The insolvent restructure that wiped out the equity interest of the founder of ecommerce retailer Oak Furniture Superstore has resulted in elevated stakes for other shareholders, including the founder of Oak Furnitureland.

Maisons du Monde, the €1.2 billion turnover furniture and home décor retailer, will this week begin a managed close down of its U.K. operations.

Lawyers acting for general merchandise retailer Next will argue the case for the fashion-to-furniture chain next month as an intellectual property dispute with a German company moves closer to a resolution.

Profits remained robust through 2022/23 for the North East company that describes itself as the first affordably-priced memory foam mattress competitor to market leader Tempur.

Corporate reorganisation follows spring 2022 takeover by Norwegian furniture conglomerate.

Industry charity The Furniture Makers' Company is planning a summer event designed to promote knowledge sharing and elevate the understanding of sustainability issues.

Designer furniture and homeware retailer Heal's saw cash decline by more than £5 million last year as a consequence of the unwind of its large order book and of it retiring a portion of its outstanding debt.

Two unrelated privately-owned kitchen companies with combined sales north of £30 million were placed into administration within days of each other in the past fortnight.

Nearly 20 furniture, flooring and furnishing industry founders, owners and families were named among the 350 wealthiest in the country according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2023, published this weekend.

Furniture and dependent store retailer Bradbeers will this autumn open an own-brand store in the large Salisbury property it formerly leased to Debenhams.

News in brief from across the U.K. furnishings sector.

Third-party investors have taken a multi-million pound minority equity position in Neptune, the Wiltshire headquartered furniture design, wholesale and retail group.

Major furniture supplier Global Home Group has written to retailers outlining price cuts across a number of its established cabinet collections, following through on a promise made last year.

The Floor Room, the flooring retail brand launched by Carpetright owner Nestware two years ago, is to take over responsibility for all of John Lewis’ fitted flooring, from customer consultation to installation.

Exports of core furniture products such as mattresses, sofas and dining sets inched higher in the first quarter of 2023, rising to the highest level in four years.

High-end furniture roll-up Italian Design Brands launched its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on Thursday, raising €70 million from the issue of new shares in the company.

Upholstery conglomerate Man Wah Holdings booked lower profits through 2022/23 as the impact of cheaper raw material costs was countered by a drop in revenue.

The value of wood living, dining and bedroom cabinet imports dropped for the fourth month in a row in March on the back of lower figures from China and Vietnam.

A highly-regarded retailer with furniture stores in Ayr and Glasgow made its biggest gain in the past decade as it continued build in the year to January 31, 2023.

Williams-Sonoma, the U.S. conglomerate behind the West Elm and Pottery Barn retail formats, has launched GreenRow, a new consumer brand specialised in the use of sustainable materials and manufacturing practices to create colourful, vintage-inspired heirloom quality products.

A £7.4 million rise in revenue failed to lift profits at a London based contract furniture provider as it grappled with rising shipping and product costs through 2021/22.

Mattress and ancillary sleep products retailer Woolroom maintained a positive bottom line last year after a break-out period in the run up to and through the pandemic.

Import volumes of foam and sprung mattresses into the U.K. climbed for the third straight month in March, but the value of those products was lower compared with last year.

The co-owner of the furniture company behind The Interior Outlet retail store in Yorkshire says a variety of factors resulted in its insolvency including unresolved issues in its supply chain.

International floorcoverings supplier Victoria has moved its registered headquarters to the company's purpose-built 185,000sqft distribution and administration centre at Worcester.

Danish furniture and homeware retailer JYSK will take U.K. store numbers to 30 with the launch of a new branch in Warrington later this month.

A court filing has put creditors of a heritage producer and distributor of table, dining and homeware products on high alert ahead of a possible insolvent restructure.

The value and volume of upholstered furniture arriving in the U.K. from overseas declined again in March, largely as a result of weak data from China.

The owner of The Conran Shop has invested more equity into the modern furniture, homeware and lifestyle retailer via a fresh share issue.

Losses widened at fast-expanding floorcoverings distributor Likewise Group last year despite top line gains driven by acquisition and organic growth from a larger market presence.

U.K. importers continued to buy in less carpet in March as both the value and volume of goods arriving at British ports fell again, new figures show.

