Arlo & Jacob, the upholstery retailer, is turning its stores into virtual showrooms using live video chat powered by Go Instore software.

Furniture makers are facing unprecedented increases in the cost of key raw materials according to trade association BFM, and retailers should brace for some of that to be passed on.

British retailers and wholesalers imported more upholstery ahead of Christmas than in any other month since records began, new data compiled by The Furnishing Report shows.

Efforts to meet pre-Christmas delivery deadlines after strong demand through the summer and autumn meant U.K. furniture manufacturing output reached a year-long high according to new Government figures.

The privately-owned retailer that operates Dreams beds stores in Northern Ireland along with a separate co-located upholstery fascia says trading in 2020–21 made a strong start.

Profits up by half for 20-store adjustable furniture and mobility products retailer in 2019–20 on continued revenue growth.

Man Wah Holdings, the upholstery and recliner giant with manufacturing operations across the Far East and Eastern Europe, hopes to raise the equivalent of £224 million to fund expansion and modernisation activities.

Furniture retailer Loaf has appointed David Meredith, the former head of operations at John Lewis & Partners, as operations director.

A gain on the sale of freehold property softened the impact of a weaker trading for The Sofa & Chair Co. in the period leading up to the arrival of the pandemic.

Robert Mynett, son of Brian Mynett who passed away last week, shares a letter written by his father to his step-brother Scott Ramsay in August 2006 after he had endured a particularly difficult day.

Brian Mynett, the former Christie-Tyler executive who was later responsible for driving the U.K. expansion of Italian sofa giant Natuzzi, has died. He was 80 years old.

Vita Group has agreed to pay €6.1 million to acquire southern Italian flexible foam producer I.M.P.E from Natuzzi, the upholstery manufacturing giant.

A multi-billion pound investment fund that supports the work and mission of the Church of England has disclosed a significant stake in ScS, Britain's number two upholstery specialist.

The company behind the Balmoral Furniture operation in Northern Ireland says it should break even in the year to March 2021 despite sales being hit by the pandemic.

Ekornes, the Norwegian recliner company behind the Stressless and IMG brands, recorded a loss at its U.K. and Ireland operation in 2019 during what was, it said, a year of consolidation.

The Incanto Group is planning a three-month show-van tour in the U.K. after a similar exercise by the sofa maker resulted in it picking up new accounts for its relaunched Digiò Leather Sofas by Sofitalia brand here this autumn.

Italian sofa maker Nicoletti Home says U.K. sales will end 2020 up in mid-single digits after it successfully navigated raw material challenges to deliver its order book to customers on time and in full.

Sofas & Stuff has lined up a first showroom in Hertfordshire as the upholstery retailer continues to expand its national footprint.

North West sofa covers and soft furnishings business Plumbs booked flat underlying profits last year, saying it had been a period of consolidation following earlier restructuring.

Upholstered furniture imports climbed at their fastest pace in over a year as global suppliers played catch-up in the wake of strong demand across U.K. retail stores and online.

Market leader DFS said 2020–21 profits will likely be at the upper end of forecasts even though its business is being hit by continuing showroom closures, port disruption and a shortage of raw materials.

A temporary moratorium on shareholder payouts and M&A activity is over for upholstery giant DFS after it agreed new extended debt terms with lenders.

Whitemeadow, Britain's biggest owner-run upholstery producer, maintained its growth story last year as it reached what is likely to be a revenue peak ahead of the pandemic and Brexit transition.

There will be no immediate end to foam supply issues for U.K. sofa and mattress makers, with rising prices and product allocation continuing to bedevil the industry. The credibility of of PU materials is at risk, according to a leading trade body.

Ashley Manor, the West Midlands sofa maker, was the biggest growth driver for the Thai-owned TCM Living upholstery group as two of its four major business units outperformed the U.K. market last year.

The group behind the rise and recline chair and adjustable beds brands Middletons and Oak Tree found top line growth and positive cashflow as it built out its retail footprint following earlier investment.

Upholstered furniture manufacturer Whitemeadow is to open up its Sutton-in-Ashfield HQ to showcase its new collections early next year.

Ecommerce upholstery startup Swyft Homes is this week introducing a rapid turnaround next-day delivery service for customers.

U.K. furniture companies are being quoted sky high prices to ship containers while inbound product is being delayed. Data compiled by The Furnishing Report already shows the strain on upholstery and cabinet at ports such as Felixstowe.

