The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the U.K.'s antitrust watchdog, has has provisionally found that Dar Lighting has broken competition law by preventing retailers from offering discounts online.

Moffett and Sons, the company behind the diversified upholstery, bed and cabinet manufacturer and wholesaler Balmoral Furniture, says it is on target to return to growth in 2021/22 after seeing sales and profits fall in the past year.

Foam and industrials group Greiner is for now pressing ahead with plans to acquire what will remain of Recticel even though the Belgian company has agreed deals to dispose of two sizeable chunks of its business.

North West upholstery and curtain fabrics wholesaler Fryett's widened gross margin in 2020/21 as it increased its market share in the supply of cut length products.

The combined profits of nine of the world's largest shipping lines have increased eleven-fold in 2021 so far as demand and prices for ocean freight have surged as the pandemic has progressed.

Furniture company Fritz Hansen has acquired Skagerak Denmark in a deal that takes the design group into the outdoor furniture market for the first time.

The price of raw materials and inputs used in the production of furniture rose to another record level in November according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Challenger flooring wholesale group Likewise is to make its biggest acquisition yet after lining up a deal for one of the U.K.'s largest family-owned flooring companies.

Home, garden and leisure retailer The Range has agreed to lease a 475,000sqft warehouse that until last year was one of the largest furniture warehouses in the country.

The effect of enforced factory shutdowns across Vietnam finally outweighed high U.K. demand for its goods in October as the value of wood furniture imports fell for the first time this year.

Foam and sprung mattress imports fell for the fourth straight month on an annual basis at the start of the final quarter of 2021, according to HM Revenue & Customs figures.

Upholstered furniture import growth slowed at the beginning of the final quarter despite continued robust figures from both China and Poland, the U.K.'s largest trading partners.

Town planners have approved proposals for a new warehouse for Alliance Flooring Distribution, a division of international floorcoverings conglomerate Victoria.

Carpet imports fell sharply in October as the final quarter started with weaker data from Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Halo Creative & Design, parent to premium pitched furniture brand Timothy Oulton, has acquired a country house hotel comprising a 17th century manor after securing new finance worth tens of millions of pounds.

Furniture and homeware retailer Made.com Group (MADE) says it no longer expects to be profitable at the adjusted EBITDA line this year after product delays from the Far East pushed deliveries of goods already sold to consumers into 2022.

A Chinese ecommerce home furnishings giant with subsidiaries in Japan, Germany and the U.S. has taken a long lease on a large West Midlands warehouse and made a seven-figure equity investment into a new U.K. subsidiary.

Italian Design Brands (IDB), a private equity backed collective of high-end furniture and interiors companies that launched a U.K. arm this year, has acquired a minority stake in Axolight, an Italian lighting supplier.

Recticel has entered into a binding agreement to sell its Engineered Foam unit to Carpenter Company after shareholders yesterday backed the disposal of the division for €656 million.

Flooring giant Headlam says it hopes its MCD Kidderminster operation will be taking and delivering orders again later this week after its large Worcestershire facility was hit by a serious fire Monday morning.

Emerging upholstery company Swyft Home has secured a seven-figure supply chain finance deal designed to support business-to-business growth with third-party retailers.

Bed components company Spinks has appointed Emma Davidson as commercial director. Her duties include overseeing a just-launched distribution centre facility that will free up additional manufacturing capacity.

Upholstery giant Man Wah is to acquire a 55 percent stake in a Far East sofa maker that was once one of the largest in the region supplying U.K. furniture retailers.

Furniture industry customers and associates of a white-glove delivery and logistics provider based in the Midlands say the business is no longer trading.

Designer Contracts, the national flooring supplier to the house-builder market, is to sponsor the services of Childline for a day next month. It is the fifth time it has done so.

Flooring supplier Victoria is to enter a new product segment after it agreed to buy the rugs division of Belgium's Balta Group. It will also acquire its U.K. polypropylene carpet and non-woven carpet businesses, plus the Balta brand.

Italian upholstery giant Natuzzi said it continued to enjoy strong demand in the third quarter but supply challenges presented cost and operational headwinds. Strategic outsourcing is one of three strands to address those.

Acquisitive U.K. flooring company Victoria has confirmed it is in discussions with Balta regarding the buyout of an unspecified constituent part of the Belgian flooring conglomerate.

Headlam, the multi-brand flooring wholesale conglomerate, has launched a fully-transactional mobile trade app, allowing customers to order products on the go.

September saw another vast quantity of Vietnamese furniture land at U.K. ports, likely reflecting large orders placed ahead of Covid-related late summer factory shutdowns in the Far East nation.