Raw material price inflation has eased only to be usurped by rising costs elsewhere, according to a poll of U.K. producers by the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM).

TCM Living, the upholstery group behind the Ashley Manor, Alstons and Alexander & James brands, found margin in the first quarter but lower revenue and one-off restructuring costs meant profits still declined.

Upholstery giant Man Wah Holdings has been ordered to pay only a fraction of the damages a jury awarded last year after an intellectual property dispute with furniture components manufacturer Raffel Systems.

Nailsea retailer Orchards The Furniture People is to call time on over 50 years of trading and close permanently ahead of its owners' planned retirement.

Restructuring fees are expected to swallow up most if not all of the agreed consideration for mattress machinery maker MPT Group following its insolvent rescue last month.

The Branded Furniture Company (TBFC) agreed an extension to its furniture license with Orla Kiely ahead of new product being shown at its Open House Event this week (May 9–12, 2023).

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has paid tribute to its past president and bed industry great John Hancock MBE, who has died aged 84.

The current valuation of international urban furniture retail brand BoConcept has declined in the past year, according to its longtime private equity backer.

Higher prices and the completion of winter sales orders kept U.K. furniture factories busy as turnover at the factory gate reached an all-time high landmark in March.

The write-off of a related party loan was behind furniture and flooring rental retailer Pay Weekly Carpets & Vinyl reporting a loss last year despite rising output from its in-house sofa manufacturing unit.

W Exhibition, the U.K. trade show for the furniture manufacturing and joinery industries, has rebranded as Materials & Finishes Show ahead of its scheduled return in Birmingham next year.

John Lewis of Hungerford has agreed the £3 million sale and leaseback of its Oxfordshire factory amid wider plans to save cash by delisting from the Alternative Investors Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange.

U.K. sales jumped for mattress brand Emma Sleep according to just-filed figures that take in some of the most lucrative months of the pandemic for large players in the ecommerce home sector.

National retailer Tapi Carpets & Floors has launched a programme of eco-friendly carpets manufactured from recycled polyester and plans to add further sustainable smooth flooring options in the near future.

Heritage independent furniture retailer Ewen & Company has begun a retirement sale ahead of the planned permanent closure of its Aberdeen premises.

The National Bed Federation’s (NBF) consumer arm Bed Advice U.K. has sponsored The Sleep Charity’s new adult sleep eBook, which aims to help the nation sleep better.

Graham & Green acquired a new 100,000sqft distribution centre last year as the furniture and homeware retailer looked to make itself more cost efficient amid rising output.

Global supply chain delays ratcheted up the pressure on mattress machinery maker MPT Group ahead of an insolvent restructure that has seen all jobs saved.

The leader of Tempur Sealy International (TSI) says the takeover of U.K. market leader Dreams augurs well for the much-larger planned acquisition of its compatriot retailer Mattress Firm in a deal worth $4 billion.

The md of the Yorkshire distribution company that bought the Corian solid surface material to the U.K. home furnishings market has completed a management buyout.

Tempur Sealy International (TSI), the world's largest bedding company and owner of U.K. bed market leader Dreams, has agreed to acquire Mattress Firm, the largest bed retailer in the U.S., in a cash and shares deal worth $4 billion.

Gallery Direct has expanded its home accents business with the acquisition of Art Marketing, a wall art, clocks and photo frames supplier. The Kent company has also announced a management reorganisation that will see md Peter Delaney take on a new brief.

Edward Tadros, chairman of family-owned furniture maker Ercol until the summer of last year, has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and furnishing industry charity.

The owner of contemporary sofa maker Roger Lewis is overseeing the distribution of The Conran Shop’s exclusive in-house designs to the U.K. commercial market after it formed a strategic alliance with the high-end design retailer.

The London based company that claims to offer the world’s most advanced, breathable bamboo mattress returned seven-figure profits for the second straight year through 2021/22.

The issue of newly-allotted shares helped fund the Cotswolds-based ecommerce bedding brand Bedfolk last year as it sustained a trading deficit.

Export sales jumped by a quarter to help South Wales furniture maker Bisley continue its recovery from the impact of Covid disruption through 2021/22.

Consumer creditors and the tax authorities are the biggest losers from the fallout of the closure of an award-winning Yorkshire kitchen vertical that had built its ethos around sustainable design and manufacturing.