The West Midlands upholstery brands that form the largest part of the Thai-owned TCM Living group look to have outperformed the U.K. sofa market last year, new data shows.

TCM Corp, the majority owner of U.K. upholstery group TCM Living, has promoted a new group chief executive from within the Thailand based organisation.

Upholstery market leader DFS has expanded its presence in the North West with its already-signposted Barrow-in-Furness unit pulling up the shutters for the first time this weekend.

Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) at sofas, sofabeds and upholstered beds retailer that previously featured in Fast Track 100 list of Britain’s fastest-growing private companies.

Italian upholstery vertical Natuzzi will expand its retail footprint in the U.K. this Christmas amid strong demand so far this year for its Natuzzi Editions brand.

The British arm of upholstery producer La-Z-Boy has gifted three high-end recliners to the staff wellbeing area at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Upholstery retailer Sofology will take store numbers close to 50 with the opening of three more units this side of the New Year, starting tomorrow on the South Coast.

Revenue fell mid-single digits for Natuzzi in the third quarter but the Italian upholstery manufacturer and retailer said the order outlook is brighter.

Stanley Pauley, the longtime leader and majority shareholder of foam conglomerate Carpenter Co, has died aged 93, the company has announced.

ScS, Britain's number two upholstery retailer, has recruited a former Home Retail Group executive as the successor to David Knight, its longstanding CEO.

Sofa and carpets retailer ScS said like-for-like order intake was up nearly a third going into the second lockdown in England earlier this month.

Orders placed after furniture retailers sprinted out of the first national lockdown resulted in upholstery imports into the U.K. climbing at their fastest pace in 12 months.

Half-year revenue and profits advanced for upholstery giant Man Wah Holdings in the six months to end September despite a big fall in sales across Europe.

The chief operating officer of Ercol Furniture (ercol) has left the manufacturer to complete a PhD with the heritage British brand appointing two senior existing executives to run the business on a day-to-day basis.

Revenue jumped by a third for Jason Furniture Hangzhou Co. in the third quarter as demand skyrocketed for the Chinese upholstery conglomerate's products and brands.

Furniture retailer Loaf built sales, profits and cash in the year to March 31 despite the end of its financial year being hamstrung by the pandemic and the first lockdown.

A positive swing in gross margin aided by lower input costs helped drive an uplift in profits for The Vita Group last year, newly-filed consolidated accounts in mainland Europe show.

Upholstery producer Man Wah Holdings has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Feng Guohua as chief executive officer (CEO).

U.K. and Ireland revenue continued to recover for Norwegian upholstery giant Ekornes in the third quarter putting it close to even for the year so far.

Upstream supply chain issues are to blame for a rapid increase in the price of foam according to Recticel, the Belgian industrial conglomerate and a major supplier to U.K. sofa and mattress makers.

The owner of the direct sales manufacturer and retailer Adjustamatic Beds sustained a six-figure deficit last year but says it has traded profitably in 2020 despite the pandemic.

Emerging upholstery startup Swyft Homes says it has already beaten its £2 million sales target for its launch year with it forecasting revenue of half that again by Christmas.

Furniture manufacturer Whitemeadow will move its upholstered bed frame production early in 2021 after taking a new facility that will also provide the scope to consolidate its manufacturing operations across fewer factories.

A first showroom in Oxfordshire will become upholstery retailer Sofas & Stuff's fourth new space to open since the summer when it throws open its doors this December.

It is counter-intuitive that on the day we reported that September saw record-breaking furniture retail sales, we also reveal that some British manufacturers may have to temporarily close their factories.

One of the leading sources of foam for Britain's mattress and sofa industry says it is doing everything possible to make good the current problems but its hands are tied until its own supply chain finds solutions.

The U.K.'s first dedicated Noble Souls upholstery showroom, revealed by The Furnishing Report earlier this month (see related), will open November 27, it has been announced.

Temporary foam factory shutdowns will prompt U.K. upholstery and mattress plants to close according to the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM), which is urgently seeking clarification from the supply chain.

Upholstery and carpets retailer ScS is to donate £20,000 to help fund meals for disadvantaged children in its home city. It said it was a result of the Government voting against extending free school meals into the holidays.

Direct-to-consumer upholstery source Swyft Home has chosen two-man delivery service provider Panther Warehousing as its sole delivery and warehousing partner.

The head of the body representing the European foam sector has said it is "not good" for the industry that it is currently unable to satisfy high demand because of upstream supply chain issues.

