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

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

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has revamped its popular awards programme with the introduction of seven categories for 2022 including the return of awards for the best bed manufacturer and largest retailers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

National retailer ScS has hired a former Allied Carpets, MFI and Habitat executive to the newly created role of flooring director as it looks to bolster its proposition in the category, The Furnishing Report can reveal.

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

The combined turnover of U.K. furniture manufacturers reached a ten-figure total in a month for the first time in history as factories continued to be busy fulfilling outstanding orders taken late 2021 and into the early weeks of this year.

Investment and backers disclosed for the furniture-as-a-service (FaaS) provider that teamed with sofa-in-a-box brand Swyft earlier this year.

Eight employees from U.K. flooring contractor Designer Contracts are in training for a charity challenge to conquer the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

The investment arm of the sovereign wealth fund that owns Harrods, the prestige London department store retailer, has adjusted the make up of its holding company board.

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

The U.K. and Ireland distribution arm of global motion furniture giant La-Z-Boy found cost savings in the early stages of trading through a market upended by Covid restrictions.

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

The biggest operator of IKEA stores worldwide has earmarked London as a test bed for new formats and a repurposing of its wider superstore network.

The Furniture Makers' Company has installed Panaz Group founder and chairman Tony Attard OBE DL as its new master during an event that also saw Furniture Village co-founder Peter Harrison recognised for his career to date.

FIRA International, the furniture industry testing and services provider, is to host an online session taking in a broader look at flammability regulations incorporating the rules for Ireland, California and the U.K.

The home and lifestyle ecommerce retailer behind brands such as Vonhaus and Spinningfield found profit growth last year in what it described as another period of "unprecedented challenge."

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

Family-owned bricks-to-clicks retailer Bedstar bolstered its balance sheet in 2020/21, building cash to highest-ever recorded levels.

The investment conglomerate that bought British furniture wholesaler Julian Bowen last year has strengthened its home interest portfolio with the acquisition of a compatriot floorcoverings company.

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

Online-led furniture retailer Made.com has acquired Trouva, an ecommerce platform that offers a curated range of homewares, lifestyle and fashion products.

Deliveries in the U.K. and Ireland grew at a faster pace for Stressless in the first quarter of 2022 than in any other of its main reporting geographies, with the value of sales reaching almost half of the total for the entirety of last year.

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

Nascent lifestyle brand Jasper Conran London is to expand an existing agreement with general merchandise retail giant Next into furniture and homeware for the first time.

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

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an inquiry into the planned takeover of Recticel's engineered foam unit by Carpenter Co., the U.S. conglomerate. Both are key cogs in the U.K. furniture supply chain.

International sales dropped by almost a third for Wayfair in the first quarter as the ecommerce giant lapped exceptional comparators and weathered weaker trading in Europe, where Russia's invasion of Ukraine has spooked consumers.

Made.com, the ecommerce-led furniture, lighting and home accents retailer, has appointed tech leader Claire Valoti as an independent non-executive director.

Supply chain provider Wincanton is to hire 175 of lifestyle retailer The White Company's employees across fulfilment and warehousing roles as part of a new five-year partnership between the companies.

Bensons for Beds managing director for retail Alan Williams is to leave the business this autumn in a move that will see chief commercial and digital officer Nick Collard take on greater responsibilities. The company has also hired a new retail director.

General merchandise giant Next, one of the largest retailers of furniture in the U.K., found revenue growth in the three months to end April as sales rebalanced towards its store network.

One of the U.K.'s largest privately-owned retailers of furniture and flooring sold on a weekly instalment basis has expanded its sofa manufacturing facility.

Furniture, homeware, outdoor and lighting goods retailer Garden Trading has seen consumer demand soften since Easter as shoppers tightened their belts amid rising costs.

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

Ecommerce retailer MattressNextDay will move into a new purpose-built warehouse, showroom and head office facility later this year.

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

The owners of designer furniture and homeware retailer Heal's have written off a huge chunk of interest due on intercompany borrowings.

Clicks-to-bricks furniture and home accents retailer The Cotswold Company has strengthened its presence in the South East with the launch of a third new store inside six months.

John Lewis Partnership (JLP) is to hire 150 new technology workers as it makes a major investment in its digital capability across its flagship department store and supermarket brands.

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

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

Higher volumes helped The White Company, the national retailer that lists beds and upholstery among a wide-ranging home and lifestyle product offer, to book bigger profits last year.

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

The Conran Shop is to launch a programme of furniture and homewares as part of a collaboration with Collagerie, a lifestyle website founded by two former senior executives at British Vogue.

Revenue at Roche Bobois' U.K. business trended up sharply in the first quarter of 2022 thanks to a strong order book and lapping a period when its stores here were closed last year.

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

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

Department store chain John Lewis said the benefit it received from business rates relief last year was fully offset by other costs related to the pandemic.

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

Lapping tough comparatives and exiting unprofitable categories hit Argos sales in the past year but the retailer still found gains across key home merchandise such as furniture.

