Friday, October 30, 2020
TOP STORIES
New owners invest millions in Sealy U.K. and outline strategy for British market
The keys to the Sealy U.K. factory will be formally handed over to their new owners this morning (Oct. 30) while a general manager to run the Aspatria operation will arrive early next week.
Top line growth returned at Andersons of Inverurie ahead of pandemic
Destination furniture store retailer Andersons of Inverurie brought an end to four years of sliding sales in 2018–19 according to newly-filed accounts taking in the period well in advance of Covid-19's arrival.
Loan bolsters liquidity at South West furniture retailer
Four-store independent remained profitable in 2019–20 despite the pandemic interrupting the final quarter of its financial year.
Tempur Sealy enjoys most profitable quarter in company's history
Third quarter revenue climbed by more than a third for Tempur Sealy International, the world's biggest bedding company, as it enjoyed its most profitable period since the business was created.
Sofa brand Swyft targets seven-figure sales between now and Christmas
Emerging upholstery startup Swyft Homes says it has already beaten its £2 million sales target for its launch year with it forecasting revenue of half that again by Christmas.
Sales close in on £300 million for Furniture123 owner
The ecommerce group that runs a slew of retail brands including Furniture123 built profits and cash in the year to March 31, 2020 as it recorded another big double-digit jump in sales.
Using IP to achieve growth: Furniture Makers' and ACID to host online masterclass
Industry charity The Furniture Makers’ Company is hosting an online intellectual property (IP) webinar next month with Anti Copying in Design (ACID), the design and intellectual property campaigning organisation.
Contract furniture maker reorganises structure and branding
Ministry of Furniture (MoF), the privately-owned Neath company that emerged from Remploy Furniture back in 2014, has undergone a corporate reorganisation and rebranding process.
Organisers to bring forward dates of spring Long Point exhibition
The next edition of furniture exhibition Long Point will be brought forward by two months to a late winter dateline, trade journal Furniture News reported.
Systemic supply chain pressure holds back furniture at Maisons du Monde
Sales jumped 13 percent for multinational retailer Maisons du Monde in the third quarter as the retailer relied on high home accent sales to counter problems in the big-ticket supply chain.
Roche Bobois expects to claw back lost U.K. revenue in final quarter
High-end furniture brand Roche Bobois said that though U.K. revenue remains 29.6 percent lower year-on-year after nine reported months it can make big inroads into the deficit in the final quarter.
High winds in the Gulf of Mexico threaten to topple over Britain's furniture industry
It is counter-intuitive that on the day we reported that September saw record-breaking furniture retail sales, we also reveal that some British manufacturers may have to temporarily close their factories.
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:
-
UK production
-
Imports
-
Exports
-
Key Trading Partners
-
Total UK market size
BEST READ IN THE PAST MONTH
-
China and Poland power first upholstery import growth since January
A six-month stretch of falling upholstery imports into the U.K. has come to an end as orders from Eastern Europe and the Far East delivered growth for the category.
-
Mattress imports into U.K. from China hit 20-month high
Chinese mattress imports into the U.K. jumped by more than a third at the height of summer to reach their highest level since January 2019.
-
Administrator backs away from legal battle with customer of collapsed sofa maker over unpaid £1m
Insolvency practitioners say efforts to recover a seven-figure debtor balance from one of the U.K.'s largest retailers of upholstery after the failure of a major British sofa manufacturer are over.
-
Digital sales double since July as Dunelm claims market share gains
Year-on-year sales have jumped by almost £100 million since the beginning of July for out-of-town furniture and homewares retailer Dunelm with the bulk of the gains coming from its digital sales...
-
Most bed retailers say they will hit 2020 sales targets despite Covid-19, poll finds
Weeks of zero takings during lockdown won't prevent the majority of bed and mattress retailers hitting their full year revenue targets according to a poll by the National Bed Federation (NBF).
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:
-
UK retail sales value and y/y delta. Monthly and annual
-
Breakdown by product category
-
Historical data
-
Monthly and annual figures
OPINION & ANALYSIS
High winds in the Gulf of Mexico threaten to topple over Britain's furniture industry
It is counter-intuitive that on the day we reported that September saw record-breaking furniture retail sales, we also reveal that some British manufacturers may have to temporarily close their factories.
How furniture stores could stay open even under harsh lockdown
Furniture stores in Ireland will close from Wednesday and in Wales from Friday in a repeat of harsh lockdown measures seen earlier this year.
HSL reaped rewards of manufacturing investment last year
Specialist furniture vertical HSL said four years of investment in its manufacturing operations paid dividends as it upped the volume of product leaving its own factory last year.
Founder could be one of biggest winners from Halo Group's Sofa Workshop takeover
The founder of Sofa Workshop stands to be one of the biggest indirect beneficiaries from the sale to Halo Group of the upholstery business he created back in the 1980s.
