Thursday, April 26, 2018
TOP STORIES
Jay-Be invests in capacity and builds export sales
Higher export sales boosted Jay-Be last year as the privately-owned guest bed maker invested in people at its West Yorkshire factory.
Sofa maker could land extra La-Z-Boy payment
The deal to reacquire the La-Z-Boy UK and Ireland brand rights could be worth more than previously disclosed, the U.S. furniture giant has revealed.
Customer redress hits JD Williams owner profits
Profits fell 72 percent for N Brown, the home shopping group behind the JD Williams brand, as exceptional costs offset rising revenue.
Argos expanding digital knowhow with 150 new jobs
Argos, one of the largest retailers of furniture in the UK, is adding 150 new jobs in its multi-site technology division.
Opinion: Sun shines for Sharps, Dreams and ScS
Three retailers picked up off the floor, three successful turnarounds. What's next?
Steinhoff-owned Euro chain launches house bed-in-a-box brand
Conforama, Steinhoff's largest European furniture retail business, has entered the rolled, folded and boxed mattress segment.
Inaugural store helped online furniture retailer break £1m sales mark
West Midlands retailer Furniture For The Home says the launch of its inaugural showroom helped it break seven-figure sales for the first time. It now plans to escalate its online business.
Lender takes Carpetright stake to nearly 30%
Carpetright's biggest shareholder has near doubled its position in the flooring chain ahead of its CVA vote later this week.
Furniture retailer uses break clause to downsize part-way through CVA
Closes one of two stores after triggering break clause
Directors of rise and recline furniture company jailed for nationwide hard sell tactics
Follows investigation regarding the use of misleading and aggressive sales
Chinese, Vietnamese wood furniture imports fall
Shipments of wood furniture for living, dining and bedrooms declined in February from all three of the UK's biggest trading partners.
Commentary: London stores lift Natuzzi in early 2018 trading
Big gains in selected stores for southern Italian sofa giant
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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Cousins builds cash, takes step to mitigate sales fall
Three-store furniture independent Cousins bolstered its balance sheet as it took marketing action to counter a weaker market in 2016–17.
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Natuzzi UK boon not enough to stem worldwide losses
A series of one-off items contributed to Natuzzi reporting a €29.3 million pretax loss for 2017. Its UK business, however, is expanding nicely.
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Debt holder acquires Sofa.com, taking control from CBPE
The lender that helped finance the 2015 private equity takeover of Sofa.com has taken ownership of the clicks-to-bricks upholstery vertical, The Furnishing Report can reveal.
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Alstons, Ashley Manor owner explores IPO for UK sofa division
The Thai owner of sofa makers Ashley Manor, Alexander & James and Alstons is considering a UK stock market listing for its British upholstery division.
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Harrison Spinks makes fifth straight sales gain
Revenue advanced for a fifth consecutive year at privately-owned bed maker Harrison Spinks as it looked to build market share in 2016–17.
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
Opinion: Sun shines for Sharps, Dreams and ScS
Three retailers picked up off the floor, three successful turnarounds. What's next?
China crackdown? 'Imagine the Government bulldozing Long Eaton sofa factories'
The latest figures for Chinese sofa and wood furniture imports into Britain showed a first combined decline since records began. There are at least three plausible reasons why.
Commentary: London stores lift Natuzzi in early 2018 trading
Big gains in selected stores for southern Italian sofa giant
Analysis: WorldStores delivers Dunelm with hidden benefit
Dunelm released a third quarter trading update last week that revealed 5.1 percent growth in total sales including a 4.6 percent like-for-like uplift.
DATA & LISTS
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Furniture industry's 13 biggest traditional advertising spenders
The British furniture industry's biggest spenders on traditional advertising during 2017 according to figures by data company Nielsen.
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Home furnishings insolvencies in the week to Apr. 19, 2018
Seven insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period Apr. 13–19, 2018.
