Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Founding family sells Millbrook Beds to owners of FWG
Heritage bed manufacturer Millbrook Beds has new owners after the founding Croll family agreed to sell the Southampton manufacturer to concentrate on their other expanding business interests.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ecommerce giant Very hires new CEO as Birch prepares exit
The Very Group, one of the top ten retailers of furniture in the U.K. by volume, has appointed a former Walmart leader as its new chief executive, replacing Henry Birch who will stand down in the autumn.
Made.com hires first chief customer officer
Furniture and homeware retailer Made.com has appointed former supermarket and tech executive Dan Elton as its first ever chief customer officer.
Belgian foam giant reveals what's at stake amid CMA probe escalation threat
Stakeholders have until Monday of next week to come up with a solution that will appease the U.K.'s antitrust regulator.
Upholstery brand La-Z-Boy sponsors Kendal Calling music festival
La-Z-Boy U.K. is sponsoring a family-friendly music festival taking place in the Lake District later this month where headline acts include Stereophonics, Supergrass and The Kooks.
Modern furniture retailer in new capital raise amid board concentration
London based designer furniture and homeware retailer The Conran Shop has received a new seven-figure equity injection.
Argos struggles to match post-lockdown comps
The sales trend at Argos is improving but the general merchandise retailer still booked a double-digit drop in business in the first quarter of its 2022/23 financial year and remains down on pre-pandemic levels.
Profits jump as sales reach record £52.6m for Ashley Wilde
Profits more than doubled at the Ashley Wilde group last year as the Hertfordshire headquartered furnishing fabrics group delivered an eighth straight increase in revenue.
Sales jumped 66% for online furniture retailer last year
Sales at ecommerce brand Furniture Box jumped by two thirds through 2020/21 as it delivered high profits ahead of its expansion into new premises.
Shipping delays and prices are falling but reliability remains patchy
Container shipping schedule reliability remains at a historically low level while spot prices are falling from record highs and delays easing after a two-year stretch upended by the pandemic.
New stores take home and leisure chain to 210 total
Home and leisure retail chain The Range concurrently opened two new stores this weekend to take its overall footprint to 210 nationwide.
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
-
Dewsbury MP vows to champion the furniture industry at the highest level of Government
Mark Eastwood MP has been appointed chair of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group (APPFIG). The Dewsbury official takes over from fellow Conservative Mike Wood, who has led the group since...
-
New figures underscore renewed strength at retailer Lee Longlands
Lee Longlands delivered on its pledge to record near seven-figure profits as it fleshed out details from it what it called an extremely positive performance off the back of lockdowns and ahead of it...
-
High-end sofa maker books third straight profit ahead of factory buy
Top-of-the-market upholstered furniture maker George Smith recorded a fourth straight bottom line improvement and third consecutive profit as it traded strongly last year.
-
Furniture, home stocks sell-off sees £3.8bn wiped off market value
The past week has seen a rout of global furniture industry stocks with billions of pounds of value disappearing into the ether as the market capitalisations of dozens of companies declined, many in...
-
Nick Collard promoted as CEO and CFO leave Bensons for Beds
Ex-DFS executive Nick Collard has been promoted to CEO at Bensons for Beds with immediate effect, succeeding Mark Jackson, who is leaving the retail chain after three years at the helm. Group CFO...
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
DATA & LISTS
-
Market continues to punish furniture, home stocks
On the day that two listed furniture retailers announced senior hires and departures the market was again unkind.
-
What are the options open to Carpenter after Recticel foam takeover raises concerns?
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has told Carpenter and Recticel to address antitrust concerns ahead of the proposed acquisition of the business unit that includes the latter's comfort foam business.
TOP STORIES
-
Founding family sells Millbrook Beds to owners of FWG
Heritage bed manufacturer Millbrook Beds has new owners after the founding Croll family agreed to sell the Southampton manufacturer to concentrate on their other expanding business interests.
-
Large order book will spur Sofas & Stuff results again this year, says CEO
The founder and CEO of Sofas & Stuff says the expanding upholstery retailer will build on growth last year with more good results in 2022 despite a weakening market.
-
DFS seeks new CFO as Mike Schmidt heads for B&M
DFS chief financial officer Mike Schmidt is to leave the U.K. upholstery market leader for the same post at B&M European Value Retail, the company behind the value retail chain B&M.
-
Hypnos appoints new group managing director
Hypnos, one of the U.K.'s largest bed manufacturers, has appointed Dave Baldry as its new group managing director with a brief to lead both its contract and retail divisions.
-
Foam merger raises competition concerns and could lead to higher prices
Antitrust regulators in the U.K. have told Carpenter and Recticel to address competition concerns to prevent the proposed takeover of the latter's engineered foam unit by the former from being referred for a more in-depth investigation.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Furn Companies Wanted
Ex-furniture director seeks to buy companies mfr/retailer/wsalers—solvent or otherwise—regardless of situation. Can complete within days. Confidentiality assured.
07498 850842 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
OTHER NEWS
Ecommerce giant Very hires new CEO as Birch prepares exit
The Very Group, one of the top ten retailers of furniture in the U.K. by volume, has appointed a former Walmart leader as its new chief executive, replacing Henry Birch who will stand down in the autumn.
Made.com hires first chief customer officer
Furniture and homeware retailer Made.com has appointed former supermarket and tech executive Dan Elton as its first ever chief customer officer.
Belgian foam giant reveals what's at stake amid CMA probe escalation threat
Stakeholders have until Monday of next week to come up with a solution that will appease the U.K.'s antitrust regulator.
Upholstery brand La-Z-Boy sponsors Kendal Calling music festival
La-Z-Boy U.K. is sponsoring a family-friendly music festival taking place in the Lake District later this month where headline acts include Stereophonics, Supergrass and The Kooks.
Modern furniture retailer in new capital raise amid board concentration
London based designer furniture and homeware retailer The Conran Shop has received a new seven-figure equity injection.
Argos struggles to match post-lockdown comps
The sales trend at Argos is improving but the general merchandise retailer still booked a double-digit drop in business in the first quarter of its 2022/23 financial year and remains down on pre-pandemic levels.
Profits jump as sales reach record £52.6m for Ashley Wilde
Profits more than doubled at the Ashley Wilde group last year as the Hertfordshire headquartered furnishing fabrics group delivered an eighth straight increase in revenue.
Sales jumped 66% for online furniture retailer last year
Sales at ecommerce brand Furniture Box jumped by two thirds through 2020/21 as it delivered high profits ahead of its expansion into new premises.
Shipping delays and prices are falling but reliability remains patchy
Container shipping schedule reliability remains at a historically low level while spot prices are falling from record highs and delays easing after a two-year stretch upended by the pandemic.
New stores take home and leisure chain to 210 total
Home and leisure retail chain The Range concurrently opened two new stores this weekend to take its overall footprint to 210 nationwide.