Amanda Waring, the furniture and garden designer, has been installed as the 61st Master of The Furniture Makers' Company, and plans to raise awareness of the industry's future leaders during her time at the helm.

Jones & Tomlin, one of the country's largest privately-owned bed specialists, is to expand its store footprint beyond its home county after it acquired the freehold to a former Bathstore unit.

A director and shareholder of MPT Group, a well known North West manufacturer of machines used in the production of mattresses, has acquired certain assets of the company via an insolvent buyout.

Gola Wood Works, a cabinet furniture company registered at Downpatrick, County Down, has been placed into administration through restructuring advisors at KPMG.

International revenue fell double-digit for ecommerce home goods platform Wayfair in the first quarter, returning to the levels seen at the outset of the pandemic.

National soft furnishings, lighting and home accents brand Julian Charles Home has laid down a marker in a profitable first full year since a private equity backed buyout.

Bedroom furniture manufacturer Home Decor has seen its liabilities slashed thanks to a loan waiver from its longtime private equity backer.

First quarter U.K. and Ireland revenue declined in line with the global trend for Stressless brand owner Ekornes in the three months to end March.

Industrial conglomerate Leggett & Platt, a key cog in the U.K. mattress supply chain, posted a weaker first quarter performance as it lapped a record period last year.

General merchandise retailer Next outperformed expectations in the past three months but warned off any over exuberance by cutting sales forecasts for the next quarter.

U.K. kitchen giant Wren has expanded its showroom network in North America as it looks to build on major investment in manufacturing in the U.S. market.

South Wales upholstered furniture manufacturer Ashwood Designs has appointed Gary Thompson as sales director.

Connection Retail, the group behind brands including Flooring Superstore and Direct Wood Flooring, has restructured its cost base after a year in which it incurred a seven-figure deficit.

Restructuring advisors trying to recoup funds for the estate of an insolvent cabinet furniture retail business could result in a non-trading property company being placed into administration.

The former owner of the Conran & Partners interior design and architecture practice has disclosed the terms of the sale of the business to its management team for the first time.

Kellars expects to grow by a fifth in its current financial period after the the first full year impact of its depots in Glasgow and Rugby helped boost its national profile last year.

Stronger gross margin helped protect profitability for Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland wholesaler Flanagan Flooring last year amid rising costs and lower revenue.

Upholstery and flooring retailer ScS is partnering Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity, by supporting the organisation’s work with donations of cash, unwanted products, and time.

A Scotland based ecommerce trader has become the latest supplier of upholstery to fall foul of the U.K. flammability regulations with four of its models said to present a serious fire risk.

The longtime private equity backer of Brintons says it has successfully negotiated revised debt covenants with the banking syndicate that lends to the group, shoring up the historic carpet maker's finances.

Google and HM Revenue & Customs stand to lose most from the insolvency of the company that until a few days ago ran the Divan Bed Warehouse ecommerce mattress and bedding retail business.

Pooky, the lighting brand created by one of the co-founders of Sofa.com, is opening its first retail showroom in the North of England and its third overall.

Revenue recovered close to pre-pandemic levels for heritage independent home goods retailer Gardiner Haskins last year after a second straight period of growth. Profits also climbed.

Dubious traders tricking U.K. consumers into buying cheap mattresses that purport to be made with much higher specifications are costing the bed industry £100 million a year, says the National Bed Federation (NBF).

Phil Spademan has been appointed managing director of trade association British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM), replacing Sean Holt who has left after fewer than 18 months in the role.

Ecommerce retailer Divan Bed Warehouse is now trading through a different corporate structure after a tax demand from HM Revenue & Customs prompted a predecessor operating company to enter liquidation.

Industrial conglomerate Recticel says foam company Carpenter has communicated its intent to pay less than had been previously agreed to acquire its Engineered Foams business.

Magnet owner Nobia said first quarter revenue declined in the U.K. as it began a wide-ranging restructuring programme that sees the closure of two kitchen factories here and other business model adjustments.

Wincanton has made what it described as a multi-million pound investment in electric vehicle technology to provide home delivery services for IKEA, the U.K.'s largest home furnishings retailer.

Privately-owned ecommerce retailer MattressNextDay has begun listing the Simba Sleep mattress programme among its product offering for the first time.

