporate restructure inside a little over a year in a move owners say will lead to lower prices.

West Yorkshire bed manufacturer Jay-be is to ramp up its international aspirations after securing a £2.5 million funding package, guaranteed by the U.K. Government's export credit agency.

Experienced kitchen industry executive Damian Sheridan has joined Wren Kitchens in a newly-created role aimed at galvanising its launch into the developer and house builder market.

The National Bed Federation has paid tribute to the seven manufacturing members that will sponsor the 2023 Bed Show, as well as the event's official supporters.

Tufted and woven carpet exports from Belgium, Europe's largest carpet manufacturing nation, dropped last year as the Netherlands, its biggest rival and near-neighbour, made gains.

Foam company Orsa Foam, a key supplier of semi-finished products for both the mattress and upholstered furniture sectors, is buying out its joint venture partner.

Upholstered furniture giant Ekornes booked higher year-on-year revenue in the U.K. and Ireland in the second quarter of 2023 as it recovered from a slow start to the year.

A high-calibre cabinet vertical owned by the founders of Pinetum, once one of the largest cabinet makers in the UK., has reopened its Wiltshire showroom following a complete rebuild.

The South Wales group that rescued Midlands kitchen manufacturer Mereway last week did so through a new corporate entity.

A freight forwarder later named one of the largest unsecured creditors of Kettle Interiors U.K. had become its landlord three months before the furniture wholesaler's insolvent restructure earlier this year.

The group behind direct-to-consumer adjustable furniture brand Willowbrook has promoted from within for its new chief financial officer after the previous incumbent agreed to take a new role.

Upholstered furniture vertical Arlo & Jacob is expanding its retail footprint with the opening of new showrooms in Cambridgeshire and Surrey in addition to a previously-announced store in Cheshire.

Bedding giant Tempur has collaborated with Xbox to create a one-off gaming chair to mark the launch of Starfield, a highly-anticipated new video game.

Falling orders and rising costs meant Acclaim Upholstery was unable to service its debts ahead of the private label sofa maker being placed into administration earlier this summer, according to a new report by restructuring advisors.

A large majority of recent mattress purchasers say they would have been prepared to pay more if they knew the product had been designed and constructed so as to avoid ending up in landfill at the end of its life.

Restructuring advisors have pinned the closure of West Yorkshire cot and mattress supplier The Hand Made Mattress Company on a steep fall in sales following the loss of two major customers.

BeA Group U.K. has become the second headline sponsor of Furniture Component Expo, the new trade show taking place next spring.

Restructuring advisors have been called in at Bridstock Gate, the bedding suppler that trades as Portfolio Home, after the company was hit by a downturn in trade.

Underlay supplier Ball & Young found top line growth last year saying new customers came aboard as specifiers and consumers are increasingly demanding real sustainability that goes beyond fine words and hopeful claims.

Mattress industry pioneer Stuart Hibbert has been appointed chief operating officer at Shire Beds, the privately-owned West Yorkshire bed maker.

One of the largest suppliers of foam and fibre interiors used in U.K. upholstery production battled upstream challenges ranging from price hikes to chemical shortages through 2021/22, according to new accounts.

Wallpaper company Graham & Brown has begun a consultation with employees after proposing to close a manufacturing facility in Blackburn, the Lancashire town where it was founded in 1946.

A second former colleague of CEO Rachael Nevins has taken a senior C-suite post at Westbridge and Tetrad owner Belfield amid a number of structural and functional changes at the private equity backed upholstery and soft furnishings group.

Aspire Furniture, the Leeds manufacturer and distributor of beds and mattresses, has named Charlie Oulton as non-executive chair.

Half-year living, dining and bedroom cabinet imports declined by more than a third after falling in every single month of 2023 so far.

A North West supplier will manufacture, market and relaunch the Brook + Wilde brand after the direct-to-consumer mattress retailer's former operating company was placed into liquidation last week.

The market capitalisation of flooring conglomerate Victoria dropped by nearly £53 million on Tuesday after the company said its auditors have requested further time to complete their final audit procedures.

Consumer prices rise for household furniture eased to their lowest level in over two years last month, but flooring inflation remains stubbornly high.

The value and volume of carpet imports into the U.K. advanced for the first time so far this year in June, but the improvement was not enough to eliminate the decline in first half trade.

The Furniture Makers’ Company (TFMC) is launching MyFurnitureCareer.org.uk, an early careers website that aims to reduce the growing skills gap and attract young people into the industry.

New or smaller British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) members looking to exhibit at the January Furniture Show for the first time will be offered discounted rates as part of a tie-up between organiser Clarion Events and the trade association.