Recliner giant Man Wah Holdings has not given up its attempt to take control of HTL despite the already-completed sale of the leather upholstery colossus back to its founder.

A key cog in the U.K. upholstery supply chain that lost out following the failures of QFC, Multiyork and Ultra more than recovered all that revenue and more in the year to March 31, 2020.

Insolvency practitioners say efforts to recover a seven-figure debtor balance from one of the U.K.'s largest retailers of upholstery after the failure of a major British sofa manufacturer are over.

Upholstery vertical DFS has joined the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) in a move that sees it become the largest single member of the national trade association.

British furniture manufacturers continued to narrow the year-on-year production deficit as they brought employees back from furlough, new Government figures show.

Innovation paid dividends for Yorkshire chair specialist HSL with the group recording a six-figure corporation tax credit despite achieving pretax earnings north of £2 million last year.

Specialist furniture vertical HSL said four years of investment in its manufacturing operations paid dividends as it upped the volume of product leaving its own factory last year.

Specialist furniture vertical HSL found the sweet spot in 2019 as its 59-store retail network and home consultations delivered top and bottom line growth.

Shortages of foam and particle board are reducing production capacity and driving costs up, according to the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM), which says retailers should brace for price increases.

The Vita Group will next year begin producing foam created from polyols derived from recycled mattresses after agreeing a collaboration with chemicals giant Dow.

Three stores, all in the North of England, planned between now and next year, with the first opening on Saturday.

Upholstery fabrics supplier Mobus continued to build out revenue in the first full year following a management buyout and ahead of its move to a new West Yorkshire warehouse this year.

West Yorkshire upholstery source Scan-Thors (U.K.) says it has successfully secured new custom and pointed to signs of improving business confidence in the market.

The reconfigured Sofa Workshop by Timothy Oulton network is preparing to reopen following its sale to the Halo Group by DFS. Its new owner's handwriting is self-evident from the get-go.

One of the Sofa Workshop London stores acquired from DFS last month is to be repurposed for a first dedicated U.K. standalone showroom for Timothy Oulton's Noble Souls upholstery brand.

Vita, one of the big three foamers and a key partner to the U.K. mattress and upholstery sectors, said it drew down on a credit line earlier this year to provide maximum operational flexibility.

DFS, the U.K.'s largest upholstery retailer, has been building an arsenal of storied brands to attack the furniture market in recent years.

Mid-autumn launch as expanding sofa chain prepares to open its westernmost store on street dripping in British upholstery heritage.

Upholstery and flooring retailer ScS said business has rebounded strongly since lockdown to limit the impact on full-year results to July 25 and put it on track for growth in 2020–21.

The eponymous founder of Italian upholstery company Natuzzi says the U.K. is among its priority markets as it looks to bounce back after the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Italian sofa maker Natuzzi says it could outsource some of its production in Eastern Europe having completed a similar process in the Far East to combat tariffs.

An Introduction to the Domestic Flammability Regulations is the fourth in a series of online training courses to be launched by the Furniture Industry Research Association.

Ilkeston based Belfield Group added foam and fibre products manufacturer Clinchplain to its roster of furnishings-related companies in an unheralded deal that completed in the days before lockdown.

The Belfield Group, owner of Westbridge Furniture, Tetrad and one of the U.K.'s largest mattress factories, booked higher consolidated profits in 2019 despite a fall in group-wide revenue.

DFS has thanked its largest suppliers and landlords whose altruism helped the retailer support those facing "existential challenges" during the worst of the pandemic.

Upholstery and flooring retailer ScS has signed a ten-year lease on a 32,000sqft warehouse in Liverpool.

Sofa market leader DFS has revealed the extent of the mandated shutdown on its business but, like others across the trade, it has bounced back strongly in the period since.

The BFM Fabric Show London 2021 will take place as scheduled next year as long as indoor events are permitted, organisers have said.

Sofa.com has deepened its ties with its sister company after adding fabrics from a key House of Fraser in-house brand. It has also introduced lighting to its offer for the first time.

The founder of Sofa Workshop stands to be one of the biggest indirect beneficiaries from the sale to Halo Group of the upholstery business he created back in the 1980s.

Lockdown hasn't shunted Lebus Upholstery off course as the Lincolnshire sofa maker looks to build on double-digit growth achieved last year. Order intake and volumes are currently ahead of 2019.

