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.

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.

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.

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.

Upholstered furniture vertical Arlo & Jacob is to expand into northwest England with the opening of a Cheshire showroom later this year.

Profits at Vispring jumped by more than a quarter as the Devon bed maker enjoyed rapid growth in mainland European export markets last year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Revenue advanced for mattress ticking conglomerate BekaertDeslee last year on the back of the pass-through of higher input costs, and a major acquisition.

Furniture maker and retailer HSL has opened its first store in north London with the launch of a new concept flagship format in Hendon.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The company behind the Burmatex carpets brand deleveraged through 2022, a year that saw it make top and bottom line gains.

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.

The number of furniture, furnishings and floorcoverings companies filing for insolvency reached record high levels in the first quarter of 2023.

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.

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.

Rising costs countered higher sales for upholstery and drapery fabrics supplier Warwick last year while cash declined after a large share buyback.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Upholstery manufacturer and retailer heads south for third consumer showroom.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mattress and bedding manufacturer Duvalay has expanded into the baby sector after buying cot mattress specialist Nursery Connections out of administration.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Darren Baird and Joseph Baggott have joined upholstered furniture manufacturer Ashwood Designs as operations director and finance director respectively.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Premium kitchen maker Poggenpohl has retimed the relaunch of one of its flagship U.K. showrooms for a second time.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A deal to sell Sleep.8, the international bed retail brand that has been rapidly expanding its store footprint in the U.K. and other markets, is almost complete.

Trade association British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) has launched Industry Matters, a new podcast that looks to offer insight and analysis across issues affecting its membership base.

The value and volume of Chinese sofa shipments to the U.K. declined at the end of the year as buyers continued to turn to alternative manufacturing sources closer to home.

Profits climbed at Sherborne Upholstery last year as the West Yorkshire furniture manufacturer broke a sales record that had lasted since the before the financial crash of 2008.

The organiser of a key trade show targeted at the furniture manufacturing and joinery industries has announced the scheduled return of the exhibition in the spring of next year, alongside the appointment of two senior hires to run it.

U.K. importers bought 12 million sqm of carpets and rugs into the country in December as volume growth returned after four straight year-on-year declines.

A furniture investment company controlled by Ayiaz Ahmed, the businessman who sold the Collins & Hayes (C&H) brand for £2 million in 2017, has defaulted on the terms of a settlement agreed with a specialist litigation funder.

Revenue from flatpack furniture kits declined by more than £10 million through 2021/22 but higher sales from other activities helped West Yorkshire cabinet group Decorative Panel still find double-digit growth.

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.

Mattress and bedding brand Tempur brand will take its products to a wider profile of customer as it undertakes the largest international rollout in the company's history through 2023.

Kent bed maker Sleepeezee has diversified its product roster with the launch of a premium-pitched bedding line in partnership with Sleepsense International, the sleep accessories company.

James Keen, the chief executive of Hypnos Beds, has been elected to the board of the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM), the trade association representing the interests of furniture makers.

Michael Tyler Furniture has appointed Kai Winders as managing director in a move that returns the South Coast sofa maker to its historic management structure, with a designer leading the company.

Losses widened at upholstery brand Swyft as it continued to scale its business ahead of a later debt-for-equity swap that helped the company cut borrowing.

Leggett & Platt, the largest supplier of mattress springs to the U.K. bed industry and a bellwether for the sector, says European markets are now more secure after a rocky period when volumes declined last year.

Restructuring advisors have detailed the terms of an asset-only deal for the £52.5 million turnover business that sold Sleepdown branded bedding in the U.K. on retail marketplaces such as Amazon.

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.

Yorkshire mattress springs and bed components manufacturer Spinks has secured an internationally-renowned accreditation for its pocket spring products.

Upholstery brand Sofa.com maintained high double-digit margin last year despite rising costs weighing against the impact of big sales growth.

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.

HSL has appointed Venessa Hodgson as managing director designate following the departure of CEO Guy Critchlow, who has left after over six years with the furniture vertical.

The upholstered furniture manufacturer behind brands including Sofas by Saxon and Timeless Chesterfields enjoyed the strongest financial year in its history through 2021/22.

Organisers have launched the pre-registration process for this year's London Fabric Show, which takes place at the ILEC Conference Centre, Earls Court on February 28 and March 1.

The closure of a 13-store kitchens vertical late last year has left its South Yorkshire owner with little prospect of recovering a seven-figure debt that was a hangover from its takeover nearly seven years ago.

Trade association British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) named High Seat (HSL) and Jay-Be as winners of the inaugural Furniture of Furniture Awards at an evening reception at the January Furniture Show last week.

Most bed makers who responded to the National Bed Federation's (NBF) latest State of Trade poll said a lack of orders is the biggest factor likely to limit output in the first half of 2023 with many supply chain challenges having now abated.