A combination of weak demand and key stakeholders working stock levels back to historic norms meant sofa imports dropped by almost a quarter in the first half of 2023.

Dutch carpet manufacturing giant Condor Group, a major supplier to the U.K. market, has completed a takeover of the assets of a compatriot manufacturer after it filed for insolvency.

Revenue fell back for North East manufacturer Palatine Beds in the past year, but remained at elevated levels compared with pre-pandemic levels.

The value of half-year mattress imports into the U.K. have climbed on the back of above-inflation growth from Romania and Turkey, making up for weakness from other historic trading partners.

Expectations that sofa production will resume at the Acclaim Upholstery plant have been raised locally after actions taken by the company that acquired its assets in the past week.

The closure of a southeast England vertically-integrated upholstered furniture maker has left HMRC with an unpaid debt north of £500,000.

Second quarter profits recovered for TCM Living as the upholstery group behind Dudley and Colchester sofa makers Ashley Manor and Alstons saw gross margin recover and mitigate lower sales.

U.K. furniture manufacturers' turnover declined for the fourth month in the past five in June and at its steepest rate since the start of 2021.

Administrators handling the insolvency of Acclaim Upholstery have completed the sale of certain assets of the Long Eaton sofa manufacturer.

The cabinet furniture manufacturing and wholesale giant behind businesses ranging from Lacquer Craft and Universal through to Legacy Classic has issued a profits warning.

South West England upholstered furniture manufacturer Kingcome Sofas booked higher profits in the past year thanks to rising sales and the non-repeat of certain costs.

Karndean has disclosed the terms of its buyout of mFlor International having announced a takeover of the Dutch luxury vinyl tile supplier earlier this year.

Adjusted profits jumped double digit for Karndean last year as the luxury vinyl tile (LVT) floorcoverings supplier found revenue growth across world markets.

Sanderson Design Group has cut costs after the multi-faceted fabrics and furnishings supplier took steps to streamline its U.K. support function.

Kent bed maker Sleepeezee has expanded into the children's mattress market with the launch of a new dedicated kids bed brand called Little Bedz.

GNG Group has launched a mattress programme that brings benefits to the consumer market derived from its experience of supplying the National Health Service (NHS).

Stakeholders including furniture retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers are being encouraged to provide their views on a proposed new approach to the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture and furnishings.

One of the U.K.'s most prominent privately-owned kitchen manufacturers has filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator (NOI) in a move that protects the company from creditor action.

Lower demand for U.K. made goods from Ireland, particularly mattresses, hit furniture exports ahead of the summer, according to new data. Upholstery exports held up stronger.

Donna Bellingham has returned to the furniture industry after being appointed chief executive at heritage Yorkshire furniture manufacturer Shackletons.

Axminster Carpets believes it can make vastly bigger savings than previously thought now that it is two years into a three-year programme to completely reconfigure the business.

Tempur Sealy International (TSI), the world's largest bedding company, says its operations were temporarily interrupted following the discovery of a cybersecurity event.

Sales of bedding products fell sharply for mattress components company Leggett & Platt in the second quarter with the key cog in the manufacturing supply chain citing weak consumer demand.

Danish upholstery conglomerate Hjort Knudsen recorded its first deficit in a quarter of a century last year as its manufacturing operations were disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It says it is already trading profitably again.

Profit growth returned for the U.K. dropshipping company behind the Artisan Furniture and PD Global brands in the past year.

The volume and value of carpets imported into the U.K. declined for the fifth consecutive month in May after a further decline from Belgian producers.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has produced a member testimonial video with a difference, using puppets voiced by well-known industry figures to increase awareness and promote the benefits of joining the trade association.

A near year-long slide in the number of sofa units arriving at U.K. ports came to an end in May after an increase in container loads of goods arriving here from China.

High-end Italian furniture company Calligaris has recapitalised a U.K. subsidiary in a move that, all other things being equal, repairs its balance sheet.

U.K. mattress production declined last year but revenue for companies operating in the sector still climbed thanks to the manufacture or onward sale of other related goods.

The cost price of the average U.K.-manufactured sofa declined last year according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in a sign end users were trading down to more inexpensive models.

U.K. furniture insolvencies plumbed new depths in the second quarter with the number of companies calling in restructuring advisors reaching record levels.

Trentside Products, a key supplier of components to the U.K. sofa manufacturing sector, has agreed to buy fellow upholstery supplies business Allsave Textiles in a deal that expands its product offer.