The value of foam and sprung mattress imports into the U.K. fell on a year-on-year basis for the third month in a row according to new HM Revenue & Customs figures.

Sofa import growth weakened in September but still grew on an annual basis for an eighth consecutive month on the back of increases from the U.K.'s two largest trading partners.

Imports of carpets and rugs into the U.K. declined year-on-year in September, ending a six-month run of annual gains.

The upholstery group behind the Alstons, Ashley Manor, AMX Design and Alexander & James brands continued to make top line gains in the three months to end September, but the inflationary cost environment hit profits.

Casper Sleep, the direct-to-consumer brand that was at the vanguard of the bed-in-a-box movement, is to be taken private after it signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Durational Capital Management.

How furniture companies are adapting their sales approach to meet the needs of customers following the pandemic is the theme of the latest webinar in the building back better series organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company.

Furnishings fabrics business Arley House has successfully defended a copyright infringement claim brought by a minority shareholder and fabric designer.

Profits at Man Wah Holdings, the recliner and upholstery giant with factories across the Far East and Eastern Europe, climbed almost a third in the six months to end September as sales jumped to record highs.

David Phillips, the furniture provider to property professionals such as landlords and estate agents, has launched a rewards programme, recognising and encouraging loyalty among its customer base.

Upholstery producers are reporting further input price pressures for foam after converters and other suppliers of semi-finished products were hit with increases on polyurethane block supplies.

The year-on-year number of U.K. home furnishings companies that appointed insolvency practitioners was flat in the third quarter of 2021, though the figure crept higher on a sequential basis.

Furniture and fabrics retail and wholesale company Andrew Martin International found double-digit revenue growth in the year to January 31 as it traded strongly outside of lockdown periods. Cash and profits also climbed.

A simple majority is all that is required for shareholders to approve the sale of Recticel's Engineered Foam unit to U.S. giant Carpenter.

Suffolk headquartered window fabrics conglomerate Style Group has acquired a stake in 360º Marketing & Communications, a Spain-based marcomms agency.

There is less than a month to go until Recticel shareholders will get to vote on whether to sell the group's Engineered Foams business, which includes its comfort foam operations, to Carpenter, the U.S. conglomerate.

Direct-to-consumer company Eve Sleep has launched new non-mattress products as it continues endeavours to position itself as a sleep wellness brand rather than a pureplay bed trader.

The price of key ingredients used in the flexible foam recipe have fallen in recent weeks, fuelling hopes among sofa and mattress makers that they may see their own costs ease as a consequence.

Trendsetter Home Furnishings, the business behind The Fine Bedding Company brand, said it made a welcome return to profit after it outperformed its budget by focusing on creating a more sustainable business.

A leather, wood and fabric restoration product manufacturer that lists DFS, Harrods and John Lewis among its client roster has reduced its use of virgin plastic by 80 percent as part of an eco-drive to minimise its plastic packaging footprint.

Sanderson Design Group (SDG) has appointed former John Lewis Partnership chief financial officer Patrick Lewis to its board as one of two new non-executive hires.

Mohawk Industries, the world's largest flooring company, was bullish on demand in a third quarter trading update, but bearish on supply chain constraints that are pushing out lead times and creating input cost pressures.

Howden Joinery Group, the U.K.'s largest kitchen supplier, said it expects 2021 profits to be about £360 million after it continued to outperform on market tailwinds and a well managed supply chain.

Foam company Recticel has again advised shareholders not to sell their shares under the offer from Austrian rival Greiner as management look to enact their own plan to divest parts of the group elsewhere.

Passing input cost inflation through the supply chain to retailers, distributors and end users helped diversified flooring conglomerate Balta find growth in the three months to September 30.

Office furniture conglomerate Steelcase has agreed to buy Spanish contemporary furniture maker Viccarbe in a deal worth up to €49 million.

High-end French furniture brand Roche Bobois said U.K. business activity remained brisk in the third quarter, delivering double-digit sales growth compared to the equivalent period last year.

The British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) has appointed an association leadership specialist as its new managing director while current incumbent Nick Garratt is to become its chairman.

The proposed takeover of the comfort foam business of Recticel by its industry peer Carpenter raised eyebrows across many U.K. furniture industry boardrooms, right across the supply chain from manufacturers to retailers.

Furniture wholesale giant Actona Group is to expand the scope of its global upholstery operations after agreeing the takeover of private equity backed Danish sofa maker Theca. More deals for other companies will follow, it said.

