Experienced retail leader Neville Moore has been voted in as chair of Associated Independent Stores (AIS), the Midlands based buying and services group for privately-owned retailers.

Top line growth and the benefits of earlier restructuring helped the Sweet Dreams beds and upholstery group record its smallest deficit in three years through 2021/22, new accounts show.

Italian sofa conglomerate Natuzzi has hired a 20-year furniture executive with an architecture and retail design background with a brief to drive improvement across its own-run and third-party showroom network.

Shaun Cook has left his role as director of retail at DFS-owned upholstered furniture chain Sofology. An interim successor is already in place at the Warrington based retailer.

Major flooring producer Ulster Carpets says it will sacrifice short-term profits as it builds capacity with heavy investment at its factories across the U.K.

Upholstered furniture giant Natuzzi enjoyed a €9.2 million bottom line swing in the third quarter, but it cautioned of tougher times to come with shoppers worldwide rethinking their spending plans.

The operator of Dreams beds stores in Northern Ireland has recruited the former head of Marks and Spencer's business in Ireland as its new commercial director.

A Yorkshire bedroom furniture retailer leaves creditors facing a seven-figure shortfall after it ceased trading earlier this autumn.

IKEA store operator and property owner Ingka Group booked smaller profits as its financial investments were hit by upheaval in bond markets caused by rising interest rates.

U.K. ecommerce furniture sales growth returned in the third quarter of 2022 after year-on-year declines in the first half of the year. Store-based retail sales continued to climb faster, with volumes down across both channels.

Roger Lunde has stepped down as chief executive at Ekornes with current chief financial officer Fredrik Ødegård Nilsen named as his interim successor until a permanent appointment is made.

What's done can't be undone, for direct-to-consumer Stratford-upon-Avon sofa manufacturer.

Upholstery and flooring chain ScS says it is trading resiliently through a challenging period with order intake growth having returned through the autumn.

International Market Centers (IMC), organiser of the biannual Las Vegas and High Point furniture markets, is to add nine new buying events to its 2023 calendar in a build out of its in-person activity.

More detailed terms of the buyout of highly-profitable clicks-to-bricks furniture retailer Loaf have been disclosed for the first time following an investment by Blue Coast Capital last year.

Ecommerce mattress and bed frame retailer Crazy Price Beds is under new ownership after surging import costs and other headwinds forced the disposal of the Midlands operation.

The cost of living crisis is suppressing demand for floorcoverings among U.K. consumers according to wholesale giant Headlam, but it said gains elsewhere would aid profits.

United Furniture Industries, the company behind Lane, one of the most storied furniture brands in the U.S., has closed down without warning, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

Furnishing fabrics and wallpaper supplier Osborne & Little repaid almost £3 million of debt and doubled group profits through 2021/22 as it kept a lid on costs as custom returned.

Restructuring advisors handling the fallout of the collapse of Made.com (Made) say five trade suitors made bids for the now-defunct furniture retailer during efforts to secure a solvent sale.

North West flooring manufacturer Bronte Carpets has decided to wind down operations, calling time on 40 years in business amid challenging trading conditions.

A privately-owned bedroom furniture manufacturer is to restructure its debts after it agreed a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) with its largest creditor.

Heritage North West independent furniture and furnishings retailer Arighi Bianchi appointed Susie Harding from Tetrad as finance director, it has just announced.

Bed market leader Dreams is to raise pay for its workforce for the second time this year and introduce a raft of new initiatives designed to support employees.

The book value of historic West Sussex furniture retailer Reynolds has climbed through the pandemic on strong profits and asset acquisition.

Northern European furniture brand ILVA plans to build out its presence in Scandinavia over the next year as the one-time U.K. retailer expands beyond its Danish homeland.

Direct-to-consumer upholstery brand Abakus Direct booked a second straight year of six-figure profits in 2021 as it continued to bounce back from a restructure four years ago.

Burgess Beds, the Rossendale bed manufacturer bought in an insolvent buyout at the start of the pandemic, received renewed financial backing from one of its owners in the past year.