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Debt Report: who was owed what by retailer Warren Evans
Today's list regards Designer Ideas Limited, trading as Warren Evans, for which statutory filings estimate a creditor shortfall north of £6 million including nearly 50 creditors owed sums in excess of £10,000 each.
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Home furnishings insolvencies in the week to Apr. 12, 2018
Nine insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period Apr. 6–12, 2018.
TOP STORIES
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Jay-Be invests in capacity and builds export sales
Higher export sales boosted Jay-Be last year as the privately-owned guest bed maker invested in people at its West Yorkshire factory.
-
Sofa maker could land extra La-Z-Boy payment
The deal to reacquire the La-Z-Boy UK and Ireland brand rights could be worth more than previously disclosed, the U.S. furniture giant has revealed.
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Sharps profits up 35% after shift away from concessions
Bedroom furniture chain Sharps posted higher sales and profits in 2016–17 as it continued to gain traction following its — partly enforced — shift away from concessions.
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Beds, BBQs up for John Lewis as sun attracts fashion shoppers
Warm weather boosted fashion sales at John Lewis last week but did little for home categories as overall sales fell. Beds and outdoor living proved the exceptions.
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Sofa chains pare back traditional advertising spend
Furniture and beds retailers remain some of the UK's biggest spenders on traditional advertising despite cuts from leading sofa chains, according to figures from data company Nielsen.
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Milan attendance spikes in sign world furniture buyers ready to invest
Salone del Mobile, the furniture design event widely considered the most important in the world, closed Sunday with attendance up sharply on last year.
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China crackdown? 'Imagine the Government bulldozing Long Eaton sofa factories'
The latest figures for Chinese sofa and wood furniture imports into Britain showed a first combined decline since records began. There are at least three plausible reasons why.
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Harrison Spinks wins two more Queen's Awards for Enterprise
Bed maker Harrison Spinks has doubled its tally of Queen's Awards for Enterprise, receiving another two on top of those already awarded four years ago.
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Dreams adds fourth ex-Warren Evans store with Camden HQ
Bed specialist Dreams has picked up a fourth former Warren Evans store, acquiring the now-defunct retailer's London showroom headquarters.
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Maggie Throup, MP in high-end sofa stronghold, is new chair of All-Party Furniture group
Maggie Throup MP is the new chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group, succeeding Stephen McPartland MP, who has stood down after eight years in the role.
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OTHER NEWS
Customer redress hits JD Williams owner profits
Profits fell 72 percent for N Brown, the home shopping group behind the JD Williams brand, as exceptional costs offset rising revenue.
Argos expanding digital knowhow with 150 new jobs
Argos, one of the largest retailers of furniture in the UK, is adding 150 new jobs in its multi-site technology division.
Steinhoff-owned Euro chain launches house bed-in-a-box brand
Conforama, Steinhoff's largest European furniture retail business, has entered the rolled, folded and boxed mattress segment.
Inaugural store helped online furniture retailer break £1m sales mark
West Midlands retailer Furniture For The Home says the launch of its inaugural showroom helped it break seven-figure sales for the first time. It now plans to escalate its online business.
Lender takes Carpetright stake to nearly 30%
Carpetright's biggest shareholder has near doubled its position in the flooring chain ahead of its CVA vote later this week.
Furniture retailer uses break clause to downsize part-way through CVA
Closes one of two stores after triggering break clause
Directors of rise and recline furniture company jailed for nationwide hard sell tactics
Follows investigation regarding the use of misleading and aggressive sales
Chinese, Vietnamese wood furniture imports fall
Shipments of wood furniture for living, dining and bedrooms declined in February from all three of the UK's biggest trading partners.
Furniture courier ceases trading, leaving retailers seeking fallback
The specialist furniture logistics company trading as Home & Retail has ceased trading, leaving customers with a longer wait for orders and retailers with a distribution headache.
IP issue made it hard to sell Warren Evans business, says administrator
Potential suitors put off by current status of IP rights registration.