The long wait ends today as furniture shows recommence with the autumn edition of Long Point, the swish trade-only event held in showrooms the length of the East Midlands.

Upholstery market leader DFS has launched a new programme of leather sofas and chairs in collaboration with Halo Group, the multinational furniture business to whom it has just sold Sofa Workshop.

Furniture prices at the factory gate inched forward last month ahead of manufacturers facing the impact of a spike in raw material prices this autumn.

Man Wah Holdings, owner of the Cheers recliner brand, has built a mammoth new factory to bolster production in the Chinese market.

National sofa and carpets retailer ScS says it hired 150 new employees last month and has a similar number of vacancies still available as it looks to scale up headcount to cope with demand.

Britain's furniture and bedding retailers should brace for imminent price increases with sofa and mattress makers here coming under intense raw material price pressure, particularly for foam.

Prestige upholstery producer Kingcome Sofas says it was on track for mid single-digit sales growth when the virus hit the U.K. earlier this year.

Upholstery imports continued to decline at the height of summer, but the drop-off was the narrowest since the start of the year.

The Chinese furniture group that has owned HTL International since 2016 is planning legal action after the leather sofa maker was sold under its nose against its wishes.

The founder of Far East upholstery producer HTL International has bought back the business after agreeing a takeover deal that takes it out of judicial management and back into private hands.

Furniture retailers with a few spare pennies to invest have been watching ScS and DFS closely since lockdown.

A Bristol based upholstery and soft furnishings specialist opened its new-look showroom on Tuesday this week after it took advantage of lockdown to complete refurbishment works.

ScS, Britain's number two upholstery retailer, says its new financial year has started where the old one left off with orders up by more than half since the end of July.

Intellectual property disposal follows the collapse of the £1.6 million turnover Bedfordshire upholstery manufacturer earlier this year.

New consumer touch point for expanding upholstery retailer.

Upholstery manufacturer Nicoletti Home says it has boosted production capacity at its Italian base to ensure surging demand for products doesn't mean customers will have to compromise on pre-Christmas delivery timeframes.

Expanding furniture retailer Loaf has introduced its first-ever television advertising campaign, fulfilling a long-held aim for the privately-owned clicks-to-bricks company.

The North West upholstery producer behind the Timeless Chesterfields brand is calling on other sofa makers to follow its lead so that traditional skills aren't lost to British industry.

Upholstery fabrics and soft furnishings show Proposte will take place in the north of Italy from April 19–21, 2021, exhibition organisers have announced.

The head of the Sofa Workshop business for the past three years will not be part of the management team once the retailer's sale to Halo Group from DFS completes.

The Sofa Workshop business and brand clearly has enduring appeal. Since its creation in the mid-1980s, it has had multiple custodians, with the Halo Group and Timothy Oulton soon to become the latest.

Upholstery fabrics supplier Mobus is finalising its move to a new West Yorkshire warehouse HQ that effectively gives it twice the stock space and will deliver upgraded service levels for its customers.

The Norwegian owner of recliner brand Stressless reported revenue in the U.K. and Ireland down by almost 36 percent in the second quarter as mandated store closures impacted trade.

Halo Group will rebadge the Sofa Workshop business as Sofa Workshop by Timothy Oulton following its planned acquisition from DFS.

Halo Group has agreed to buy upholstery retailer Sofa Workshop from DFS Furniture Group, bringing its seven-year tenure of the brand to an end.

Home furnishings online search engine and comparison website Ufurnish.com has appointed Toni Wood as its chief marketing officer.

Upholstery market leader DFS says trading continues to be significantly ahead of its initial post-lockdown expectations across both its showrooms and online.

The one-time owner of the now defunct Walmsley's furniture chain and ex-IKEA sofa maker Olympia has returned to the interiors sector after acquiring the retail division of a £30 million soft furnishings group.

Demand has rocketed since the Buoyant Upholstery factory reopened but its md Mike Aramayo says the surge has brought with it fresh production headaches.

The acquisition of upholstery vertical Sofa.com can buttress Frasers Group's plan to trade up, the diversified retail giant said today.

Factory and customer closures meant revenue was down sharply for TCM Living, owner of the Alstons, Ashley Manor and Alexander & James brands, in the second quarter of 2020.

Harvey Ellis, who for decades ran what became one of Europe's largest sofa manufacturing operations as production director for DFS, formally left the business earlier this summer.