La-Z-Boy U.K. has acquired North West sofa maker Furnico in a deal that gives the U.S. headquartered upholstery conglomerate manufacturing capability within Europe.

The collapse of a 150-year-old Oxfordshire furniture manufacturer earlier this summer leaves secured and unsecured creditors facing a sizeable shortfall.

Inflation figures released Wednesday made for grim reading. Consumers are paying over 10 percent more to buy furniture than they were this time last year, while manufacturers' input costs are increasing at twice that level.

Demand through 2021 has put luxury furnishing fabrics, wallpapers and accessories supplier Romo back on track to recover sales lost through the pandemic, the company said in just-filed accounts.

A major restructuring plan initiated through the pandemic will leave the U.K. arm of designer lighting company Artemide leaner and in better shape to seize future market opportunities, the company has said.

A second straight month of weaker data from European factories squashed the air out of what had been a buoyant mattress import market until the summer months.

Upholstered furniture shipments continued to rise strongly at the height of summer despite lapping robust figures recorded in the aftermath of the first Covid lockdown.

The effects of late summer Covid-related factory shutdowns in Vietnam are yet to show in official data. Instead, they reveal the impact of huge living, dining and bedroom cabinet orders placed before those plants were mothballed.

Shareholders in furniture wholesaler Julian Bowen have sold a qualified majority stake to Storskogen, a Swedish investment group that backs dozens of small and medium sized enterprises.

Revenue fell at all four of West Midlands and Essex upholstery group TCM Living's business units last year but three of them still managed to gain market share from their competitors.

New figures from upholstery group TCM Living show its two largest retail customers—both major furniture chains—were responsible for 61.4 percent of its £100 million plus turnover through 2020.

The new owner of Carpet & Flooring (C&F) settled all outstanding debt as part of the buyout of the 11-depot floorcoverings distributor earlier this year.

Profits climbed at Danish furniture designer, wholesaler and distributor Actona Group in 2020/21 as it enjoyed a revenue boost from ecommerce channels.

The next phase in an intellectual property disagreement between two sofa companies, one in the U.K. and another in Ireland, is scheduled to take place this week.

Home, gift and furniture wholesaler SIL generated cash and returned to profit last year as lower costs negated the impact of a fall in turnover.

The principal U.K. arms of Carpenter and Vita, two of the big three comfort foam suppliers to Britain's bed and sofa manufacturing sectors, saw output and earnings fall amid the early months of the pandemic.

International furniture company Roche Bobois has announced the death of François Roche, its co-founder, on October 6. He was 85 years old.

Floorcoverings supply giant Headlam is on the hunt for a new chief executive after it announced the departure of Steve Wilson after 30 years with the company.

North West home textiles group Turner Bianca booked lower profits in 2020/21 as rising costs and narrower margins countered the impact of higher sales.

The md of furniture importer and distributor Bentley Designs says the business continues to keep a very tight rein on costs in the face of unprecedented supply side and shipping inflationary pressures.

The insolvency and subsequent prepack sale of certain assets of the company behind the JTF Mega Discount Warehouse retail chain leaves creditors owed north of £11.4 million.

Ireland and U.K. furniture wholesaler VIDA Living has appointed Karl Bickerstaffe as area sales manager with responsibility for northern England and north Wales.

Revenue climbed for soft furnishings supplier Ashley Wilde Group last year as its customer base ramped up activity in the aftermath of the first lockdown.

Market leader DFS is expanding the number of upholstery ranges it carries in its stores, paving a path for it to onboard new suppliers to the sofa chain.

Furniture manufacturing activity in Vietnam is expected to increase after the Government signalled its intent to ease restrictions amid an intention to move away from its zero-Covid strategy.

Fast-emerging flooring distributor Likewise Group is planning to pay dividends to shareholders for the first time as it looks to build on a profitability milestone achieved in the first half of 2021.

High end interior design and furnishings distributor Sanderson Design Group has appointed Mike Woodcock as its chief financial officer, replacing Michael Williamson who leaves next month.

A rosier outlook for flooring conglomerate Victoria has prompted S&P Global Ratings to reaffirm its BB rating in a move that may boost bond investor confidence.

Wallcoverings and home accents supplier Graham & Brown enjoyed a big jump in profits as customers "rediscovered their homes" last year, investing in and re-inventing the environments they live in.

VIDA Living, the Ireland and U.K. furniture importer and distributor, has recruited Victoria Bellerby to the role of senior business development director.

Wider gross margin and lower administrative costs negated the impact of lower revenue for furniture wholesaler Annaghmore Agencies in the year to December 31, 2020. Cashflow was strongly positive.

