Steve Depport, head of the Metro Group, has been appointed a non-executive director at The Carpet Foundation, the industry group that promotes the use of carpet and those that sell it.

Sales jumped £4.1 million for Long Eaton upholstered furniture manufacturer as it narrowed losses.

Upholstery destined for customers of Maker&Son is being held back because of slow payment by the £25 million direct-to-consumer brand, which last night made a new court filing that gives it breathing space from creditors.

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.

Spinks, the diversified spring maker for beds, upholstery and other applications, has hired its first-ever global sales director.

Retail group Beter Bed Holding says the acquisition of a stake in a Polish bedding company is part of a plan to vertically integrate its value chain and give it more control over profit margins.

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.

Twice as many furniture, flooring and furnishings companies called in restructuring advisors in the second quarter compared with the same period last year as the market took a downward turn.

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.

Ergomotion has launched its new programme of smart and adjustable beds for the European and Middle Eastern markets including what it says is the first in the sector to be connectable with Garmin wearables.

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.

Acquisitions helped Victoria, the diversified international flooring manufacturer and distributor, to book more than £1 billion of sales for the first time in its history in the past year.

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.

The National Bed Federation has announced the names of the nine manufacturer and supplier members that are sponsoring this year's Bed Show and Awards programme.

La-Z-Boy is to expand a 14-year partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities by fundraising for the organisation in this year’s TCS London Marathon.

Upholstered furniture shipments into the U.K. jumped sharply at the height of spring as retailers here began to receive goods ordered weeks and months earlier.

The volume of Chinese cabinet shipments arriving in the U.K. fell by more than a quarter according to new trade data as buyers here looked to replenish stock from European sources instead.

Foam and sprung mattress imports into the U.K. declined on a volume basis in May on weak data from the two largest sources of overseas made product.

Carpet import volumes declined for a third straight month in May on the back of weaker trade with Belgium, historically the U.K.'s largest trading partner.

A major upholstery group that fell into administration two years ago should have been alerted far earlier to the imperilled financial situation of its largest customer.

GNG Group says its new mattress manufacturing facility in West Yorkshire is now fully operational and expected to add at least 50 new jobs by the end of next year.

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.

The owners of motion beds and upholstery group Furmanac say the West Midlands manufacturer will be a stronger business as a result of a planned corporate restructure.

Experienced furniture industry executive Simon Davies says he is excited and energised to be joining TCM Living, the sofa group behind brands including Ashley Manor and Alexander & James.

The managing director of Mobus Fabrics says its sustainable, environmentally friendly flame retardant coating GreenFR has created a buzz in the retail sector and is now the main FR finish applied by the West Yorkshire supplier.

The owners of Sealy U.K. have recapitalised the Aspatria bed manufacturer with a further debt investment as it laid down a marker in the first period since Silentnight sold the business.

Heritage bed manufacturer Millbrook Beds has new owners after the founding Croll family agreed to sell the Southampton manufacturer to concentrate on their other expanding business interests.

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

La-Z-Boy U.K. is sponsoring a family-friendly music festival taking place in the Lake District later this month where headline acts include Stereophonics, Supergrass and The Kooks.

Hypnos, one of the U.K.'s largest bed manufacturers, has appointed Dave Baldry as its new group managing director with a brief to lead both its contract and retail divisions.

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.

Antitrust regulators in the U.K. have told Carpenter and Recticel to address competition concerns to prevent the proposed takeover of the latter's engineered foam unit by the former from being referred for a more in-depth investigation.

Pocket spring maker Wolf Components is expanding its manufacturing footprint in South Yorkshire amid rapid growth that has seen it become a key supplier to the U.K. mattress industry.

Profits climbed three-fold for Wales based fitted kitchens, bedroom and home office manufacturer and retailer Sigma 3 last year as it more than reversed a sales decline through the first year of Covid.

Kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture giant Symphony is making a ten-figure outlay as it invests in the build out of its vast manufacturing plant in South Yorkshire.

Creditors have backed a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that puts an end to a two-year administration process for a one-time £55 million upholstery group.

Wood flooring specialist Havwoods will open its second store this year and its fifth overall as it continues expanding its retail footprint in wealthy parts of the country.

Linley, the prestige London furniture and interiors group, says it is on a solid footing and demonstrably able to trade successfully after a year in which the structural economics of the business improved.

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.

Russell Harte is now chief operating officer at upholstery market leader DFS after the retailer redistributed management duties across its senior leadership team.

Britain's biggest carpet maker held almost four times the value of raw materials at the year end as it invested heavily to enable it to meet surging demand for its products and deliver its highest ever profits.

The management at two thirds of furniture companies are prioritising sustainability, according to a survey by The British Furniture Confederation (BFC). That is not enough, according to its chair.

