Upholstery fabrics group Mobus has acquired Clarkson Textiles, a key processor and supplier of flame retardant treatments to the furnishing and allied markets.

Restructuring advisors say multi-million pound filled bedding supplier Norfolk Feather is yet to formally enter insolvency despite the reported closure of its business earlier this month.

Likewise Group said the war in Ukraine, political instability in the U.K. and a particular hot summer will result in profit being below expectations when it reports full year numbers for 2022.

Cabinet and upholstery supplier Mark Webster Designs sold the vast majority of its stock to its largest customer two weeks ahead of the formal appointment of administrators as it sought a managed wind down of the business.

Filled bedding company Trendsetter Home Furnishings built on a return to profit with an eight-fold rise in earnings in the past year, but cautioned of headwinds in the period since.

Higher costs saw profits almost halve for bedding supplier Comfy Quilts in the year to end January despite sales having climbed thanks to it doing more business with a company under common control.

West Yorkshire supplier of mattress ticking and bed components registers smaller profits but margin improvement limits impact of £1.5 million revenue drop through 2021/22.

Actona Group found top line gains as the Danish furniture conglomerate expanded its global activities through acquisitions in 2021/22.

The sale of the business and assets of Stockport based textiles supplier J.T. Griffiths & Co has protected jobs and ensured continuity of supply, stakeholders in the process have said.

The Furniture Makers' Company will next month host a free-to-access webinar called Designing Out Waste, exploring what the furnishing industry needs to do in order to achieve greater waste reduction.

Renewed upstream supply chain price pressures will result in further rises being passed on to retailers, as new inflation figures out Wednesday showed continued stubbornly high rates across the industry.

Flooring supplier Victoria has acquired International Wholesale Tile (IWT), a Florida based tile, natural stone and LVT distributor, in a deal worth $28.5 million (£24.9m).

Eve Sleep will live on as a standalone brand after Bensons for Beds acquired the direct-to-consumer company's intellectual property following the appointment of administrators at midday on Monday.

The British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) has partnered with leading sustainability and net zero group Planet Mark to help its members and the country’s furniture industry meet its net zero goals.

Mattress imports jumped by more than a quarter despite a sharp fall in the value and volume of goods shipped to the U.K. from China, according to new trade data.

Chinese upholstery volumes almost halved at the end of the summer as some buyers looked elsewhere and others waited for goods held up by production delays because of Covid.

A longtime investor in diversified flooring manufacturer and distributor Victoria now owns more than a fifth of the company after it upped its stake in the business on Wednesday.

Highly-regarded bed industry executive Mark Hughes is returning to the vacuum-packed mattress brand Breasley as sales director for the U.K. market. His appointment takes effect from November.

Profits returned despite one-off costs for sister sofa makers Westbridge Furniture and Tetrad as they recovered some of the revenue lost to the impact of the pandemic last year.

The Chinese ecommerce group behind furniture, home and garden brands such as Homcom and Aosom more than doubled the size of its U.K. business last year in a period when it added six new warehouses across southern and eastern England.

The rate of British furniture manufacturing growth climbed for the first time in three months in August, according to official data released Wednesday morning.

The U.K. is the single largest importer of Brazilian furniture across all of Europe despite a decline on last year, according to new figures from a promotional organisation affiliated to the Brazilian Government.

Adjusted profits jumped by a third at upholstery and soft furnishings fabrics group Romo last year as the company found growth in the U.K. and abroad.

Upmarket interior design and furnishings supplier Sanderson Design Group found profit growth in the first half of its 2022/23 financial year after almost doubling licensing income.

Headlam Group, the U.K.'s largest floorcoverings wholesaler, has bolstered its leadership team with two new independent non-executive board hires.

Furniture, mattresses and home accents distributor Gallery Direct pumped cash into stock build last year in a period where it returned to profit on vastly increased output.

Upholstery brand Maker&Son says it was fully committed to fulfilling all creditors obligations ahead of it being forced into an insolvent restructure after a single creditor didn't support its plans following its summer buyout.

U.K. revenue reached record levels for mattress and bedding wholesale and retail business Tempur last year with it continuing to trade ahead in the early months of this year.

The U.K. arm of foam conglomerate Carpenter says input cost pressure led to "inevitable and necessary adjustments to selling prices" but they still weren't enough to stop profits here falling to £14.1 million.

Plumbs traded strongly post lockdown as the sofa covers, re-upholstery and curtains company narrowed its net loss and generated positive cashflow last year.

La-Z-Boy U.K. has promoted Richard Greenwood to managing director with current incumbent Mark Draper also seeing his status elevated. He has become vice president, International.

The CEO of Simba Sleep says the mattress and bedding company recorded a big jump in U.K. EBITDA after 60 percent sales growth here last year.