The upholstery group behind the Ashley Manor and Alexander & James brands has begun a consultation with employees at its East Midlands factories as it explores a strategic proposal to transfer production to Dudley.

Martin Gill, the new managing director of Vispring, will continue to run the high-end bed maker's co-owned sister retail business, whose sales director is to have elevated responsibilities to provide support.

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.

Furniture group Actona has revealed it paid well above book value for the takeovers of European sofa producers SITS and Theca last year in deals that made it one of the world's largest upholstery producers.

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.

Upholstered furniture company Kingcome Sofas has completed works at its Devon factory designed to boost capacity and make the business more productive.

Turnaround firm Antony Batty & Company lined up as a potential restructuring advisor at small cabinet producer.

Jim Gerety is to retire as managing director at Vispring, the Devon bed manufacturer has announced. Operations director Chris Harrison is also retiring.

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.

Six-figure profits helped bolster the balance sheet at Delcor in the first period since a change of ownership at the high-end upholstery business.

Underlying profits reached record levels at Danish furniture retail, supply and investment conglomerate Lars Larsen Group (LLG) last year fuelled by organic growth and acquisitions.

Starplan Furniture booked record sales and profits through 2021/22 as demand surged for the fitted and freestanding cabinet maker and retailer.

Upholstered furniture import volumes declined again on the back of continued weak data from China, the largest source of overseas-made sofas sold in the U.K.

A handful of upstream raw material and semi-finished product suppliers face a shortfall on their debts following the insolvency of a small but long established sofa maker in the West Midlands.

A mid single-digit decline in order intake at DFS in the second half of the 2022 calendar year masks a big improvement in the past three months, according to the U.K. sofa market leader.

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

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.

Former Tetrad owner and md Janus Cooper will join longtime colleagues Nick Murphy and Annabel Simmons as they introduce the Encore Sofa Company to a widespread trade audience for the first time this month.

Aberdare sofa maker Ashwood Designs has praised its customers after a period in which it saw record demand combine with unprecedented upstream supply chain disruption.

Most furniture makers plan to make pay awards to staff this year according to the annual wages survey carried out by British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM), the trade association.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has launched this year's free multi-media marketing toolkit for bed retailers to download ahead of National Bed Month in March.

The number of furniture, flooring and furnishings companies filing for insolvency climbed to the highest level since records began in 2022 as demand tailwinds receded and Covid-support measures fell away.

Airsprung says it is in the process of financially leveraging surplus land and buildings owned by the diversified beds and upholstery group at its Wiltshire headquarters.

The operating company of modular sofa brand Snug has filed a notice of intent to appoint an administrator as potential bidders such as ScS look to complete a deal for either the company or its assets.

Ekornes, the China-owned upholstered furniture maker and owner of the Stressless brand, is to shed about a quarter of its global workforce and consolidate its Far East manufacturing operations in response to the weaker market.

The principal U.K. subsidiary of global mattress innerspring maker Leggett & Platt (L&P) benefitted from higher sales and lower costs as it landed bumper profits, new accounts show.

Nichola Hornby Bell has joined West Midlands sofa maker Alpha Designs as sales director, succeeding Barry Webb, who will retire following a handover period.

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

Adjusted profits inched forward at West Yorkshire mattress manufacturer Highgrove Beds last year as single-digit sales growth and wider gross margin countered rising overheads.

A leading rug and mat manufacturer and distributor that has historically sold through retailers such as John Lewis and Dunelm invested and maintained high profits last year on underlying growth.

West Midlands based Homeserve Furniture Repairs booked record revenue and profit through 2021/22 and said it expects to grow its top line again in the current financial year.

Profits rose by nearly a fifth last year for the U.K. market leader in the supply of flame retardant fabric coatings for the upholstered furniture industry.

Revenue climbed by more than a third for Dudley upholstered furniture manufacturer ACL 2002 through 2021/22 amid rising costs that impacted profits.

West Yorkshire upholstered furniture distributor Scan-Thors (UK) said the acquisition of new production facilities in mainland Europe has helped provide surety of supply and negate input cost pressures.

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.

A third generation of family members has joined Ramsey Timber Group, the West Yorkshire timber component supplier to the U.K. bed industry, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

A four-fold rise in profits and higher sales helped bolster the finances of the group behind the Brockway Carpets and Grosvenor Wilton brands, accounts public Friday morning revealed.

Trade association British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) says The Future of Furniture Awards offer the opportunity for its members to highlight their sustainability and employment credentials.

Direct-to-consumer upholstery brand Maker&Son is at the centre of a legal dispute following the sale of the business to a new financial sponsor earlier this year.

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.

Upholstered furniture imports into the U.K. climbed at the start of the final quarter of 2022 despite continued sluggish figures from China.



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