Directors at carpet yarn spinner Lawton Yarns have completed a management buyout (MBO) of the company, ending the two year stint under the ownership of London private equity group Breal Capital.

North West upholstered furniture manufacturer Buoyant will book a sharp decline in profits in the year to September 2022 after higher raw material costs combined with recruitment challenges.

Television and radio presenter Colin Murray will be the host of the National Bed Federation (NBF) Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony, taking place September 20 at the Telford International Centre.

Man Wah Holdings says the company will appeal after a jury awarded more than $100 million in damages for the alleged infringement of a former supplier's intellectual property. A judge will now decide the actual figure, likely to be a fraction of that amount, pending an appeal.

About one in four products bought by the National Bed Federation (NBF) as part of its ongoing due diligence finished product testing programme revealed major flammability and trade descriptions issues.

Savoir Beds co-owner Alistair Hughes has stepped down as managing director having hired former Maker&Son executive Nicholas Alexandre as his successor. Mr Hughes remains a director, focussed on long term strategy and growth.

Cabinet manufacturer Wegmans Furniture Industries booked revenue up nearly a third in the first quarter driven by an even bigger improvement in Europe, where the U.K. is a key market.

The past week has seen a rout of global furniture industry stocks with billions of pounds of value disappearing into the ether as the market capitalisations of dozens of companies declined, many in the U.K.

Top-of-the-market upholstered furniture maker George Smith recorded a fourth straight bottom line improvement and third consecutive profit as it traded strongly last year.

Takeover followed winding up petition issued by a timber supplier to the mattress and beds vertical.

Mark Eastwood MP has been appointed chair of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group (APPFIG). The Dewsbury official takes over from fellow Conservative Mike Wood, who has led the group since it was reformed after the General Election.

Upholstered furniture manufacturer Roger Lewis is to concentrate its activities in the contract arena following a restructuring process that sees it exit the retail sector.

Premium bed maker Savoir repaid debt, built cash and found gross margin gains as it worked through a bulging worldwide order book last year.

Britain's leading bed makers are turning increasingly bearish amid the unwind of previously-bulging order books, rising costs and a less-rosy demand outlook.

National retailer Bensons for Beds has launched a new line of mattresses and beds under the historic Staples & Co brand with an option count north of 28,000 combinations.

Foam and sprung mattress imports into the U.K. continued their ascendancy at the beginning of the second quarter driven by a mix of established and emerging suppliers.

Devon bed manufacturer Vispring is to open a flagship store in central London, its first standalone showroom anywhere in the world.

Actona has agreed to buy Polish sofa maker SITS in a deal that means the design, wholesale and manufacturing group has added about £180 million in upholstery revenue through acquisitions in the past year alone.

Upholstery import volumes from China fell by almost a quarter in April as retailers and wholesalers grappled with the rising cost of shipping products in from the country.

Keen & Toms Holdings, parent to bed maker Hypnos and white glove delivery company Keen & Able, remained cashflow positive through the height of the pandemic as supply chain challenges hindered its ability to turn strong demand into profit.

The operators of bed brands that have no direct manufacturing of their own will be able to apply to join the National Bed Federation (NBF) after the U.K. trade body widened its membership criteria with a new category.

Man Wah Holdings, the world's largest motion furniture maker with operations across the Far East and Europe, is considering the spin-off or separate listing of a component subsidiary.

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.

A director of the business now trading the semi-national multichannel retail brand Bedworld has been fined and had his van seized and crushed after admitting fly-tipping.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has named the eight independent judges for the 2022 Bed Industry Awards across the five manufacturer and component supplier categories.

Floorcoverings suppliers and their customers must work in unison amid rising prices and an expected fall in demand, according to a worldwide collective representing companies in the sector.

Upholstery market leader DFS has cut its full year profit expectations as a result of continuing supply chain disruption and a slowdown in order intake. It said it still expects to take market share.

A North West based direct-to-consumer manufacturer and retailer of children's mattresses and bedroom furniture lists a new trading entity following the insolvency of its former operating company.

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.

The failure of a West London soft furnishings supplier dating back to the mid 1980s leaves creditors facing a large shortfall.

Leading British bed manufacturers have agreed a five-point commitment to take steps in unison that will address global environmental damage. It is part of a new National Bed Federation (NBF) initiative called Pledge for Our Planet.

Mike Scott will retire as chief financial officer at diversified flooring conglomerate Victoria later this year after six years in the role. His replacement joins from outside the industry.

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.

Restructuring advisors have achieved a third substantial return for creditors of the predecessor Silentnight company, more than eleven years after its business and assets were sold in a prepack deal to its current owner.

Upholstery supplier Nicoletti Home is building further manufacturing capacity nears its southern Italy headquarters with a new factory coming on stream in the next month.