RECRUITMENT
DATA & LISTS
-
The Debt Report: Companies owed cash by insolvent furniture trade entities: Oct. 23 2020
Three companies left combined debts of £1.45 million with 20 companies owed £10,000 or more.
-
The Insolvency Report: Filings in the week to October 23, 2020
Four insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period from October 17–23, 2020.
TOP STORIES
-
New owners invest millions in Sealy U.K. and outline strategy for British market
The keys to the Sealy U.K. factory will be formally handed over to their new owners this morning (Oct. 30) while a general manager to run the Aspatria operation will arrive early next week.
-
Top line growth returned at Andersons of Inverurie ahead of pandemic
Destination furniture store retailer Andersons of Inverurie brought an end to four years of sliding sales in 2018–19 according to newly-filed accounts taking in the period well in advance of Covid-19's arrival.
-
Silentnight agrees new debt while owner H.I.G. discloses revised bed maker value
Britain's biggest mattress maker Silentnight has refinanced for the second time in just over a year while just-filed holding company accounts put a new value on the group ahead of its recent Sealy U.K. divestment.
-
Furniture department at John Lewis' flagship could move after plan green-lighted
Department store retailer John Lewis & Partners' plan to be able to turn close to half of its flagship Oxford Street store into office space has been backed by city planners this week.
-
Next likely to re-source or renegotiate with suppliers to mitigate tariff impact
General merchandise retailer Next said it expects to counter an expected eight-figure post Brexit tariff impact by agreeing new terms with its suppliers or working with alternative vendors.
-
Whitemeadow to move upholstered bed production to new facility
Furniture manufacturer Whitemeadow will move its upholstered bed frame production early in 2021 after taking a new facility that will also provide the scope to consolidate its manufacturing operations across fewer factories.
-
Sofas & Stuff to open fourth showroom since lockdown as buildout continues
A first showroom in Oxfordshire will become upholstery retailer Sofas & Stuff's fourth new space to open since the summer when it throws open its doors this December.
-
Furniture factories face closure amid material shortages
Temporary foam factory shutdowns will prompt U.K. upholstery and mattress plants to close according to the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM), which is urgently seeking clarification from the supply chain.
-
Furniture sales highest since records began in September according to official figures
U.K. furniture and lighting retail sales were higher in September than in any other month in history according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
-
'Fragile' foam industry risks pushing sofa, mattress makers towards other raw materials
The head of the body representing the European foam sector has said it is "not good" for the industry that it is currently unable to satisfy high demand because of upstream supply chain issues.
ADVERTISEMENT
OTHER NEWS
Loan bolsters liquidity at South West furniture retailer
Four-store independent remained profitable in 2019–20 despite the pandemic interrupting the final quarter of its financial year.
Tempur Sealy enjoys most profitable quarter in company's history
Third quarter revenue climbed by more than a third for Tempur Sealy International, the world's biggest bedding company, as it enjoyed its most profitable period since the business was created.
Sofa brand Swyft targets seven-figure sales between now and Christmas
Emerging upholstery startup Swyft Homes says it has already beaten its £2 million sales target for its launch year with it forecasting revenue of half that again by Christmas.
Sales close in on £300 million for Furniture123 owner
The ecommerce group that runs a slew of retail brands including Furniture123 built profits and cash in the year to March 31, 2020 as it recorded another big double-digit jump in sales.
Using IP to achieve growth: Furniture Makers' and ACID to host online masterclass
Industry charity The Furniture Makers’ Company is hosting an online intellectual property (IP) webinar next month with Anti Copying in Design (ACID), the design and intellectual property campaigning organisation.
Contract furniture maker reorganises structure and branding
Ministry of Furniture (MoF), the privately-owned Neath company that emerged from Remploy Furniture back in 2014, has undergone a corporate reorganisation and rebranding process.
Organisers to bring forward dates of spring Long Point exhibition
The next edition of furniture exhibition Long Point will be brought forward by two months to a late winter dateline, trade journal Furniture News reported.
Systemic supply chain pressure holds back furniture at Maisons du Monde
Sales jumped 13 percent for multinational retailer Maisons du Monde in the third quarter as the retailer relied on high home accent sales to counter problems in the big-ticket supply chain.
Roche Bobois expects to claw back lost U.K. revenue in final quarter
High-end furniture brand Roche Bobois said that though U.K. revenue remains 29.6 percent lower year-on-year after nine reported months it can make big inroads into the deficit in the final quarter.
Tapi Carpets bolsters leadership team with COO appointment
Tapi Carpets & Floors has hired Emma Collett as chief operating officer as the expanding floorcoverings retailer continues to reshape its management team.