A slide in gross margin impacted the bottom line last year at upholstery group TCM Living, parent to Ashley Manor, AMX Design, Alstons and Alexander & James.

A floorcoverings company that used to work with one-time major home furnishings independent Alan Ward is expanding with the launch of a second retail and trade showroom.

The third quarter of 2022 saw more than twice the number of furniture and furnishings companies call in restructuring advisors compared with the same period last year.

A historic North West mattress ticking and upholstery fabrics wholesaler has been placed into the hands of restructuring advisors after weeks spent trying to restructure the company.

Higher output outweighed rising costs and thinner margins as North West household textile supplier Turner Bianca found bottom line growth in the year to end March.

National floorcoverings distributor Carpet & Flooring, which operates a dozen depots across the country, has rebranded the business to give itself a more distinct and targeted name.

Southern Italian sofa conglomerate Natuzzi has bolstered its senior leadership team with three new hires, including two who join from luxury brands Versace and Louis Vuitton.

Natuzzi achieved high single-digit revenue growth in the second quarter but it could have delivered much more but for the enforced closure of its plant in Shanghai as the Chinese Government tried to keep a lid on Covid infections.

Britain's sofa and mattress makers are being landed with a new wave of price increases from across the upstream supply chain according to correspondence seen by The Furnishing Report. Some suppliers are also on allocation.

A U.S. advisory firm has been hired to find a third-party buyer for Recticel's comfort foam operations in the U.K. in a move designed to end an antitrust probe.

The sales director of Recticel's comfort foam business in the U.K. has left the business to head up the bedding division of one of its major rivals.

The group behind the contract floorcoverings brands Heckmondwike Carpets and Paragon Carpet Tiles bolstered its balance sheet after a year in which profits climbed on wider margins and higher sales.

U.K. arm of Scandinavian hardwood floorcoverings manufacturer expects low growth amid uncertainty from the global recovery from the pandemic.

High U.K. demand post lockdown super-charged a return to profit for luxury vinyl tile (LVT) supplier Amtico as the Coventry company closed in on a decade under the ownership of U.S. flooring giant Mannington Mills.

Likewise Group, the challenger flooring distributor that has been buying up companies and building infrastructure to take on larger rivals, says demand has continued to be strong through late summer and into the autumn.

The addition of a large West Midlands warehouse late last year represents the early phase of a major financial commitment to the U.K. over the next decade for multi-brand furniture wholesale and retail group Ziel.

Sofa manufacturing group TCM Living has recruited two well-known furniture industry executives to fill senior managerial posts at its Ashley Manor Upholstery and Alexander & James business units.

Privately-owned South East England floorcoverings wholesaler STS booked higher profits last year on wider gross margin and rising sales.

A complaint to the U.K. advertising watchdog by German mattress company Emma has resulted in a rebuke for rival Simba Sleep regarding a price promotion it ran on its website.

Direct-to-consumer mattress and sleep ancillary products brand Eve Sleep says it will take the appropriate steps to preserve value for creditors if further funding or a firm offer to buy the business is not received soon.

The largest shareholder in publicly-listed U.S. mattress and bedding company Purple Innovation wants to buy the business outright in a deal that would value it at $362 million (£317m).

Business that formerly ran wall art and picture frames ecommerce enterprise lines up Quantuma officials as potential restructuring advisors.

The value of carpet and smooth floorcoverings manufacturer and distributor Victoria has moved erratically in the past few days, rising by more than £100 million before a steep decline.

The value of sofa imports climbed for a 19th straight month in July despite continued poor data from the U.K.'s largest trading partner in the category.

The quantity of carpets imported into the U.K. fell for a sixth straight month in July as strong data from the Netherlands was outweighed by weaker figures from Belgium and Turkey.

The Cath Kidston brand has entered the furniture market with a programme of upholstery and beds being sold exclusively by sofa market leader DFS.

The sofa group behind the Ashley Manor and Alexander & James brands is preparing for the planned departure of group creative director Scott Coggan, one of the highest-profile designers in the upholstery sector.

Headlam Group's search for a new chief financial officer has entered its seventh month after a prime candidate for the position decided at the last-minute to withdraw.

Carpe Diem Beds, the Hilding Anders-owned Swedish bed brand, is expanding into the U.K. wholesale market as part of plans to increase its footprint in the British retail sector.

An insurance claim and wider gross margin helped profits climb at flooring wholesale group Headlam in the first half of the year despite an already-signposted decline in revenue.

Northern Ireland based furniture wholesaler Annaghmore Agencies recovered some of the revenue lost to the pandemic last year in a period that saw it build its inventory position.

An Italian design company based on the banks of Lake Maggiore enjoyed its strongest year in the U.K. in almost a decade as home sales surged in the aftermath of lockdown.

Sofa Brands International, parent to many of the largest upholstery brands in the U.K., is undergoing a restructuring process that has resulted in the departure of a number of senior executives, and other officials being handed new roles.