Independent furniture retailer Vale Furnishers invested more than half of its large cash reserves into property during a year in which it posted record revenue and higher adjusted profits.

Positive rent talks with landlords means general merchandise retailer Argos plans to cull fewer stores than previously anticipated over the course of the next 12 months.

Profits declined at one of China's largest diversified furniture manufacturers last year as rising costs chewed away some of the benefits of double-digit revenue growth.

Norfolk Leisure Lifestyle, a supplier of garden furniture and other outdoor goods that has more than doubled sales through the pandemic, built inventory to new record high levels ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) is launching a month-long campaign called May Be Time for a new Mattress through May with the aim of supporting retail marketing efforts through what is often a slower trading period.

Sharps continued to generate high adjusted profits according to new figures that concurrently disclose the terms of the furniture chain's sale to a new private equity backer for the first time.

Fabrics and wallcoverings supplier Sanderson Design Group shrugged off the impact of flat sales and rising input costs to find profit growth in the year to January 31, 2023.

Bed spring maker Leggett & Platt Springs U.K is reorganising its commercial department in preparation for the planned retirement of longtime executive David Nuttall.

An interior design portal acquired by the co-founder of online estate agent Purplebricks last year has raised new equity funding from shareholders.

Furniture and home furnishings industry news headlines in brief.

The Chinese furniture group that acquired Stressless brand owner Ekornes in a highly-leveraged buyout back in 2018 has introduced a new private equity minority shareholder as part of a refinancing of the Norwegian company.

Flooring group Victoria says the laying off of hundreds of workers at Balta plants in Belgium and the shift of production to factories here and in Turkey will deliver synergy gains of no less than €15 million per year.

Department store and bed shop retailer W.J. Daniel & Company has one final tranche of cash to pay before completing a multi-million pound share buyback agreed two years ago.

Profits declined sharply at Elstead Lighting last year as narrower gross margin and rising administrative costs countered the positive impact of sales growth, particularly in export markets.

Sterling-denominated U.K. revenue climbed double-digit for high-end French furniture brand Roche Bobois during the first three months of 2023 in a sign that wealthy customers are still spending.

Big Shots, the clay pigeon shoot that is historically the biggest fundraiser in the furniture industry's charity calendar, will this year take place Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

The group behind prestige Italian furniture brands including Gervasoni, Gamma Arredamenti and Meridiani is planning to raise acquisition capital with an initial public offering (IPO) on Milan's Euronext exchange.

Profits remained at more than twice pre-pandemic levels for The White Company last year as the retailer saw its customer base pivot back to the store channel and category sales rebalance after a bumper period for home.

A long-awaited Register of Approved Mattress Recyclers is now live in a major development in the industry-led effort to divert old mattresses from entering the waste disposal stream.

Buoyant Upholstery, one of the U.K.'s largest sofa manufacturers, has invested over £215,000 on the installation of 700 solar panels on the roof of part of its Lancashire facility.

Bed maker Sleepeezee says investment at its Kent factory along with supporting overseas carbon offsetting projects have helped it achieve key sustainability targets and maintain its carbon neutral status.

Consumer sentiment towards the purchase of higher value goods such as furniture has recovered to its strongest level in over a year this month, according to a survey by polling company GfK.

Seven companies from the across the U.K. furnishings sector claimed King's Awards for Enterprise, including two for the Harrison Spinks beds, components and fillings group in Leeds.

Privately-owned West Yorkshire mattress maker Apollo Beds maintained elevated profits last year after earlier doubling net income during the pandemic.

The value of U.K. furniture and lighting retail sales advanced on a year-on-year basis last month but volumes remained below 2022 levels.

The CEO of Natuzzi says the upholstered furniture giant is planning to offload more assets in deals akin to the disposal of a foam plant in southern Italy just over two years ago.

The audit of the accounts of Made.com Group in the year before the defunct furniture retailer collapsed into administration is to be investigated by the accounting watchdog.

James Heese, commercial director at ScS, has been elected to the board of the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) with a brief to support the trade association's new retail membership category.

Profits declined at Heal's last year as the designer furniture and homeware retailer grappled inflationary pressures on two separate fronts.

Ercol Furniture (ercol) is launching two of its best-loved designs in British ash with the Princes Risborough manufacturer saying it wants its backing for home-grown timber to be an example for the industry.

