The National Bed Federation (NBF) last night crowned the winners of its 2023 Bed Industry Awards at the Bed Show Gala Dinner in Telford, as well as recognising the career of its longtime executive director Jessica Alexander.

The CEO at Beales has retaken control of the department store retailer, ending its spell in the same corporate group as home furnishings chain Fabb Furniture.

Mattress brand Brook + Wilde is back after its new owner relaunched its ecommerce platform with a revised logotype and updated url, both reflecting its new corporate name.

Upholstery group Belfield has appointed a new chief financial officer, filling a role that has been vacant since the departure of former Vita Group finance director David Meltham late last year.

Furniture retailer Loaf has confirmed the location of the Redbrick unit that will become the largest across its entire store network when it opens next month.

Land of Beds has relaunched its ecommerce website after a 12-month project led by its in-house software team and using its own proprietary technology.

Upholstered furniture manufacturer Whitemeadow cemented its position as the U.K.'s largest wholly-independent sofa maker last year, outperforming its domestic peers.

The ownership positions of major shareholders in Tapi Carpets & Floors including the founder of DFS and the deputy chairman of Dunelm remain undiluted despite thousands of shares changing hands and the issue of new equity.

The group behind North West manufacturer and flooring insurance claims handler Cavalier Carpets found earnings growth last year despite lower revenue.

Flooring distributor STS says the second half of 2023 has got off to a promising start after a softer trading period stymied efforts to hit targets earlier this year.

Profits were more than a third higher at home, fashion and lifestyle retailer Oliver Bonas last year as revenue jumped to nine figures for the first time in its history.

Furniture and lighting retail sales climbed on both a value and volume basis in August as they continued to lap weak data from last year.

DFS has signposted the expected financial costs associated with the planned closure of its 24,000sqft Long Eaton manufacturing site, the smallest of the retailer's three sofa factories.

Consumer confidence for major purchases improved for a second straight month in September and is now at its least-weak level since February 2022.

General merchandise retail giant Next failed to buck the weak furniture market in the six months to July despite revenue gains elsewhere in its business.

DFS says it hopes to find about £50 million of annualised cost savings over the next three years with half of that to come from product-related initiatives.

The buildout of the retail footprint of Sofology can lead to the brand becoming the second largest upholstered furniture retailer in the country, according to parent company and market leader DFS.

The owner of the Trago Mills (Trago) shopping destinations in southwest England and Wales slipped to a seven-figure deficit last year despite revenue recovering to pre-Covid levels.

National retail chain Oak Furnitureland has launched its first upholstered storage bed range after a pilot programme that saw a near four-fold rise in online bed sales.

Furniture and homeware retailer Dunelm has earmarked up to £80 million for new and relocated store openings over the next two years as it looks to accelerate the pace at which it expands its physical footprint.

Retail giant Dunelm said its share of the furniture market was flat through 2022/23 with gains in some big-ticket categories partially negated by weaker sales in others.

Consumer price inflation for household furniture narrowed to its lowest level in well over two years last month as post-pandemic pressure points on the industry continued to ease.

Silentnight, already the U.K.'s biggest bed maker, could become more than three times the size of its next largest equivalent after massive sales growth through the early months of its 2023/24 financial year.

Imports volumes across key case goods categories climbed for the first time in well over a year at the height of summer, driven largely by lower prices.

Off-price furniture and homeware retailer Homesense booked its highest-ever sales for the second year in a row through 2022/23, despite slowing demand.

Upholstered furniture manufacturer and retailer The Sofa Library is to double store numbers with the opening of a new store on the South Coast.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) is to research how the industry can measure the cleanliness of reused and recycled materials from beds and mattresses thanks to a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) with Manchester Metropolitan University (ManMet).

Stokers group is now several weeks in to building work that will turn the site of Lancashire furniture retailer Doorway to Value into one of the largest destination stores in the country.

Mattress imports returned to growth in July with the product category on track for a new record high over the course of a full year despite inconsistent figures through 2023 so far.

The balance sheet value of historic Sheffield department store retailer Atkinsons has climbed for the first time since it received a boost from a property sale three years ago.

Rising operating costs negated the impact of revenue jumping by nearly a fifth at Northern Ireland based department store and bedding chain S.D. Kells in the past year.

The Furniture Makers’ Company has unveiled the logo for MyFurnitureCareer.org.uk, the new early careers website launching later this month.