Eight furniture, bed and flooring industry enterprises have been named among the best companies to work for in Britain according to a closely-followed list spanning all U.K. industry.

West Elm has closed a standalone store in the U.K. for the first time since the Brooklyn-based furniture retail brand arrived here from the U.S. back in 2015.

Made.com ran up more than £1 million in professional fees payable to lawyers and restructuring advisors in the weeks leading up to it being placed into administration.

Flooring wholesale group Headlam has recruited from outside the home sector for its new chief financial officer, bringing an eight-month recruitment process to a close.

Europe's largest kitchen manufacturer will have expanded its U.K. store footprint by a fifth once the last of two further planned stores are launched in the coming weeks.

Privately-owned furniture and home accents retail chain EZ Living Interiors has expanded its footprint in Ireland with the launch of a second Dublin store.

Man Wah Holdings, the world's largest recliner company, booked higher profits in the six months to end September despite geopolitics impacting its manufacturing business in Europe.

Restructuring advisors plan to carve out and find a new owner for Trouva, the online trading platform acquired by Made.com (Made) back in the summer.

High price inflation in the furniture category helped the value of retail sales advance in October on a year-on-year basis but the quantity of goods delivered declined.

The Government has decided not to introduce an online sales tax as part of wider business rates reform in a move that will disappoint some brick-and-mortar retailers and high street evangelists.

Greenapple Systems, which was at the vanguard of the supply of glass furniture into the U.K. retail market, has completed a solvent shutdown of the business following a decision to close made last year.

Consumer confidence improved for the second straight month in November according to a closely-followed poll amid leadership change in Westminster.

The value of Made.com stock held at U.K. and Belgian warehouses totalled £12.5 million at cost when restructuring advisors were appointed last week, but may realise only a fraction of that amount.

Preferential and secured claims from U.K. tax authorities and lender Silicon Valley Bank are expected to be repaid in full following the collapse of Made.com, but other creditors face a significant shortfall on the amounts owed to them.

Furniture and home retailer The Garden Trading Company together with its parent company Joules Group were both officially placed into the hands of restructuring advisors on Wednesday afternoon.

The West Yorkshire company behind the Bedkingdom.co.uk brand has emerged as one of the largest in the ecommerce beds segment after rapid growth through the pandemic.

ScanCom International, the Scandinavian outdoor furniture manufacturer with offices in countries including the U.K., found profit growth despite production challenges in the past year.

Underlying profits almost doubled for independent furniture retailer Cookes in the year to end March as the privately-owned group made gains across both its retail and storage businesses.

U.K. sofa and bed makers will continue to be able to buy foam from three major sources after the regulator here agreed Carpenter could buy Recticel's engineered foam unit, but only if the bulk of the British business is sold.

Emerging manufacturing markets helped mattress imports into the U.K. continue to rise in September despite weaker figures from more established sources.

Consumer price inflation for household furniture eased to its lowest reading in 10 months in October but remains at a historically elevated level.

Fewer containers of living, dining and bedroom cabinet furniture arrived in the U.K. at the end of the first quarter including a halving in the quantity of goods shipped from China.

Designer furniture maker Carl Hansen & Søn has begun a consultation with factory workers in its homeland ahead of planned redundancies as it adjusts to weaker consumer demand.

Dreams says the launch of what it described as the U.K.'s first ever king size gaming bed has hit the spot with it selling twice as many as forecast within the first three weeks of its introduction.

Soaring inflation on overseas-made goods wasn't enough to prevent a first slide in the value of sofa imports in 20 months at the end of the third quarter. It followed weaker demand, with China bearing the brunt.

Made.com (Made) administrator PwC has instructed John Pye Auctions to sell the entirety of the fallen furniture, lighting and homeware retailer's unsold U.K. stock.

Southampton bed manufacturer Millbrook has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Lee Pharoah as manufacturing manager.

The value of carpet imports into the U.K. rose for the first time in four months in September as higher prices countered a continuing slide in volumes.

Two key supply chain partners to the U.K. furniture industry relied on new business wins for growth as they called out weaker trading conditions in big-ticket categories.