Furniture, fabrics and homeware retailer Susie Watson Designs is to build out its retail footprint with the opening of its eleventh store next month.

Growth accelerated for Dunelm in the third quarter of its financial year as a strong Winter Sale and higher digital contribution helped sales increase at a faster pace than in the first half.

Rob Freeman and Kirstie McIntosh have been promoted to new roles at Frank Olsen Furniture, the supplier of living room, AV and bedroom cabinets featuring integrated tech such as wireless charging and voice-controlled lighting.

The multi-million pound launch of Strandfoam U.K. into the British market has driven down prices in the foam supply sector and disrupted the status quo, according to its owner.

Furniture retailer Loaf is to break store size records for the second time this year as it expands its footprint in the North of England later in 2023.

Fears voiced by restructuring advisors last year that creditors of the now-closed retailer Manns of Cranleigh wouldn't see a 100 percent dividend have proven unfounded after a multi-million pound property deal completed.

Consumer price inflation for household furniture eased to a 19-month low in March while input cost inflation at the furniture factory gate fell to its lowest level in over two years.

A multi-showroom London floorcoverings company has put creditors on alert after it filed a notice of intent to appoint an administrator (NOI).

Swarupa Pathakji, a longtime director of both value retailer Original Factory Shop and its private equity backer Duke Street, is to join the board of ScS as a non-executive director.

Revenue growth accelerated for Bensons for Beds in the three months to end March with the vertically-integrated retailer announcing plans to step up its store expansion programme.

Imports of foam and sprung mattress imports into the U.K. increased on the back of shipments from China almost doubling compared with the same period last year.

Nestware, the owner of both Britain's largest floorcoverings retailer and standalone wholesale business, says it has already realised synergies from the separate 2020 buyout of a major flooring etailer.

Sleep Expo Europe, a new exhibition and conference for the European mattress, bedding and sleep tech industries, is to take place in the Netherlands in just over a year from now.

Imports from India and Vietnam halved in February to send overall timber living, dining and bedroom furniture shipments down by a quarter compared with last year.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has appointed Tristine Hargreaves as its new executive director, succeeding Jessica Alexander whose decision to stand down was announced last October.

The chief executive of the upholstery group behind G Plan, Parker Knoll and Duresta says supply chain challenges have eased and demand returned to normal, putting it on the path to improved profitability.

The family of one of the great-grandsons of the founder of fabrics group Romo has bought out another great-grandson and his family in a transaction that concentrates ownership of the circa £100 million business.

High-end bedroom furniture and mattress retailer And So To Bed achieved wider gross margin last year as it adjusted its sales strategy to reflect the inflationary cost backdrop.

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

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

Upholstery retailer Sofology has taken over the whole of the top floor of Redbrick Mill with the launch of a new concept lifestyle store branded Sofology The Edit.

Cheaper shipping costs failed to prevent an eighth straight slide in upholstery import volumes in the first quarter with all three major source nations sending less product to the U.K.

The owner of the retailer widely considered to be the U.K.'s first dedicated online furniture store says inventory is now back to optimum levels and the business back in profit.

The value of carpet imports into the U.K. was flat in February as higher prices compensated for a double-digit decline in volumes.

More than half of the vast roster of Natuzzi furniture stores around the world are now located in China, the company revealed on Thursday after a raft of new openings by its joint venture partner in the past year.

Natuzzi recorded a net loss in the final quarter of 2022 citing higher interest rates as having increased borrowing costs as well as impacting consumer demand around the world.

Designer furniture and homeware retailer Heal's has time-lined the launch programme for its remodelled flagship store on London's Tottenham Court Road (TCR).

Furniture vertical Ashley Ann took two-year capital expenditure to well over £2 million as it invested heavily during what proved a stronger year for the Scotland based kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms business.

The value of U.K. furniture manufacturing turnover declined on an annual basis for the first time in two years in February, official data out Thursday morning showed, but January figures were better than first reported.

Visitor numbers soared to well north of pre-Covid levels at the Guangzhou-based China International Furniture Fair last month, organisers have reported.

Kent bed maker Sleepeezee Holdings has agreed an £18 million buy-in transaction with Legal & General Assurance Society, securing the pension benefits of around 200 retired and deferred scheme members.



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