Restructuring advisors were called in to the £5 million company behind ecommerce beds retailer Bed SOS after an investigation that saw stock seized at a sister retail business unit.

Weak figures from key European source markets sent sofa imports to an eighth consecutive year-on-slide in July. Chinese imports also fell, but at a shallower rate.

Designer furniture, lighting and lifestyle retailer The Conran Shop has completed its return to Chelsea with the opening of its long-planned new store at Sloane Square.

The insolvent buyout of Midlands kitchen maker Mereway by South Wales based Sigma 3 leaves most creditors nursing an expected shortfall, according to a new report.

Profits declined from a record high for HSL last year as the upholstered furniture and beds specialist booked higher costs, outweighing the impact of double-digit sales growth.

A serial West Yorkshire investor in distressed assets has come to the rescue of ecommerce kids furniture retailer Great Little Trading Company after it was placed into administration earlier this week.

Department store retailer John Lewis will improve its credit offer as it looks to arrest a slide in big-ticket sales with customers holding back on home items ahead of peak trading.

Shares in Victoria gained on Thursday after audited results were published confirming no changes to key preliminary data released a month ago.

Marks and Spencer (M&S) will next week launch cabinet and upholstery designed and branded in collaboration with Swoon, the ecommerce-led furniture company.

Holly Yates has been promoted to managing director at The French Bedroom Company, the Sussex-based ecommerce furniture retailer.

Aquafil, the world's largest supplier of textile flooring yarn, is planning to close its Scottish carpet yarn facility with the expected loss of more than 30 jobs.

British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) is moving its longstanding fabric show to a new dateline and venue and will run it alongside the inaugural Furniture Component Expo in 2024.

Home furnishings retailer Glasswells has presented Graham Vale, deputy carpet manager at its Bury St Edmunds store, with an award for 50 years of service.

Underlying profits fell sharply on higher costs and weaker output for Mattressman in the year to March, but the successful completion of a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) helped repair the bed retailer's balance sheet.

Carpet imports returned to negative year-on-year territory in July after a rare increase at the start of the summer proved to be just a blip.

The East of England beds retail group behind the Mattressman chain has appointed Kevin Johnson, the former chief executive of The Cotswold Company, as chairman.

A Finnish furniture recommerce company with plans to become the Europe-wide category leader has raised €2.5 million from a Nordic venture capital collective to support its growth ambitions.

Home and leisure retailer The Range has agreed to buy the brand and other intellectual property of Wilko, the hardware and convenience store retailer that filed for insolvency last month.

Upholstery market leader DFS plans to consolidate production at its larger factories resulting in the planned closure of its Berkeley Magna plant in Long Eaton, and a nearby woodmill that supplies it.

The upstream mattress and upholstery supply chain has limited bad debt exposure following the reorganisation at the motion furniture group behind the MiBed and Hestia brands, according to new statutory filings.

U.K. factory gate furniture turnover declined at its sharpest rate in 29 months in July but the Office for National Statistic (ONS) says the previous three months were not as bad as originally reported.

H.I.G. European Capital Partners (H.I.G.) has launched a takeover approach for delivery and logistics company DX (Group), one of the largest operators in U.K. furniture and beds fulfilment.

Half-year profits came within a whisker of last year at French furniture retail brand Roche Bobois as rising output mitigated cost increases.

Two furniture industry organisations have teamed to launch a free service that will support furniture and furnishing businesses in closing their skills gaps and recruiting new apprentices.

Restructuring advisors at Kroll says they have released an initial multi-million pound distribution to a subsidiary of retail giant Frasers Group, the secured creditor of insolvent TV shopping network Ideal World.

The owner of beds and upholstery group Airsprung and furniture brand Fabb has provided further debt finance to Beales, the once-national department store retailer.

Post-pandemic revenue recovered for the U.K. arm of high-end Italian furniture maker Poltrona Frau but higher costs weighed on the bottom line.

Former JYSK apprentice Rami Jensen has formally taken over as president and CEO of the Danish furniture conglomerate, completing a long succession programme that has been two years in the planning.

Bluebone Imports worked down stock levels and rebuilt its balance sheet though 2022/23 ahead of it bringing back a popular brand to the U.K. market this autumn.

The Dewsbury beds manufacturer behind the Komfet brand has filed for insolvency leaving creditors facing a forecast shortfall of approaching £2 million.