Employees at Formation Furniture, historically one of the country's largest upholstery factories, face redundancy after a successful sale out of administration failed to materialise.

A fifth straight decline in upholstery imports means the value of goods shipped to the U.K. is down by a third in the first half of 2020. But June figures were an improvement.

The new chief operating officer at upholstery retailer Sofology says he is joining "one of the few retailers with opportunities to open more stores at a time when most are looking to shrink."

There is no shortage of consumers or retailers wanting to buy furniture designed, made and sold by Ercol, the Buckinghamshire company that will celebrate its 100th year in 2020.

Mattress and upholstery group Airsprung says its performance has picked up since April, putting it on track to reverse widening losses incurred in 2018–19.

Litmus Furniture has been appointed principal agent for England, Wales and Ireland by Recor, the Belgian furniture maker that once listed the U.K. among its biggest markets.

Profits doubled for the U.K. arm of global foam manufacturer and converter Carpenter in 2018, lifted by a "slight softening in some raw material costs" and higher sales.

At The Helm, the upholstery brand launched earlier this year by Hydeline Furniture, has a new website.

Upholstery imports into the U.K. grew at a faster pace in August after shipments from China jumped by a more than a third.

Natuzzi has named Jason Camp as president of Natuzzi Americas, making him its most senior company official in the territory.

bfmFabricShowLondonLogo

The London Fabric Show has become BFM Fabric Show London ahead of its 2020 edition in a move that opens the door to possible expansion around the U.K.

HSL2019
HSL is headquartered at Batley, West Yorkshire, and trades from stores nationwide.
Sales climbed at the 59-store specialist furniture retailer HSL in 2018 with the company's West Yorkshire factory powering much of the uplift.

Buyout of North Carolina manufacturer supports existing wholesale infrastructure in the U.S. for Far East conglomerate, while since-divested U.K. case goods arm saw double-digit decline in 2018.

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Sofa.com has its own factory in Poland.
ScS would have utilised Sofa.com's Eastern European manufacturing base to serve other parts of its business if it had successfully bought the company, its chairman said yesterday.

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Lebus' Lincolnshire factory.
The Dutch majority owner of Lebus Upholstery has reduced its stake in a long-planned transaction that hands control of the Lincolnshire sofa manufacturer to its U.K. board.

ScS WC Manc 2019
Trade has weakened for ScS as it embarks on bid to build on growth last year.
Consumer demand has weakened since the height of the summer amid a more challenging trading backdrop according to ScS, Britain's number two upholstery specialist.

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Westbridge's Coach House collection.
The revenue trend at Westbridge, Britain's largest non retailer-owned sofa maker, reflected the wider U.K. upholstery market last year.

Preston upholstery producer Tetrad continued to gain momentum in 2018, with double-digit pro-rata sales growth helping it glean a bigger share of a declining upholstery market.

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Natuzzi Editions new store in the North West.
Natuzzi added a fifth U.K. store for its Editions brand on Saturday, a day after the Italian upholstery giant released second quarter figures that reflected myriad challenges across the globe.

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A change in the retailer's accounting reference date was a contributing factor in rising net debt at its latest balance sheet dateline.
Upholstery market leader DFS has this month increased the size of its revolving credit facility by £20 million "to reflect the increased scale of the group's operating activities."

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DFS is the U.K. market leader in upholstery.
Sales and adjusted profits advanced for DFS in the year to end June while the group — owner of Sofology, Dwell and Sofa Workshop — says it will exit a number of 'poorly performing' suppliers.

Upholstery producer Ekornes, owner of the Stressless recliner brand, says it maintained U.K. profits last year despite the negative impact of a legacy group logistics contract.

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The company is a bellwether for the U.K. sofa industry.
Revenue fell and margins narrowed in 2018–19 for Flameproofings, the U.K. market leader in the flame retardant coating of fabrics for the upholstery and household textile markets.

Profits climbed four-fold for the company behind the Vitafoam brand last year as it grew sales and annualised against high one-off expenses.

Mark Draper has been promoted to commercial director at upholstery distributor La-Z-Boy U.K. with the business also announcing new heads of both marketing and independent sales.

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The two-seater Holly sofa.
Upholstery vertical Sofa.com is to enter the contract sector for the first time with a collection of products that also includes a tie-up with bed company Hypnos.

Upholstery giant offloads shareholding in Nick Scali — one of the largest furniture chains in the Southern Hemisphere — for the equivalent of about £41 million.



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