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

Higher sales flowed to the bottom line for mattress retail and wholesale company Emma - The Sleep Company last year as it expanded and rolled out its business model in more countries worldwide.

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

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

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

National beds specialist Bensons for Beds will next week take its new store concept to Wiltshire in a first-floor unit co-located with a privately-owned floorcoverings retailer.

Handy, a component supplier to the U.K. furniture and bedding industries, has raised £2,248 for The Furniture Makers' Company's (TFMC) Step 2 It Campaign.

A creditor-backed restructuring process and strong trading helped transform the balance sheet of upholstered furniture and beds retailer Willow and Hall last year.

A Yorkshire direct-to-consumer mattress brand delivered a second straight year of profitability and upped investment in stock amid the challenging environment regarding shipping.

Commercial recycling and circular economy specialist The Furniture Recycling Group (TFRG) is expanding its mattress rejuvenation service to help retailers recoup millions of pounds lost to returns each year.

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

Industry charity and City of London livery company The Furniture Makers' Company will host its eighth five-a-side football tournament this summer — the first in two years because of the pandemic.

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

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

The January Furniture Show will return to its usual dateline with show organisers on Monday confirming dates of January 22–25, 2023 for next year's exhibition.

Home and garden retail giant IKEA has converted a North East warehouse unit into a multi-purpose facility that now allows customers to collect orders placed online.

Home and garden ecommerce giant Wayfair will repeat its annual Way Day promotion in the U.K. this week, offering deep discounts across its home furnishings offer.

The value of furniture retail sales topped any other month in history in March as the industry continued to unwind order books built up in the second half of last year, official data shows.

Restructuring advisors looking to raise cash for the creditors of Sofa Workshop should soon be in a position to name the new owner of the brand after the deadline passed for bidders late last week.

Nestware Holdings, parent to retailers Carpetright, Flooring Supplies and Flooring Megastore along with wholesaler Carpet & Flooring, has appointed the former strategy chief at Sainsbury's as its new chief executive.

Concerns over the cost of living means consumers are reluctant to spend on higher value goods such as furniture according to new figures from polling company GfK.

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

Furniture wholesaler Birlea has agreed a deal that will see it become the U.K. and Ireland distributor of Disney branded furniture and home accessory products.

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

Strong demand indicates a tailwind for home-related spending remains, according to Colefax Group, owner of high-end soft furnishings brands and a prestige British sofa maker.

High-end tiles, wood flooring, bathroom and decorating retailer Fired Earth ended 2021 in stronger shape after its CVA enabled it to almost cut its showroom network in half.

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

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

Eyres of Chesterfield, one of the U.K.'s most storied privately-owned furniture retailers, has ceased trading three years shy of its 150th anniversary. It had already been closed since January pending a planned store refurbishment and relaunch.

Upholstered furniture retailer Sofology has hired a former Currys and Ralph Lauren executive to the newly-created role of digital and business development director.

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

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

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

Ecommerce furniture and homeware retailer Shabby is back trading again after its stock, IP and other assets were bought out of administration by an ambitious rival that was until recently focussed solely on rugs.

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

South West furniture and home improvement retailer Gardiner Haskins booked larger profits last year as it recovered some of the business lost in the early part of the pandemic.

Furniture retailer Made.com will focus on taking market share as it adjusts to changes in the demand environment, according to Susanne Given, who has chaired the company's board since 2015.

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

W.J. Aldiss, one of the largest privately-owned furniture retailers in the country, says it is well placed after emerging in stronger shape following almost two years of Covid-impacted trading.

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

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

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

David Woodward, master of industry charity The Furniture Makers' Company, has completed a 110-mile hike of the Grand Union Canal, raising £10,000 in the final planned fundraiser in the year-long Step 2 It campaign.

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

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

Further sales growth helped upmarket beds and bedroom furniture retailer And So To Bed build momentum in 2021 after it had returned to profit the previous year.

Furniture and homeware retail giant Dunelm Group says sales were more than two-thirds higher than last year in the first three months of 2022 as it lapped a period when its stores were closed and it traded solely online.

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

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

The company behind modern furniture brand West Elm's U.K. retail and wholesale business said increased activity across all channels has helped it reverse a 2020/21 slide in sales.

Furniture giant Natuzzi has turned to the office furniture sector for the leader of its newly-formed Furnishing and Accessories business unit, which it hopes will boost order values across its retail network.

Flooring group Victoria says its ability to deliver while others couldn't because they were short of stock enhanced its reputation and has led to market share gains over the past year.

U.K. carpet imports climbed double-digit in February despite flat trade with Belgium, historically the largest trading partner for British buyers.

A U.K. bedding retailer chaired for most of the past decade by former Marks and Spencer CEO Sir Stuart Rose is on the cusp of being sold to U.S. furniture and bedding retail and wholesale group Malouf Companies.

The value of U.K. furniture manufacturers' combined turnover was the highest ever recorded in February, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Direct-to-consumer and wholesale mattress company Emma Sleep U.K. has strengthened its U.K. and Ireland retail team with the appointment of a fifth member.