Revenue and earnings dipped for Danish modern furniture conglomerate BoConcept through 2022/23 in a year that still saw some notable successes.

Panther Logistics' revenue passed nine figures for the first time last year as the warehousing and two-person delivery company profitably onboarded a series of new customers.

Alessi, the Italian designer homeware company, saw revenue drop back at its wholly-owned U.K. operation in 2022. Sales still remained ahead of the preceding seven years.


Turnover was down 12 percent to £4.26 million at Alessi (U.K). in the 12 months to December 31, 2022, with the business unit delivering profits down 5.7 percent to £78,693.

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Alessi (U.K) revenue: 2013–2022 (£m)


Alessi uk sales550

The Italian company's products are sold via its own channels as well as through third parties spanning department store retailer John Lewis to design retailers including Heal's and SCP.


Net assets for the U.K. subsidiary increased to £1.12 million (2021: £1.05m), which largely reflects £1.3 million of historic shareholder equity funding.

Sean Holt has been named managing director of Commercial Interiors U.K. (CIUK), the trade association representing the contract furniture and furnishings sectors.

Glasswells has presented longtime bed buyer Julie Valentine with an award for 30 years of loyal service at the major independent home furnishings retailer.

RH, the luxury furniture retailer formerly known as Restoration Hardware, says it is pleased with the initial response following the launch of its debut U.K. gallery earlier this summer and reaffirmed the opening timeline for its second.

The U.S. ready-to-assemble cabinet maker that owns brands including Eden Bridge Designs says it plans to cease operations at its dedicated U.K. subsidiary company.

Lancashire fitted furniture manufacturer J&J Ormerod (JJO) agreed a new multi-million credit facility last year as it continued to fund the purchase of a majority stake in the business by its employees in 2021.

The largest owner of IKEA stores worldwide is expanding mattress recycling to more European markets but says not enough is being done to disincentivise others from incinerating old goods.

Loaf is launching a new advertising campaign that creates a fresh narrative for the upholstery, beds and furniture retail brand.

High-end Devon bed maker Enchanted House maintained upwards momentum last year as it continued its ascent after investment through the pandemic.

Upholstery market leader DFS has agreed £250 million of new credit facilities in a refinancing that provides additional liquidity.

Will Kernan is to join the board of John Lewis Partnership, parent to the department store and supermarket chains John Lewis and Waitrose.

An Essex-based independent furniture retailer is to move into the former Dansk store on the Lakeside Retail Park, one of the busiest home shopping destinations in the country.

An ecommerce retailer of U.K.-made upholstery and sustainably-sourced cabinet from Asia that gained traction through the pandemic has ceased trading.

More key figures have an equity stake in the Cotswold Company after a series of summer share issues that dilute the interest of the £93 million furniture retailer's longtime private equity backer.

A gear shift in output through the pandemic has put Birmingham bed manufacturer Dreamland Beds in the Premier League of U.K. bed manufacturing in terms of size.

Flooring giant Headlam last Wednesday completed the second of two under-the-radar summer acquisitions as the Midlands wholesale giant continues to bolster its distribution network.

Hästens Beds U.K. chalked up a fourth seven-figure deficit in the past five years in 2022, prompting its Swedish parent to inject more cash into the business.

Freemans Grattan Holdings (FGH), the West Yorkshire ecommerce giant behind multiple home shopping brands, is expected to return to growth after a shift in strategic emphasis hit revenue in the past year.

Top end bed manufacturer and retailer Savoir boosted revenue and earnings power through 2022 amid receding pandemic impacts and wealthy clients continuing to buy.

Sofa covers, re-upholstery and curtains company Plumbs made headcount reductions as it sought to find cost savings amid an increasingly challenging market last year.

The bottom line gained for at least the eighth straight year at Lukehurst through 2022/23 as the privately-owned furniture retailer continued to invest in store upgrades.

XXXLutz Group, one of the three largest furniture retail groups in the world, has agreed the takeover of a major German independent retailer after it filed for insolvency.

West Yorkshire bed manufacturer Kelcol Bedding Co landed six-figure profits in the first year since the founding Kelly family sold the business.

The West Midlands manufacturer behind the adjustable beds and upholstery brands MiBed and Hestia has effected a second corporate restructure inside a little over a year in a move owners say will lead to lower prices.

Furniture retailer Home Outlet Store opened its new Oxfordshire branch last Friday after the reverse logistics specialist completed a previously-signposted buyout of Trade Secret's assets.