The Danish manufacturing company that owns and supplies mattresses and pillows to Tempur's U.K. business found profit growth last year despite rising costs and flat sales.

Mattress, bed bases and pillows brand Tempur has extended its sponsorship of the professional Lifeplus Wahoo Cycling team for an additional year.

Furniture wholesaler Lassic chalked up lower profits in 2021/22 as the Bradford company absorbed rising costs from freight and its supply chain.

U.K. manufacturing group Dunham Massey has acquired sofa maker Ashwood Designs from its private shareholders in a deal that represents its second takeover in the furniture sector inside eight months.

FIRA International, the product testing and furniture services provider, has disclosed the financial impact of the closure of its Service Technicians business unit two years ago.

The owner of Wilton Carpets found big revenue growth last year but profits declined on thinner margins and higher costs.

The Doncaster kitchen group behind brands such as Sheraton and Chippendale cut borrowing last year in a period when sales jumped by more than a fifth again.

The layoff of the entire workforce of private-label sofa maker Acclaim Upholstery doesn't mean manufacturing operations will not be resurrected, according to people briefed on the situation.

A Derbyshire sofa maker set up two years ago by the former works manager of one of DFS' largest manufacturing plants is looking to expand the scope of the business by collaborating in direct partnership with retailers for the first time.

Vertically-integrated bed company Get Laid Beds has appointed Scott Shields as chief executive officer as the founders look to bolster the fast-growing brand's leadership team.

Year-on-year furniture turnover at the factory gate declined for the second straight month in May according to figures out Thursday morning from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

All 128 employees of private-label sofa maker Acclaim Upholstery Company have been made redundant after the company was placed into administration last week, restructuring advisors have now confirmed.

Gareth Berry has stepped down as chief operating officer at Silentnight after a little under two years with the U.K.'s largest bed manufacturer.

Bradford rugs and homewares supplier Melrose Interiors found trade more challenging last year ahead of its sale to the U.K.'s largest floorcoverings distributor.

Employees of private-label Long Eaton sofa manufacturer Acclaim Upholstery were told of the company's insolvency at a meeting last week.

Lord Kirkham, DFS founder and president of The Furniture Makers' Company, has been nominated to become the first Honorary Freeman of Doncaster since it was awarded city status.

Bensons for Beds has extended the debt maturity profile of tens of millions of pounds of outstanding borrowings and confirmed the size of additional finance provided by its owner Alteri Investors last year.

Bedroom furniture manufacturer and retailer Hammonds built sales, cash and profits last year and used some of the proceeds to retire outstanding debt.

Tempur U.K. made its first major product launch in eight years at an event in London on Thursday night attended by over 100 of the country's elite independent and multiple furniture retailers.

The Symphony fitted kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture manufacturing group took two-year capex to nearly £50 million and expanded its staff headcount through 2022.

Gary Lasham and David Meltham have made quick returns to the industry after leaving Belfield Group, with the pair taking non-exec posts at contract furniture maker Barons as part of an MBO led by its hitherto sales director.

One of Victoria's largest European floorcoverings subsidiaries is proposing the closure of its carpet tile manufacturing facility in South Wales, saying it is no longer viable.

Industrial giant The Vita Group is simplifying its corporate structure following the 2021 acquisition of the Usleep mattress making business from Belfield Group.

The parent company of upholstery brands Alstons, Alexander and James, Ashley Manor, and AMX Design has joined The Furniture Makers’ Company (TFMC), the City of London livery company and charity to the furnishing industry, as a corporate member.

The managing director of Relyon and Dunlopillo has hailed the progress the company behind the heritage bed brands has made since its 2020 buyout, despite a more difficult trading backdrop last year.

Four companies from the U.K. furniture and home sectors have landed spots in The Sunday Times Hundred 2023, which ranks the country's fastest growing private businesses by sales.

Wade Spring's output climbed by almost a third last year as the Long Eaton supplier fed high customer demand at the time from the upholstery and bedding manufacturing sectors.

Wilton Carpets says a seven-figure investment in new state-of-the-art high speed loom technology has cut power consumption by 15 percent and boosted production capacity by 500,000sqm per year.

The management team that acquired Acclaim Upholstery Company just over three years ago are hoping to complete a restructure of the private-label Long Eaton sofa maker after it late last week filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators.

Carpet manufacturing giant Cormar made a conscious decision to absorb some rising costs to remain competitively priced and protect sales last year. It was a period that coincided with heavy investment and shareholder returns.

A buyer has been found for the Co. Monaghan factory of cabinet furniture manufacturer Gola Wood Works after the company succumbed to market pressures earlier this year.