Princes Risborough bed manufacturer Hypnos has bolstered its sustainability team with the appointment of Gary Mitchell to the newly-created role of sustainable development manager.

Bed maker Sleepeezee is bringing its brand ambassador Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, the Olympic champion heptathlete, to the INDX Beds and Bedroom show later this month.

High demand and wider margins helped Italian furniture conglomerate Natuzzi enjoy a €30 million profit swing last year, with it saying it has continued to write strong business in the early part of 2022.

Furniture and home retailer Heal's said gross underlying sales were the highest the business has ever recorded last year despite the disruption of the pandemic.

Plans to build on a circa 10,000sqft car park behind Lee Longlands' Broad Street furniture store in Birmingham have been given the go-ahead by the local council.

Cylindo, the fast-growing 3D product visualisation platform that lists the likes of Loaf among hundreds of furniture retail clients, has been sold to Chaos, a world leader in photorealistic rendering technology based in Germany.

Sofa Club, the upholstered furniture retailer that sells online and through seven sites across U.K. shopping centres, has reimagined its brand image and product offer.

The group behind Furniture123, widely considered the U.K.'s first dedicated ecommerce furniture retailer, enjoyed bumper growth last year and a near four-fold rise in profits.

The price instability in the crude oil and natural gas markets has triggered the introduction of phenomena that the foam industry has not seen for decades, according to the head of the organisation that represents the principal actors in the sector.

Ecommerce retailer MattressNextDay has partnered with Ecologi, an environmental organisation that helps both consumers and corporates by funding projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Housing Units, the privately-owned North West retailer known for its top-hatted doormen, is celebrating its 75th anniversary through 2022.

A share issue at designer furniture, home and lifestyle retailer The Conran Shop has delivered a new seven-figure equity injection.

RA Irwin & Company said its mattress ticking operations continued to perform strongly in what was a year of change for the Craigavon supplier.

Upmarket outdoor dining and indoor lounge furniture company Bridgman has opened a new showroom in Kent, taking its nationwide store count to six.

New accounts for the company behind an Oxfordshire oak furniture ecommerce specialist suggest it enjoyed strong demand last year.

BFM says U.K. furniture retailers should prepare for further price rises after its members were hit by a slew of rising input costs amid an already inflationary environment.

Global home furnishings company Designers Guild says a huge amount of re-engineering work has helped position it to emerge from the pandemic as a stronger and more robust business.

The number of furniture and flooring industry companies filing for insolvency continued to normalise in the first quarter, up sharply on last year but below historic trends.

The U.K.'s antitrust regulator has found that Där Lighting restricted retailers' freedom to set their own prices online between 2017–2019 and fined the company £1.5 million.

Sales jumped by almost half for major rug distributor Flair Flooring last year to help counter the impact of rising costs and inflationary pressures.

Curve Craft, a custom manufacturer of curved doors and cabinetry used in the installation of high-end kitchens, is expanding into new East Midlands premises.

Furniture and home conglomerate Wayfair has promoted one of the key executives behind its rise in the U.K. market to a new senior role.

Administrators have been appointed to weekly payments furniture, appliances and electricals retailer Perfect Home, almost ten months after it announced a managed wind down of its operations.

Tempur Sealy International will delay the launch of a new programme of products designed to bring the Tempur brand to a wider customer base because of the economic fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

10-store beds retailer Mattressman is clearing stock ahead of an overhaul of its flagship East of England showroom.

Bedlinen and homewares company Bedeck has renewed a licensing agreement with soft furnishings supplier Sanderson Design Group for a further three years and widened it to include new markets.

FIRA International, the furniture test house and services provider, says it has gained accreditation to the Irish Government's equivalent to the U.K. fire regs in a move it hopes will make exports easier for British manufacturers.

The mattress making and components arms of Leeds beds group Harrison Spinks found big growth last year, citing the impact of product development through the pandemic.

Portugal's Aquinos Group, one of Europe's largest sofa and bed manufacturers, has completed the takeover of the bedding division of Belgian foam conglomerate Recticel.

Likewise Group has agreed to buy West Yorkshire flooring distributor Delta Carpets from its private shareholders in a cash and shares deal worth £3 million.

Karen Witts will succeed Laura Carr as chief financial officer at Dunelm Group, the furniture and homeware retailer has announced.

Home and leisure retail chain The Range has opened in the former John Lewis at Home store at Ashford in Kent.

Bensons for Beds is launching a refreshed visual identity alongside a new service called 'your bed, your way' that it hopes will allow its store staff to match customers with the right mattress.

West Yorkshire furniture wholesaler Andy Thornton enjoyed a seven-figure profits turnaround last year after sales rebounded and it found cost savings.

Revenue at Nottinghamshire furniture wholesaler Julian Bowen was even stronger in 2020/21 than that indicated by its new majority shareholder when it completed a buyout last autumn.

Fast-growing U.K. floorcoverings distributor Likewise Group has moved to incentivise key officials across the business with the granting of new share options.



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