Monday, April 22, 2019
TOP STORIES
Wade closure hit profits but John Payne optimistic for group's prospects
The chairman and owner of the JDP Furniture Group says 2017–18 was a painful year in a very tough market but insists he is looking ahead with confidence and has vowed to continue investing in its upholstery brands.
Return of furniture puts Homebase on path to profit
Underlying half-year losses narrowed at home improvement retailer Homebase as the Hilco-backed chain cut costs and reintroduced higher-margin furniture products.
BrightHouse hires CEO from outside sector with rarely-found skillset
Rent-to-own furniture and electricals chain BrightHouse has named Anth Mooney as successor to Hamish Paton, who resigned as chief executive earlier this year.
Britain's biggest tile retailer buys supplier in deal worth up to £5.3m
Topps Tiles, the market leader in the UK wall and floorcoverings retail sector, has agreed to buy commercial tile supplier Strata Tiles from its private shareholders.
Ex-Hick Lane manager and Rafiq associate banned as director for six years
A one-time manager of the now defunct Dewsbury mattress maker Hick Lane Bedding has been disqualified as a director for six years following an investigation by The Insolvency Service.
Creditors of Beaumont Beds owed nearly £2.3m
Suppliers, customers and the taxman face a combined seven-figure shortfall from the insolvency of southeast mattress and bedroom furniture retail chain Beaumont Beds.
John Lewis begins to claw back home sales deficit
Sales of home merchandise climbed at John Lewis & Partners for the first time in six weeks with big-ticket furniture and floorcoverings leading the way.
UK sales fall for premium outdoor furniture brand
A long hot summer in the UK wasn't enough for Gloster Furniture, the high-end outdoor furniture brand, to grow sales in the British market last year.
Kuka plans aggressive Natuzzi store rollout in China
Kuka, the Far East upholstery giant, will waste no time rolling out Natuzzi stores in the Greater China region following the signing of its joint venture agreement with the Italian company last year.
Visitor numbers up sharply at Milan furniture fair
Attendance spiked at last week's globally-significant Salone del Mobile exhibition in Milan in a sign of healthy spend intention among trade buyers in world furniture markets.
Beales to close remaining North East store when lease expires this autumn
Privately-owned department store retailer Beales could exit the North East of England after announcing its remaining store there will close later this year.
Recliner specialist to open third store and first on retail park
Just4Sofas, a two-store and online retailer majoring in electric recliners and a stockist of brands such as La-Z-Boy, is opening a third retail showroom.
INTELLIGENCE
Market Data
Detailed market information about each of the Upholstery, Beds, Cabinet Furniture and Floorcoverings sectors at suppliers' prices.
Discover the up-to-date value of:
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UK production
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Imports
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Exports
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Key Trading Partners
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Total UK market size
BEST READ IN THE PAST MONTH
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Campaigns to cut mattress buying cycle paying off, research shows
Efforts to encourage shoppers to replace their mattress more often are working according to new research by the National Bed Federation (NBF).
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Matt O'Flynn, champion of high-end British sofa manufacturing, dies aged 44
Matt O'Flynn, former chairman at the association of British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) and the Long Eaton Guild of Furniture of Manufacturers, has died. He was 44 years old.
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Investigators tried, failed to find elusive Wesley Barrell owner amid £2m recovery hunt
The liquidator of one of the former furniture companies run by Wesley Barrell owner Ayiaz Ahmed says two separate tracing companies have been paid to try and find a residential address for him,...
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Argos launches spring/summer furniture line with focus on fashion
General merchandise retailer Argos has introduced its new spring/summer furniture and home collection with a big supporting advertising push.
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Furniture vertical Hammonds slipped to loss ahead of MBO, but gained property boost
Trading was tougher for fitted furniture maker and retailer Hammonds in the year leading up to its March 2019 management buyout, new accounts reveal.
INTELLIGENCE
Retail Sales
Up-to-date monthly UK retail sales data spanning total furniture and lighting sales PLUS detailed breakdowns for each of the Upholstery, Beds, Cabinet Furniture and Floorcoverings sectors.
Proprietary granular data covering:
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UK retail sales value and y/y delta. Monthly and annual
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Breakdown by product category
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Historical data
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Monthly and annual figures
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Eve Sleep looks to rewrite history with latest senior hire
James Sturrock, the boss of mattress vendor Eve Sleep since last September, said yesterday's appointment of Tim Parfitt as CFO completes the new management line-up.
Why Britain's best furniture independents face losing a key competitive advantage
Britain's elite independent furniture retailers hold many advantages that traders in other products sectors do not, partly explaining why so many of them have endured through the generations.
Furniture designs launched in UK to lose protection in Europe post-Brexit (and vice-versa)
Unless an agreement with the EU is reached to the contrary, after Brexit any design which was first marketed in the UK will no longer be protected by the EU-wide design right, writes Simon Clark, partner at law firm Bristows LLP.
Clearing concession stock helped ScS drive cashflow
Cashflow was perhaps the biggest of several success stories in ScS half-year results, which were released this morning.