Italian upholstered furniture giant Natuzzi says it has been scouting new vendors in more stable geographic areas as it looks to plot a course through supply chain challenges.

Sofa company Arlo & Jacob is to be the lead sponsor of the National Premier League tennis finals at the historic St George's Hill Lawn Tennis Club in Surrey.

Britain's largest bed maker Silentnight has launched a marketing campaign to promote Sleepunique, the new interactive mattress recommendation tool it introduced last month.

Historic manufacturer Ulster Carpets has become one of just four carpet makers and six flooring companies to have been granted a Royal Warrant by The Queen.

The insolvency of a direct-to-consumer upholstered furniture company making armchairs, sofas and dining chairs from its factory in the Cotswolds leaves creditors, chiefly the bank, facing a shortfall.

Kent bed maker Sleepeezee says nearby Romney Marsh Wools is its new supplier of wool, and will be the provider for all mattresses containing wool material.

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.

Surrey furniture maker moves to South Coast and rebrands while its predecessor operating company was placed into administration earlier this week.

Net profits more than doubled for the second straight year for West Yorkshire mattress manufacturer Apollo Beds through 2020/21.

Cost cutting and a five percentage point improvement in gross margin lifts Wiltshire carpet group back into profit after a circa £300,000 bottom line turnaround.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) says it expects to attract more than 1,500 visitors to the 2022 Bed Show, with online registration now open ahead of the autumn event.

Benelux investment fund chaired by floorcoverings manufacturing scion reallocates shareholdings to newly-created holding company.

Jim Gerety, md of bed maker Vispring, has been elected president of the National Bed Federation (NBF) at its Annual General Meeting. He succeeds David Moffitt, CEO of Kayfoam Woolfson.

The global bedding giant behind the Mlily brand enjoyed double-digit revenue growth in the first quarter, driven largely by success in North America. Sales in Europe were close to flat.

Gilles Bonan, the former chief executive and chairman at French furniture group Roche Bobois, has been appointed to the board of Natuzzi.

Guest bed, mattress and sofabed maker Jay-Be said it limited supply to certain export markets to ensure its home market demands were met first as it grappled supply chain challenges through 2020/21.

U.K. upholstery group TCM Living found big sales growth in the first quarter of 2022 on the back of increased demand and the delivery of orders carried over from the end of last year.

An increase in the value of goods arriving from close-to-home markets lifted foam and sprung mattress imports in March, new data shows. Volumes declined.

Revenue from European markets including the U.K. have jumped by half for upholstered furniture conglomerate Man Wah Holdings in the past year, driven largely by output from its Far East factories.

Volume declined for Leggett & Platt's bedding business in the first quarter but the diversified spring maker and supplier of other mattress components successfully passed on higher raw material costs.

The value of carpet imports advanced in high single digit percentages in March, masking a fall in the quantity of goods arriving at U.K. borders. Turkey proved the exception, delivering an increase on both counts.

The carpet and rugs business bought by Victoria in a carve-out of Balta Group's operations booked thinner margins in the first quarter as higher costs countered the impact of rising sales.

An overhaul of the National Bed Federation's (NBF) annual bed industry awards will see first-time winners in categories for the best individual bed store or department and sales representative.

Shire Beds' sales and marketing director Fara Butt was named Business Woman of the Year 2022 at the Yorkshire Choice Awards during a ceremony held earlier this month in Leeds.

Kitchen maker and retailer Wren grew sales and profits by almost a third as it shrugged off the impact of three months of store closures at the beginning of the year — a period when rival DIY sheds continued to trade.

Italian and Polish sofa factories led a sharp increase in imports at the end of the first quarter with the total value of upholstery arriving at U.K. ports up by more than £50 million compared with last year.

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

Decision, widely anticipated, follows divestment of certain I.P. and other soft flooring divisions.

A U.K. ready-to-assemble cabinet furniture manufacturer that has supplied the likes of Argos for many years has divested 25 percent of the business to an East of England group with an expanding roster of interests in the furniture sector.

Natuzzi, the Italian upholstered furniture conglomerate, has sold a fifth of the Singapore based business unit that runs its non-Chinese stores in the Asia-Pacific region under a plan to expand its retail footprint. The deal was first disclosed last year (see related).

Inside tips to help furniture manufacturers attract the best talent and get the most from their training programmes will be delivered at an inaugural regional industry networking event, organised by the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) at Ercol.

Italian furniture conglomerate Calligaris Group is to launch a third ecommerce platform with the introduction of a direct-to-consumer website for its Connubia brand.

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.

The managing director of the business behind the historic Relyon and Dunlopillo brands says growth with independent customers was a standout as it laid down a marker in the first period since its 2020 buyout.

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

Upholstery vertical Sofa.com is to make a quick return to Yorkshire after plans by a former landlord prompted the closure of its hitherto sole standalone store in the North of England earlier this spring.