Furniture retailer Loaf was the largest industry creditor of Trade Secret, the returns and cancelled orders specialist that folded earlier this summer.

Furniture, homeware and lifestyle retailer Heal's has opened a Knoll concession inside its redeveloped Tottenham Court Road store in central London.

Discount department store retailer TJ Hughes slipped to a loss last year as a result of rising costs and a pro-rata fall in output.

Profits in Ireland fell for Harvey Norman as the furniture and electricals chain lapped strong comps and adopted a conservative approach to its accounting policies regarding tax.

Three well-known kitchen and tableware brands operated by a Derbyshire supplier that historically generated annual sales of close to £10 million have been rescued via an insolvent buyout.

West Yorkshire bed manufacturer Jay-be is to ramp up its international aspirations after securing a £2.5 million funding package, guaranteed by the U.K. Government's export credit agency.

Jeff Hughes has become only the fourth person in Housing Units' 76 year history to reach a milestone 40 years with the company, one of the largest home furnishings retailers in the country.

Experienced kitchen industry executive Damian Sheridan has joined Wren Kitchens in a newly-created role aimed at galvanising its launch into the developer and house builder market.

The National Bed Federation has paid tribute to the seven manufacturing members that will sponsor the 2023 Bed Show, as well as the event's official supporters.

The owner of award-winning independent retailer Linthorpe Beds believes the launch of the Mattresses365 brand can support its plans to become a key national player in the medium term.

New accounts for privately-owned South Wales furniture retailer Happy Home Furnishers guide towards a softer performance in 2022/23. Its balance sheet remains robust.

Tufted and woven carpet exports from Belgium, Europe's largest carpet manufacturing nation, dropped last year as the Netherlands, its biggest rival and near-neighbour, made gains.

Foam company Orsa Foam, a key supplier of semi-finished products for both the mattress and upholstered furniture sectors, is buying out its joint venture partner.

Outdoor furniture retailer White Stores continued to gain traction with customers last year but profits moderated as rising direct costs impacted margins.

Upholstered furniture giant Ekornes booked higher year-on-year revenue in the U.K. and Ireland in the second quarter of 2023 as it recovered from a slow start to the year.

The company behind ecommerce brand Now Furniture and three large furniture clearance stores in east London and Essex made the biggest gain in its decade-long history through 2022/23.

A high-calibre cabinet vertical owned by the founders of Pinetum, once one of the largest cabinet makers in the UK., has reopened its Wiltshire showroom following a complete rebuild.

Turnover went from over £9 million in 2019 to a fraction of that within two years as the Covid-19 pandemic obliterated a leading flooring contractor's business, leading to its eventual closure.

The owner of OKA revisited the fair value of its investment in the British furniture, interiors and lifestyle retailer, new 2022 accounts filed by a holding company in Luxembourg show.

West Midlands importer and wholesaler Heartlands Furniture built inventory to never-before seen levels last year amid industry-wide stock accumulation.

Furniture and lighting retail sales climbed for the third straight month in July, and at a faster pace, according to official figures.

The corporate vehicle that owns all the brands used by the Bensons for Beds group delivered higher profits for specialist private equity investor Alteri last year.

The South Wales group that rescued Midlands kitchen manufacturer Mereway last week did so through a new corporate entity.

Consumers say they are now more likely than they were to splash out on high value items such as furniture or white goods, according to a closely-followed poll.

A freight forwarder later named one of the largest unsecured creditors of Kettle Interiors U.K. had become its landlord three months before the furniture wholesaler's insolvent restructure earlier this year.

A U.K. franchisee of modern furniture brand BoConcept has launched a collaboration with Loewe Technology with the aim of offering its customers a whole home solution.

IKEA has delayed the opening of its new store on Oxford Street in central London, citing the need to preserve the building's historic characteristics during the fitout and preparatory phase.

Thinner gross margin and higher costs meant profits declined last year at West Yorkshire based Lawcris Panel Products, a key cog in the supply chain for U.K. based cabinet makers.

The group behind direct-to-consumer adjustable furniture brand Willowbrook has promoted from within for its new chief financial officer after the previous incumbent agreed to take a new role.

Upholstered furniture vertical Arlo & Jacob is expanding its retail footprint with the opening of new showrooms in Cambridgeshire and Surrey in addition to a previously-announced store in Cheshire.