DATA & LISTS
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Debt Report: Who's owed what by insolvent furniture industry companies — Apr. 19, 2019
Today's list contains five insolvent companies leaving combined debts of £3,692,147. Names all 45 creditors owed £10,000 or more.
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Insolvency Report: Corporate bankruptcies announced between Apr. 12–18, 2019
Eight insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period April 12–19, 2019.
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Debt Report: Who's owed what by insolvent furniture industry companies — Apr. 12, 2019
Today's list contains six insolvent companies leaving combined debts of £2,746,308. Names all 24 creditors owed £10,000 or more.
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Who's gone bust: Corporate bankruptcies announced between Apr. 6–11, 2019
Eight insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period Apr. 6–11, 2019.
TOP STORIES
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Wade closure hit profits but John Payne optimistic for group's prospects
The chairman and owner of the JDP Furniture Group says 2017–18 was a painful year in a very tough market but insists he is looking ahead with confidence and has vowed to continue investing in its upholstery brands.
-
Return of furniture puts Homebase on path to profit
Underlying half-year losses narrowed at home improvement retailer Homebase as the Hilco-backed chain cut costs and reintroduced higher-margin furniture products.
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Sofa maker Buoyant Upholstery finds answers to trading challenges
Lancashire sofa maker Buoyant Upholstery has found cost savings, a major new customer and introduced a more inspirational product range as it bids to bounce back from trading headwinds in 2017–18.
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Eve Sleep looks to rewrite history with latest senior hire
James Sturrock, the boss of mattress vendor Eve Sleep since last September, said yesterday's appointment of Tim Parfitt as CFO completes the new management line-up.
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CFO leaves Loaf to take same post at Eve Sleep
Eve Sleep, the mattress and ancillary products retailer, has hired the CFO of rival furniture company Loaf as the replacement for its outgoing finance chief Abid Ismail in a coup for the business.
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Sofa.com adds three more House of Fraser stores to already planned pipeline
Upholstery vertical Sofa.com will open another three concessions in addition to the already-reported six planned new units inside House of Fraser (HoF) department stores.
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Mattress imports rise for ninth month straight
Foam and sprung mattress imports rose double-digit again in February, meaning British buyers have now bought more in from outside the UK in every month since May last year.
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March footfall climbed after annualising Beast from the East
Retail footfall grew in March according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium, boosted by weather events that negatively impacted shopper turnout last year.
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British retailers, importers stock up on Chinese upholstery in early 2019
Last year will go down as a bad one for Sino-UK upholstery trade, with stocks of China-made products arriving in Britain down nearly double-digit year-on-year. That trend looks set to be reversed in 2019.
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Steinhoff deputy CEO Alexandre Nodale, who also runs Conforama, to leave amid refinancing
Alexandre Nodale, the longtime Conforama CEO who additionally became deputy CEO of parent Steinhoff International Holdings at the back end of 2017, is stepping down from both posts.
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OTHER NEWS
BrightHouse hires CEO from outside sector with rarely-found skillset
Rent-to-own furniture and electricals chain BrightHouse has named Anth Mooney as successor to Hamish Paton, who resigned as chief executive earlier this year.
Britain's biggest tile retailer buys supplier in deal worth up to £5.3m
Topps Tiles, the market leader in the UK wall and floorcoverings retail sector, has agreed to buy commercial tile supplier Strata Tiles from its private shareholders.
Ex-Hick Lane manager and Rafiq associate banned as director for six years
A one-time manager of the now defunct Dewsbury mattress maker Hick Lane Bedding has been disqualified as a director for six years following an investigation by The Insolvency Service.
Creditors of Beaumont Beds owed nearly £2.3m
Suppliers, customers and the taxman face a combined seven-figure shortfall from the insolvency of southeast mattress and bedroom furniture retail chain Beaumont Beds.
John Lewis begins to claw back home sales deficit
Sales of home merchandise climbed at John Lewis & Partners for the first time in six weeks with big-ticket furniture and floorcoverings leading the way.
UK sales fall for premium outdoor furniture brand
A long hot summer in the UK wasn't enough for Gloster Furniture, the high-end outdoor furniture brand, to grow sales in the British market last year.
Kuka plans aggressive Natuzzi store rollout in China
Kuka, the Far East upholstery giant, will waste no time rolling out Natuzzi stores in the Greater China region following the signing of its joint venture agreement with the Italian company last year.
Visitor numbers up sharply at Milan furniture fair
Attendance spiked at last week's globally-significant Salone del Mobile exhibition in Milan in a sign of healthy spend intention among trade buyers in world furniture markets.
Beales to close remaining North East store when lease expires this autumn
Privately-owned department store retailer Beales could exit the North East of England after announcing its remaining store there will close later this year.
Recliner specialist to open third store and first on retail park
Just4Sofas, a two-store and online retailer majoring in electric recliners and a stockist of brands such as La-Z-Boy, is opening a third retail showroom.