Contract and domestic upholstered furniture company South West Upholstery has secured almost £1 million in new debt funding to build production capacity.

Upholstery manufacturer Celebrity Motion Furniture has successfully completed its company voluntary arrangement (CVA) with a better-than-forecast return for its creditors.

Manufacturing giant Ulster Carpets will broaden its offer after agreeing to buy Alternative Flooring, the Hampshire based supplier of natural fibre carpets and rugs.

Upholstery fabrics supplier Mobus found profit growth last year as wider gross margin helped counter the impact of a return to pre-Covid level output.

A foam and fibre conversion business part-owned by one of the U.K.'s largest upholstered furniture manufacturers has returned to profit in the past year.

The value of the worldwide upholstered furniture market is back to pre-pandemic levels but will still fall back in real terms this year, according to a respected source of global industry data.

The Vita Group, the diversified supplier of foam, underlay and maker of finished mattresses, is to be the headline sponsor of the inaugural Furniture Component Expo.

The private equity owner of Hilding Anders will cede equity in the mattress manufacturing conglomerate as part of a debt restructuring plan being implemented via a U.K. court.

The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, has launched a call for entries for its 60th anniversary campaign honouring 60 outstanding young people working in the furniture and furnishing industry.

Yorkshire comedian Maisie Adam will host the National Bed Federation (NBF) Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony this autumn, the trade association has announced.

The quantity of mattresses arriving in the U.K. from overseas has declined for the first time this year amid a shift to higher-priced products.

North West mattress and comfort seating products supplier Comfortex found top and bottom line growth in a year that saw it invest in third-party beds and sleep products brand Brook + Wilde.

Upholstered furniture imports into the U.K. declined again in April on weak figures from all three of the country's largest trading partners in the category: China, Poland and Italy.

Carpet imports into the U.K. declined 15 percent by value in April with lower figures seen across all major source nations. Belgium suffered the largest fall.

Recticel's U.K. comfort foams business is now in the hands of a Midlands-based investment firm after the Belgian conglomerate closed out the sale of the rest of its global engineered foam units to Carpenter for a revised-down price.

U.K. furniture manufacturers' turnover fell on a year-on-year basis for only the second time in 26 months in April, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

East Midlands manufacturer Vogue Beds has appointed experienced furniture industry executive Marc Cotton as its new national sales manager.

The self-styled largest kitchen designer and manufacturer in the South West of England found profit growth last year despite a truncated financial period.

Longtime Dreams chief financial officer (CFO) Kim Zaheer is stepping down, sparking an internal promotion for Petra Kasperova. The U.K. beds retail market leader has also hired its first-ever chief information officer (CIO).

Profits declined last year at Lawton Yarns, a key cog in the U.K. carpet manufacturing supply chain, as it made a strategic focus to secure volume to protect the business and position it to grow when economic pressures subside.

A U.S. bankruptcy court has approved the Chapter 11 reorganisation plan for Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB), shunting the bed manufacturing giant further along the path to recovery.

Delcor, the manufacturer and retailer of premium sofas and armchairs, has launched into the riser recliner chair market in one of the biggest changes at the company since a takeover two years ago.

Industry trade association British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) has appointed Joanna Privett as its membership engagement manager.

The U.K. sofa industry faces a severe shortage of upholsterers in the next decade according to data that shows how around one in five of all exponents of the profession are fast approaching retirement age.

Soft furnishings distributor Riva Home has followed its buyout of cushion maker Evans Lichfield during the pandemic with the acquisition of Glasgow fabrics producer Voyage Maison.

Mobus Fabrics has opened a distribution office in North Carolina, describing it as a strategic move designed to better serve its growing regional customer base across the residential, contract and hospitality sectors.

South Coast bed manufacturer Millbrook has launched a programme of wool bedding after partnering with white-label producer Sleepsense International.

Natuzzi chairman Pasquale Natuzzi said revenue was "not at the level we aspire to" as the Italian upholstery conglomerate recorded a €3.3 million net loss for the first quarter of 2023.

Upholstery brand Zofa has followed its ecommerce launch earlier this year with the introduction of a flagship showroom in the North of England.

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.

Norwegian furniture conglomerate Ekornes has appointed experienced branded consumer goods leader Tine Hammernes Leopold as its new CEO.

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.

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.

The Far East upholstery manufacturer behind the Kuka brand booked higher profits last year despite revenues coming under pressure.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Registration is now open for the 2023 Bed Show, which takes place at the Telford International Centre from September 26–27, 2023.

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.

Corporate reorganisation follows spring 2022 takeover by Norwegian furniture conglomerate.



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