The upholstery group that owns Ashley Manor, Alstons, AMX Design and Alexander & James slipped to a third quarter net loss on lower demand, higher costs and the weaker pound.

Joules Group, the parent to furniture and home retailer The Garden Trading Company, has filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators (NOI) after attempts to procure rescue funding failed.

The group behind the Stressless and IMG furniture brands booked lower revenue in the U.K. and Ireland in the third quarter as demand softened. Year-to-date numbers remain well ahead.

Profits almost trebled for North West supplier Hill's Panel Products through 2021/22 as the key supplier to the fitted furniture sector negotiated upstream challenges.

Second company for large Northern Ireland based retailer.

Department store retailer John Lewis & Partners has recalled its Cloud Velvet dining chair product line on safety grounds.

RH, the luxury U.S. furniture retailer readying its launch in the U.K. market next year, has already spent tens of millions of pounds here and committed to sums far higher, thanks to lease commitments.

Jason Bannister has increased his stake in an emerging rival to the Oak Furnitureland business he founded 16 years ago, and joined its board of directors.

U.K. furniture production volumes declined at the end of the third quarter as manufacturers grappled weaker order books amid rising costs.

Ecommerce giant Amazon lags only the beds market leader among shoppers searching for a new mattress according to new research commissioned by the National Bed Federation (NBF).

The chairman of the British Furniture Confederation (BFC) has highlighted the significance of the sector for the economy on two of the U.K.'s highest-profile radio broadcast programmes.

The Halo Creative & Design group acquired a stake in a second British sofa maker last year as it bolstered its U.K. upholstery manufacturing credentials, new filings reveal.

Furniture conglomerate Actona Group says it has given the vast showroom at its Danish headquarters an extreme makeover as part of plans to make every visit by trade customers an experience.

The co-founder of King's Road interior design practice and gallery Sigmar has opened a 3,200sqft showroom selling vintage Scandinavian furniture.

Variety chain B&M European Value Retail (B&M) took a margin hit as the later arrival of warm weather hit demand for garden furniture and other outdoor items.

General merchandise and food retailer Marks and Spencer Group (M&S) said it is well positioned to take advantage with market conditions expected to become more challenging over the next year.

Almost 70 percent of the employees of furniture retailer Made.com (Made) have left the company following the appointment of administrators on Tuesday, restructuring advisors have said.

Two companies from the home and garden furnishings sectors were named winners in the Scale-Up Awards, which recognise growing businesses across the country.

General merchandise retail giant Next has won the race to acquire the Made.com (Made) brand after it outbid rivals to complete an asset-only purchase with restructuring advisors.

Sofa market leader DFS has appointed John Fallon as its new chief financial officer (CFO), succeeding Mike Schmidt, who left last month to join value retailer B&M.

Independent South Coast department and garden centre retailer returns to profit as it recovered most of the business lost to Covid.

A survey of leading British furniture manufacturers has laid bare the impact of rising production costs on their businesses, with many now struggling to turn a profit.

Longtime md Simon Blackley has led a management buyout (MBO) of John Spencer (Textiles) and Ian Mankin, the two subsidiaries of weaving and fabrics group Ashfield Mill Company.

Furniture retailer Loaf booked its first-ever eight-figure profits as the clicks-to-bricks business continued its inexorable ascent in the year to March 31, 2022.

The company behind ecommerce brand Furniture and Choice saw profits fall on lower revenue and thinner margins as it lapped the strong demand seen through the height of the pandemic.

Solid wood beds and mattress maker and retailer Get Laid Beds built on profitable revenue growth through the pandemic as its top and bottom lines advanced again in the past year.

Profits were two-thirds higher at independent retailer Fairway Furniture through 2021/22 as it navigated supply chain challenges to deliver its order book.

Furniture wholesaler Kettle Interiors has paid tribute to its founder John Kettle, who died Saturday, November 5, aged 73.

Sofa market leader DFS has added Laura Ashley to its roster of third-party brands with a collection of upholstered furniture.