The restructuring advisors handling the insolvency of Nottinghamshire furniture importer Mark Webster and its parent company have said operations have now ceased following their appointment last month.

Upholstered furniture maker and retailer Arlo & Jacob is shifting its headquarters to the East Midlands in a move that will result in the closure of its former base in West London.

An auction house that has cleared stock for some of the biggest names in the furniture industry has ceased trading and signalled its intent to appoint administrators.

Mattress distributor DBC International has signed a partnership deal with Adova that sees it become the exclusive distributor of Simmons' Generation and Beautyrest collections in the Netherlands and Flanders.

Higher prices helped Belgian carpet maker Associated Weavers (AW) achieve double-digit sales growth in the U.K. last year, though it sold fewer square metres of product in the process.

A fast-emerging ecommerce furniture retailer and wholesaler booked large seven figure profits through the pandemic and ahead of external investment earlier this year.

The probability that three major foamers will continue to serve the U.K. mattress and upholstery markets has increased after Carpenter and Recticel conceded the planned takeover of the latter's engineered foam unit would lessen competition.

Narrower gross margin contributed to profits falling at the Karndean flooring group last year despite revenue jumping by the equivalent of about £74 million.

Second quarter profits declined at Stressless and IMG brand owner Ekornes as higher prices and increased deliveries could only partially mitigate against rising costs.

One of the world's most famous furniture and product designers has lent his creative skills to a new sofa model launching in the U.K. this week.

Recticel says the disposal of the business unit taking in its comfort foam activities serving U.K. mattress, sofa and direct-to-consumer brands will be delayed, possibly until the first quarter of 2023.

The first Covid lockdown heralded a mass launch of new enterprises across U.K. furniture and flooring production, wholesale and retail. More than 2,600 of those companies have already folded.

Cabinet and upholstered furniture maker Ben Whistler returned to profit last year after the bottom line took a hit through the first period of Covid.

Cabinet and upholstery importer Mark Webster Designs and its parent company Mark Webster Holdings were both formally placed into administration earlier this week.

Volumes climbed sharply among tufted carpet manufacturers last year while production of woven carpets was flat despite lapping restrictions from the previous year.

Sales and profits climbed last year for a West Yorkshire flatpack furniture enterprise that sells through third parties such as Very and Amazon as well as via a sister ecommerce business.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has named the officials who will make up the inquiry group looking into the takeover of Recticel's Engineered Foam unit by Carpenter.

Privately-owned furniture importer and distributor Mark Webster Designs and its parent company Mark Webster Holdings have each filed a notice of intent (NOI) to appoint administrators.

June saw the first increase in the quantity of upholstery shipped into the U.K. from China since the turn of the year as overall volumes continued their long-running ascent.

Kellie Oliver has been appointed managing director at upholstered furniture supplier AMX Design, parent company TCM Living announced Monday.

First half profits returned for the upholstery group behind the Alexander & James, Alstons and Ashley Manor businesses as it built sales momentum from the first quarter into the second.

The quantity of carpets imported into the U.K. fell for the fifth month in a row in June with high product price inflation not enough to send the total value above the same period last year.

London based furniture company Andrew Martin International acquired a majority stake in a South Wales sofa manufacturer late last year, shortly before changes in its own ownership structure.

Listed flooring group Victoria has spent more in share buybacks in the past week than in the entirety of last year as it seeks to take advantage of a perceived undervaluation in its share price.

Declining demand, rising costs and overall economic uncertainty across Europe will lead to a decline in PU foam production this year.

U.S. foam giant Carpenter offered to divest the U.K. comfort foam business of Recticel in order to get its takeover of the overall engineered foam. unit of the Belgian conglomerate over the line. But the offer didn't satisfy British authorities.

Shippers are moving product more reliably around the globe in a sign supply chains may be beginning to normalise, according to a leading provider of analysis and advisory services in the sector.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has had a profound impact on the supply of engineered wood flooring according to a major U.K. supplier with worldwide sales north of £53 million.

Floorcoverings supplier Designer Contracts has opened a new facility in Berkshire that becomes its regional headquarters for the Western Counties area.

An eight-day strike at the U.K.'s largest container port is likely to impact the upholstery sector more than others across the home furnishings industry.

Panther Logistics has become the sole delivery partner for My Furniture, the East Midlands based furniture retailer that trades online and from a large Long Eaton showroom.

German furniture vertical Hülsta banked bigger profits at its U.K. retail and distribution arm in 2021 despite downsizing its shop footprint part way through the year.

A South Yorkshire based ready-to-assemble furniture maker recorded a bigger deficit in the period that led to an external furniture group acquiring a quarter of the business earlier this year.

The London based company behind the Artisan Furniture brand recorded a fall in profits at its U.K. business in the 12 months to March 31 this year.