Sanderson Design Group, the high-end interior design and furnishings manufacturer and distributor, is to launch a Morris & Co brand extension targeting international markets.

Furniture designer and distributor Actona Company is now Actona Group as part of a corporate rebrand designed to better reflect its international operations.

The cost of making furniture in the U.K. climbed again last month with producers warning the brewing labour crisis will add further increases that will have to be passed on to retailers.

Smooth floorcoverings vendor Unilin Distribution acquired Salesmark earlier this summer.

Dan-Form, the Danish dining furniture manufacturer known for its bentwood chairs, plans to consolidate distribution with the build of a new warehouse.

Imports of foam and sprung mattresses declined at the start of the second half despite arrivals from Denmark—home to the factory making Tempur products for the U.K. market—rising to a nine-month high.

Upholstery shipments jumped by half at the beginning of the second period of 2021 as the sofa sector continued to grab an outsized share of container availability.

Gains in textile floorcoverings imports were pared back at the start to the second half of 2021 as the carpet trade annualised the resumption of trade after the first lockdown last year.

Record levels of furniture are being despatched out of British factories but nowhere near enough to satisfy demand and bring lead times down to historical norms.

When the Prime Minister announced the first lockdown back in March last year the fear across the British furniture industry was palpable. Thick red lines were drawn through expense budgets and manufacturers up and down the country prepared for an unwanted game of who could hold their breath for longest.

Wincanton, the fulfilment partner to brands including IKEA, Loaf and Snug, has acquired logistics company Cygnia from private equity in a deal worth £23.9 million. It has also hired a new md for its Digital and eFulfilment business division.

Retail and commission revenue declined in 2020 for the U.K. arm of Poltrona Frau, the U.S.-owned Italian designer furniture company.

The business success and philanthropy of Designer Contracts md and owner Peter Kelsey have been marked with an Outstanding Achievement in the Flooring Industry Award at a ceremony of his trade peers.

Nicholas Radford says he plans to focus on other interests outside the furniture industry after a flood in the Far East prompted a decision to close the company behind the Nathan Furniture brand earlier this year.

The early stages of the pandemic failed to make significant dents in rental returns for the owner of the Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour, home to dozens of high-end third-party furniture and interiors showrooms.

Victoria says it is taking a bigger share of wallet in the U.K. flooring market as a result of its investment in its logistics operation here, citing the impact of its elevated service levels.

Chris Box has been appointed group manufacturing director at Gallery Direct, the diversified furniture, mattress and home accents designer, producer and distributor.

Headlam, the flooring conglomerate whose 66 business units make it the largest of its type in Europe, says the relative infrequency of consumer flooring purchases have softened the impact of rising prices.

Victoria, the flooring conglomerate, is to relocate its Alliance Flooring Distribution business unit from Kidderminster to Worcester after agreeing to take a new purpose-built unit just off the M5.

A Swedish flooring and wood processing conglomerate with factories in central Europe is to enter the furniture market with the initial launch of cabinets assembled entirely without glue, nails or screws.

Sanderson Design Group is to introduce a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand that will include a furniture element among its offer. It will have its own dedicated ecommerce website and sell additionally through Selfridges, the department store retailer.

Mark Smith has decided to step away from executive duties at upholstery group TCM Living and will be succeeded as CEO by Jonathan Fearn, who is currently the chief financial officer.

First half revenue in the U.K. and Ireland passed 2020 levels for Stressless brand owner Ekornes as the resumption of trade and store reopenings boosted the upholstery conglomerate.

Home and garden retail giant IKEA is said to have reached an agreement to pre-let a 450,000sqft new-build logistics facility in the South East of England.

Direct-to-consumer mattress brand Emma says it will intensify its cooperation with third-party brick-and-mortar retailers in a bid to build a bigger physical footprint in the U.K. market.

Sanderson Design Group will advertise on television for the first time ever with its Harlequin brand to use the medium for the consumer launch of its new Own the Room campaign.

The group behind home and giftware wholesaler Lesser & Pavey increased profits in 2020/21 as it found top line growth amid a turbulent trading backdrop.

British furniture makers are on track to recover all of the lost revenue from a fall in exports last year with a double-digit climb in the value of goods sent overseas in the first six months of 2021.

Underlying profitability at the Lancashire bed manufacturer and furniture distributor Sweet Dreams improved in 2020/21 as it reorganised amid the ongoing impact of Covid.

Furniture, beds and home accents supplier Gallery Direct is to open a large distribution centre near Chesterfield early next year.