Panaz Holdings has promoted Nadeem Memon to group chief financial officer with responsibility for the fabrics and furnishings group's expanding roster of business units.

National bed retailer Bensons for Beds is moving into a new Stirling store this weekend, a few doors down from its former home on the Springkerse Retail Park.

Ning Li will not be buying back Made.com (Made) after restructuring advisors rejected his offer to acquire the business he founded back in 2010.

There were seven bidders in the frame for the historic Sofa Workshop brand ahead of its sale earlier this year, restructuring advisors have said in a new report.

17-store retailer benefits after plugging gap left by insolvent concessions with own-bought and consignment inventory.

The owner of home and giftware importer Lesser & Pavey found big revenue growth in the past year but underlying profits were hit by skinnier margins.

The British Contract Furnishing Association (BCFA) has changed its name to Commercial Interiors UK with its full rebrand to be formally rolled out and complete by November 14.

The Conran Shop, the modern furniture, home and lifestyle retailer, has received a new equity funding injection from its owner, its seventh so far this year.

Fashion-to-furnishings retail giant Next is said to have bid to acquire the intellectual property of Made.com, the embattled furniture and lighting retailer.

Bensons for Beds has relaunched Eve Sleep, flicking the switch on its dedicated website less than three weeks since it paid £600,000 to acquire the brand and other intellectual property.

Tempur Sealy International says it is not seeing any signs of trade down among higher-end shoppers as it claimed market share gains against competitors.

Upholstery market leader DFS said customer demand outperformed its own expectations in the past six weeks as a positive order trend returned.

Profits almost halved for IKEA brand owner and franchisor Inter IKEA through 2021/22 as the company was unable to pass on all input cost rises to its franchisees.

The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, will next month host Routes to Greater Sustainability, a free-to-attend climate change and sustainability event.

The boss of Wayfair says the ecommerce-led home platform is continuing to "control the controllables" as it plots a path to profit and cashflow neutrality.

Challenging market conditions and a strong dollar impacted the top and bottom lines at Tempur Sealy International, the world's largest bedding company, in the third quarter.

About 60 standalone Argos stores that had been primed for closure by the general merchandise retail giant within the next 18 months will now remain open for longer than expected thanks to landlord concessions.

The head of bedding products at mattress springs and foam supplier Leggett & Platt (L&P) says the European market is facing more challenges than the U.S. having previously mirrored one another through the pandemic.

Furniture industry colleagues last month helped raise £6,000 at The Furniture Makers' Company's National Golf Day, the trade charity's longest-running fundraising event.

Adjusted earnings climbed for Britain's biggest bed maker in the year to January 29, 2022 but one-off charges related to the settlement of historic pension issues meant its deficit widened at the bottom line.

The disposal and closure of the last remaining Tudor Williams store earlier this year yielded a high six-figure sum for its former owner, and followed an earlier £3.5 million property deal.

High post-lockdown demand helped small-space living specialist The Futon Company maintain positive momentum as it again recorded highest-ever sales and profits in the past year.

The Spanish conglomerate that owns British bed brands Vispring and And So To Bed has added to its roster of upmarket European mattress interests.

A strong dollar and tough trading in Europe impacted flooring conglomerate Mohawk Industries in the third quarter, with customers putting off non-essential spend and price rises struggling to keep pace with inflation.

Furniture and home retailer Collingwood Batchellor reversed a seven-figure deficit to book record profits through 2021/22 amid wider plans to progress its diversification strategy.

Furniture and department store retailer Bradbeers has repaid almost £5 million of maturing debt after a property disposal this summer.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has begun a search for a successor to executive director Jessica Alexander, who is to scale back her duties with the organisation ahead of eventually retiring.

The Furniture Recycling Group (TFR Group) will grow its dismantling capacity to 1.5 million mattresses per year in England after securing an investment from Netherlands-based mattress recycling company RetourMatras.

The next edition of upholstery, mattress and furnishing fabrics exhibition The London Fabric Show will feature an expanded international footprint, organisers have announced.