The U.K. finances of one of the trade's largest bedroom furniture companies are in better shape after its German parent company wrote off millions of pounds worth of intra-group borrowing.

Direct-to-consumer and wholesale company Simba Sleep has launched the Simba Green Organic Go mattress, which it says is a lower impact product with half the carbon emissions of a traditional hybrid mattress.

The company behind smooth floorcoverings ecommerce brand Luxury Flooring & Furnishings has agreed a multi-year delivery contract with XPO Logistics.

Fewer restrictions and a less onerous lockdown helped the wholly-owned U.K. arm of French furniture brand Ligne Roset return to growth last year.

Diversified Yorkshire cabinet group LPD saw its furniture division achieve eight figure revenue for the first time in the period leading up to a management buyout (MBO) this summer.

The furniture market worldwide has already rebounded well above pre-pandemic levels according to specialist research consultancy CSIL Centre for Industrial Studies.

Headlam, Britain's largest flooring wholesale group, has built up stock levels ahead of what it hopes will be busier trading months to come. It follows a revenue decline in the first half.

U.S. headquartered upholstered furniture giant La-Z-Boy has disclosed the terms of the buyout of the Colne sofa maker Furnico—its longtime U.K. manufacturing partner—for the first time.

The CEO of Tempur Sealy International (TSI) says the number of acquisition candidates worldwide are growing as the world's largest bedding company announced a multi-million dollar investment in an emerging sleep technology platform.

The first new products since Birlea agreed a deal that sees it become the U.K. and Ireland distributor of Disney branded furniture are expected to arrive in the first week of October, its md says.

A longtime ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturing supplier to Amazon's U.S. platform has begun listing on the Internet giant's European's equivalent as part of a pilot programme.

Loaf has extended its home delivery contract with Wincanton for another three years, building on an existing partnership between the two companies already lasting the past six years.

Profits climbed sharply last year for one of the principal actors in the delivery of bulky flat-pack furniture boxes to U.K. consumers. That was despite a fall in revenue.

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.

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.

A Warwickshire supplier of outdoor furniture and living products to the likes of NEXT, Made.com and The Conran Shop saw profits jump by almost half last year.

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

Higher sales and an 810 basis point gross margin swing helped the U.K. wholesale and retail arm of cabinet furniture supplier Kettle Interiors to boost profits last year.

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.

Eve Sleep says a number of potential suitors have progressed to due diligence stage as the direct-to-consumer and wholesale brand explores a possible sale of the company.

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.

The owner of outdoor furniture and living retailer Garden Trading says its bottom line will come in ahead of market expectations as a consequence of additional cost reductions.

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.

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.

Private equity backed household and contract textiles wholesaler Whyte & Ivory says sales have hit eight figures for the first time after stellar international growth, particular in the U.S.

Underlying revenue across the eFulfilment division of logistics group Wincanton edged ahead in the first quarter of its financial year despite the wider market slowdown in online activity.

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.

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.

Container shipping schedule reliability remains at a historically low level while spot prices are falling from record highs and delays easing after a two-year stretch upended by the pandemic.

EBITDA was almost two thirds higher for Bentley Designs last year as the furniture importer deleveraged after it kept a tight rein on costs and revenue recovered, countering weaker gross margin.

Construction is underway at distribution centres in Scotland and the Midlands as national flooring wholesaler Likewise Group looks to double its logistics capacity this year.

Stock levels at Cleland McIver more than doubled by the end of its 2020/21 financial year as the soft furnishings supplier invested further in distribution capacity with a new 75,000sqft facility.

Lincolnshire cabinet importer and wholesaler Classic Furniture battled rising shipping costs and limited container slot availability as it booked its highest profits since 2014 last year.

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.

National floorcoverings distributor Carpet & Flooring has appointed a new md with a raft of home improvement industry experience following the planned departure of longtime leader Lisa Tomlin.

A seven-figure reorganisation saw Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland wholesaler Flanagan Flooring bring a property investment joint venture under its control last year.

Britain's biggest flooring wholesaler will enable independent retailers and one-man-and-a-van installers to hit sub-£15sqm price points after launching a new brand with a supporting micro-site.

Bedeck returned to profit last year as the Northern Ireland based bedding company benefitted from a lower administrative cost burden of almost £2 million, including non-recurring exceptional items and a currency gain.

Furniture and home accents wholesaler Coach House smashed through a high ceiling to record largest-ever profits at its trading arm last year as it recovered strongly from the first year of the pandemic.

Revenue jumped to nearly £90 million and losses were reversed for the U.K.'s self-described largest independent floorcoverings distributor last year.

A South East freight forwarding and third-party logistics (3PL) provider has gained a 10-day stay from creditor action after it filed a notice of intent (NOI) to appoint administrators.



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