Belgian carpet maker Associated Weavers, one of the largest flooring suppliers to the U.K., saw sales decline here through 2020 but at a lesser rate than its compatriots and the overall U.K. market.

Colefax Group, the listed furnishing fabrics, wallpaper and upholstery supplier, has announced a Tender Offer at an elevated price that could boost returns for both existing and residual shareholders.

Input price inflation for British furniture makers increased for an eleventh straight month in July as producers continued to wrestle with never-before seen pressures.

Shares in Likewise Group, the challenger flooring distributor founded by former Headlam officials including its ex-CEO Tony Brewer, began trading on London's Alternative Investors Market (AIM) for the first time on Wednesday.

Cabinet furniture imports reached record levels in the first half as distributors and retailers invested heavily in stock despite high container shipping rates.

Foam and sprung mattress imports were up by a third year-on-year in the six months to June, buoyed by arrivals from China and Poland.

Containers shipped and trucked into the U.K. from China and Poland led to the highest-ever recorded total of upholstered furniture arriving at U.K. ports in the first six months of 2021, new figures show.

Surging demand for floorcoverings helped Belgian and Dutch carpet makers recover lost turnover in the U.K. market in the first half of 2021, though it was Turkey and India that made the largest gains.

The group behind the Alstons, Ashley Manor, Alexander & James and AMX Design sofa businesses saw strong second quarter revenue growth against comparatives heavily impacted by the U.K. lockdown last spring.

Natuzzi is opening up its iconic showrooms at High Point, North Carolina to its compatriots, renaming the ship-shaped building as Casa Italia and welcoming in other Italian furniture companies.

Furnishing fabrics, wallpaper and upholstery supplier Colefax Group doubled profits in 2019/20 despite the pandemic hitting markets worldwide.

Neptune has written to customers saying it will lift prices in response to changes to its own input costs that it has never previously experienced in 25 years.

Fitted furniture maker J&J Ormerod (JJO) says demand is running at double-digit percentages ahead of pre-Covid levels and that it has emerged stronger from the pandemic and ready to invest.

Williams Sonoma, the U.S. owner of the West Elm and Pottery Barn retail banners, has agreed a licensing deal for the Morris & Co brand covering a broad range of products.

Mohawk Industries, the circa £7.8 billion flooring conglomerate, completes takeover of Cambridgeshire smooth flooring wholesaler.

Veteran luxury goods executive Daniel Lalonde has been appointed CEO at Design Holding, the international company behind the B&B Italia, Flos, Louis Poulsen and Arclinea brands as well as U.S. ecommerce platform YDesign.

Bedding and household textiles importer and distributor Rapport Home found big profit growth despite sales dropping by £3 million last year.

East Midlands upholstery, cabinet and beds distributor Birlea Furniture continued to find profitable growth despite the pandemic in 2019/20 and looks set for more this year.

Small Buckinghamshire traditional furniture supplier placed into liquidation.

North West workplace furniture maker Senator International continued to remain profitable despite seeing a forecast pandemic-related drop in turnover crystallise last year.

The pandemic impacted revenue and costs for workplace and home office furniture giant Bisley in 2019/20, resulting in losses widening. Cash generation remained strong.

Reacting to online demand and the acquisition of an ecommerce marketplace retailer boosted sales at the West Yorkshire company behind the Melrose Interiors brand last year.

Wholesale giant Headlam says high demand for residential carpets and other floorcoverings has helped mitigate weak figures from the commercial sector.

The pandemic and the collapse of home furnishings retailer Laura Ashley came ahead of a prominent window dressing supplier completing an insolvent restructure earlier this year, leaving creditors facing a shortfall.

Double-digit wholesale growth negated falling sales at Kettle Interiors U.K.'s retail division in 2019/20, though rising costs weighed on the cabinet company's profits.

Nobia, the Swedish kitchens conglomerate whose interests include U.K. retail chain Magnet, enjoyed a strong sales bounce back here in the second quarter on store reopenings and weak comparatives.

Likewise Group, the fast-expanding flooring distributor formed by former Headlam directors, says part of a fresh injection of equity funding has been earmarked to help fund acquisitions.

Andrew Porter UK has rebranded its furniture and homeware storage and fulfilment entity as AP+, specialising in end-to-end third-party logistics (3PL) solutions from its 300,000sqft purpose-built facility.

Sales and profits declined at Brighouse fabrics supplier Mobus last year but the company said it is well placed to prosper amid a changing landscape in the upholstery sector.

The merger between furniture conglomerates Herman Miller and Knoll will lead to the creation of MillerKnoll, which will become the new name for the combined corporate entity.



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