Made.com founder Ning Li has incorporated a new furniture retail company with restructuring advisors poised to complete an asset-only sale of the business he launched more than a decade ago.

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

Furniture and lighting retailer Made.com (Made) has filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators (NOI) in a move that places a ring of protection around the business and shields it from creditor action.

Privately-owned Wiltshire mattress manufacturer Moonraker Beds booked six-figure profits for the fourth straight year in the 2021/22 period.

Bensons for Beds has launched a Simply by Bensons programme of entry-level mattresses with a new product lineup and an adjusted and new-look brand compared with the Simply Bensons range that preceded it.

A central London property that has been home to myriad upholstery brands over the years has housed its last furniture industry tenant, if new plans for the six-storey building are approved.

Danish upholstery brand Sofacompany added new showrooms and absorbed input price pressures as it prioritised the top line over profits growth in the past year.

London department store retailer Harrods returned to profit in the past year as it benefitted from the return of U.K. and international shoppers to the capital.

Clicks-to-bricks cabinet retailer shortens financial reporting period by a single day for the second time in the past three months, extending its filing deadline.

Retailer Bensons for Beds outbid two other suitors to acquire the assets of direct-to-consumer mattress brand Eve Sleep, restructuring advisors have revealed in a new report that became public over the weekend.

National retailer Furniture Village will take its estate to 55 with the launch of a new store on the Stane Retail Park in Colchester.

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

Pocket spring maker Wolf Components achieved a near double-digit net margin as revenue surged through 2021/22 and ahead of it investing in further expansion this summer.

The upholstery manufacturing unit of retail giant Next recorded its highest ever output in the six years since it started production through the post-lockdown period.

The U.K.'s largest BoConcept franchise built sales, profits and cash last year, saying it emerged in a stronger-than-ever position despite very challenging trading conditions.

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

The historic Derbyshire store of the hitherto highly-regarded independent furniture retailer Eyres of Chesterfield was sold ahead of the business permanently closing its doors earlier this year.

Restructuring advisors are poised to step in after Made.com (Made) said there was now no reasonable prospect of an offer for the equity in the company.

Nottinghamshire upholstered furniture producer Whitemeadow has promoted Alan Price in a move that also gives him a seat on the board of directors.

Higher employee-related expenses countered the impact of rising sales and wider gross margin at Batley mattress maker Dura Beds last year as profits declined.

The rate at which customer loan applications are approved has increased since Dreams adopted a new time-saving system in partnership with software company Aryza.

Furniture and lighting retailer Made.com Group (Made) says its trading arm has temporarily suspended new customer orders following the collapse of sale talks on Tuesday.

Home product sales declined sharply at The Very Group through 2021/22 with the non-food ecommerce giant saying it lapped strong prior year comparatives in all major furniture categories.

National retailer Bensons for Beds will this week return to Watford with the opening of a new store above the existing unit operated by flooring chain Carpetright.

IKEA is to open Plan & Order points at Aintree, Preston and Stockport as part of plans to make it easier and more accessible to shop with the home furnishings giant.

Furniture retailer Made.com Group (Made) says sale discussions have been terminated after potential bidders were unable to meet a deadline of the end of the month for firm offers.

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

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

The company behind the ufurnish.com search engine for furniture and furnishings has agreed a partnership with Santander U.K. that will elevate the visibility of leading retailers with the bank's mortgage holders.

National retailer Bensons for Beds will later this week launch Bensons Outlet, a pilot store concept that will offer customers deep discounts and special buys.

Upholstered furniture manufacturer Vale Bridgecraft has resumed trading under new ownership after a three-month pause following the insolvency of its predecessor operating company.

The Young Furniture Makers exhibition, organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company, returned after a three-year hiatus earlier this month to showcase and celebrate the work of 100 emerging designers and makers.

Fewer weeks lost to Covid and higher online sales help department store group Fenwick cut trading losses through 2021/22 while it returned to profit after tax thanks to a gain on property disposal.

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

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



Stay informed. Subscriptions start from less than £2 per week:



Already a subscriber?    Sign In