Ecommerce-led furniture retailer Danetti lapped high profits with a seven-figure deficit through 2021/22 but says it is well placed for when demand patterns become more stable.

The outlook remains positive according to London based furniture and furnishings wholesaler and retailer Andrew Martin International, which shrugged off a tough market and fraud to grow profits last year.

National retailer Bensons for Beds will open two new stores in Edinburgh in a little over a week as it restores its historic footprint in the Scottish capital.

Bedding giant Tempur has collaborated with Xbox to create a one-off gaming chair to mark the launch of Starfield, a highly-anticipated new video game.

A Dewsbury suburb has the highest concentration of furniture workers in England and Wales according to employment data that also shows parts of Lancashire and Long Eaton are becoming less dependent on the industry for jobs.

Falling orders and rising costs meant Acclaim Upholstery was unable to service its debts ahead of the private label sofa maker being placed into administration earlier this summer, according to a new report by restructuring advisors.

Dozens of former staff of the now-defunct Alan Ward furniture retail chain could be in line for a payout after an Employment Tribunal found in their favour.

A large majority of recent mattress purchasers say they would have been prepared to pay more if they knew the product had been designed and constructed so as to avoid ending up in landfill at the end of its life.

Restructuring advisors have pinned the closure of West Yorkshire cot and mattress supplier The Hand Made Mattress Company on a steep fall in sales following the loss of two major customers.

Designer furniture, home and lifestyle retailer The Conran Shop is vacating a London office building as its owner looks to sell the property.

Softer trading impacted the performance of the ecommerce company behind Italian upholstery and cabinet furniture brands SofaItalia and Oak World last year.

Heritage leather specialist Pittards, whose diversified activities include the supply of upholstery leather to sofa makers, has obtained more time to get a rescue deal completed.

The company behind online bed brand Yark Beds recorded its largest deficit yet in the period leading up to its owner diversifying his business interests through acquisition.

Bed retailer Dreams has reopened its expanded Cardiff distribution centre and adjacent retail store after a year-long project and £300,000 investment.

BeA Group U.K. has become the second headline sponsor of Furniture Component Expo, the new trade show taking place next spring.

Digital-led case goods retailer Top Furniture maintained robust balance sheet fundamentals by the spring of this year against a backdrop of tougher trading conditions.

Sales recovered closer to pre-Covid levels at heritage department and furniture store retailer Browns of York in the past year as it expanded online and shoppers returned to physical destinations. Profits declined.

The family of Furniture Factors owner Barry Bruce say they have been overwhelmed by the messages they have received since his death was announced earlier this month.

Restructuring advisors have been called in at Bridstock Gate, the bedding suppler that trades as Portfolio Home, after the company was hit by a downturn in trade.

Underlay supplier Ball & Young found top line growth last year saying new customers came aboard as specifiers and consumers are increasingly demanding real sustainability that goes beyond fine words and hopeful claims.

U.K. furniture and lighting sales fell by less than £7 million year-on-year in July according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), but a rise in June was shallower than first recorded.

Upholstery market leader DFS will later this year expand its footprint in the capital with a new store in the London Borough of Greenwich.

Mattress industry pioneer Stuart Hibbert has been appointed chief operating officer at Shire Beds, the privately-owned West Yorkshire bed maker.

One of the largest suppliers of foam and fibre interiors used in U.K. upholstery production battled upstream challenges ranging from price hikes to chemical shortages through 2021/22, according to new accounts.

Wallpaper company Graham & Brown has begun a consultation with employees after proposing to close a manufacturing facility in Blackburn, the Lancashire town where it was founded in 1946.

A second former colleague of CEO Rachael Nevins has taken a senior C-suite post at Westbridge and Tetrad owner Belfield amid a number of structural and functional changes at the private equity backed upholstery and soft furnishings group.

Aspire Furniture, the Leeds manufacturer and distributor of beds and mattresses, has named Charlie Oulton as non-executive chair.

Half-year living, dining and bedroom cabinet imports declined by more than a third after falling in every single month of 2023 so far.

The wait to unveil a new managing director at Carpetright, Britain's largest floorcoverings retailer, continues amid change elsewhere in the boardroom.

Higher output wasn't enough to deliver improved profits at high-end kitchens and bedrooms company Roundhouse last year after rising costs mitigated sales growth.

A North West supplier will manufacture, market and relaunch the Brook + Wilde brand after the direct-to-consumer mattress retailer's former operating company was placed into liquidation last week.



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