David Roberts has been named chief financial officer at TCM Living, the upholstery group that owns Ashley Manor, Alexander & James, Alstons and AMX Design.

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.

The historic building housing the Beales department store in Peterborough is to be transformed if proposals soon to be put in front of town planners are given the green light.

A British company incorporated in December 2020 has been told to change its name after an objection raised by Italian furniture giant Natuzzi.

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.

The threat of expensive litigation threatened the future of Clive Christian Furniture ahead of a sale of the business and assets of the company earlier this spring, according to a new report.

96 percent of British furniture manufacturers responding to a closely-followed trade poll said they have raised their prices in the past six months. They are also concerned regarding new order intake.

A southern England maker of bespoke furniture including wardrobes, kitchens and panelling has folded a little over a year after it changed owners.

Restructuring advisors says there is unlikely to be enough cash raised from the sale of The Foam Company's assets to enable a return to unsecured creditors.

Mohawk Industries, the world's largest floorcoverings company and a major supplier to the U.K. market, says it anticipated supply chain challenges resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine ahead of time to eliminate production downtime.

Yorkshire manufacturer Shire Beds won the Best of British category of the Furniture Awards 2022, the second major prize it has claimed in under a year.

Tempur Sealy International has put a new annual run-rate figure on Dreams after saying the British beds retailer has outperformed the world's biggest bedding company's expectations since its takeover last year.

West Yorkshire guest bed, mattress and sofabed maker Jay-Be has agreed a new seven-figure funding package with Santander U.K. to support its growth plans.

Trade kitchens and joinery supplier Howdens will build its depot-network this year along with refurbishing a slew of its older customer-facing U.K. properties.

Belgian foam conglomerate Recticel found big sales growth in the first quarter driven by higher volumes and an inflationary price backdrop.

Global mattress textiles company BekaertDeslee found revenue and profit growth last year buoyed by emerging economies and continuing success with ready-made mattress covers.

The value of the deal that saved prestige cabinetry and interiors brand Clive Christian has been disclosed publicly for the first time, along with some of the terms of the takeover.

Leeds bed maker Harrison Spinks has appointed sustainability and social responsibility advisor Dr Louise Ellis as a non-executive director among two initiatives designed to further its sustainability credentials.

The group behind G Plan, Parker Knoll and Collins and Hayes found big growth and a profit turnaround in a second year heavily impacted by Covid with its CEO saying further gains will follow this year.

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

The global sales director of high-end cabinetry and interiors company Clive Christian Furniture and a U.S. franchisee have combined to acquire the business and assets of the company out of administration.

Major U.K. carpet maker Cormar has welcomed its new managing director into the business, bringing with him a deep knowledge of British and international textile manufacturing.

Furniture services and testing provider FIRA International will open its doors to the trade on Wednesday, May 18 as part of its ongoing Open Day programme of events.

Paul Solly has joined Dreams as chief commercial officer, succeeding Jonathan Hirst, who held the role prior to becoming CEO. The retailer has also hired a 30-year bed industry veteran to run its West Midlands factory.

Bedroom, home office and lounge furniture maker Strachan enjoyed a sales bounce and stronger margins last year as it recovered from the early impact of the pandemic.

A West Yorkshire bedroom cabinet furniture maker and the jobs of its 26 employees were saved earlier this spring after restructuring advisors brokered a prepack sale.

The U.K. arm of contract furniture maker KI saw revenue jump by almost a third here last year as it rebounded strongly from the early part of the pandemic.

Colne upholstered furniture maker Furnico found near double-digit sales growth in the last full year before the business was sold to U.S. giant La-Z-Boy in the autumn.

Trade association British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) will look to sell the benefits of membership to the thousands of micro-entities operating across the country when it exhibits at the January Furniture Show from Sunday.

Harrison Spinks has acquired new North Yorkshire farmland in a move that will make it the U.K.'s largest industrial grower of hemp, one of the principal fillings in the bed maker's mattresses.

Upmarket cabinet maker and interiors company Clive Christian Furniture, bought by its management team almost three years ago, has been placed into the hands of restructuring advisors.

Living, dining and bedroom wood cabinet furniture imports jumped by a quarter in February driven by an increase in the value of shipments arriving at U.K. ports from Vietnam.

Consumer furniture retail price inflation climbed again in March but the biggest pain was felt by the industry's manufacturers, whose input costs jumped more than a fifth on last year.

Devon bed manufacturer Vispring delivered a net margin of 27 percent last year as markets worldwide recovered and as it benefitted from earlier cost-saving measures initiated through the pandemic.

February mattress imports were up 39 percent on last year as rises from Ireland, Denmark and Poland negated weaker figures from China and Turkey.

Upholstery imports into the U.K. jumped by more than a quarter in February despite weak figures from China.



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