Tuesday, April 24, 2018
TOP STORIES
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.
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.
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
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.
Bedroom retailer records shortfall, issues shares
Return to profit short-lived for multi-store bedroom business.
Fitted furniture maker says London showroom will arrest sales slide
Sales fell for the first time in five years for fitted furniture maker Strachan in 2016–17 with the direct-to-the-consumer vertical planning showroom expansion this year.
Irish demand prompts Shire to widen sales remit
Shire Beds has widened the sales brief of one of its sales executives after a spike in demand from customers in Ireland.
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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Early Easter boosted John Lewis weekly sales to nearly £100m
John Lewis sales jumped nearly a quarter last week as it made the most of the earlier fall of Easter, promotions and colder weather.
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Harveys names logistics chief as managing director
New md confirms his appointment, while ex-Heals CFO said to have been given wider remit.
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£20m contract furniture maker sold in prepack
The management of West Yorkshire furniture manufacturer British Thornton ESF have completed a prepack buyout, securing the business' future.
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Hammonds Furniture breaks 13-year profits record
Privately-owned furniture vertical Hammonds doubled profits as its built out its top line for a fifth straight year in 2016–17.
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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.
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
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.
Commentary: Battling to be Britain's biggest sofa maker
Who is the number one sofa manufacturer and distributor?
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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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.
-
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.
-
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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Debenhams to exit 'own-bought' furniture categories
Debenhams' partnership with third-party operators in the furniture sector marks the beginning of a phased exit from it selling 'own-bought' furniture lines.
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Cost pressures remain despite ease in furniture retail price inflation
Furniture retail price inflation narrowed to a 12-month low in March but producers remain under intense input cost pressure according to BFM, the lead trade association for UK furniture makers.
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Painted furniture maker downsizes to reflect tough market
One of the directors of The Children's Bedroom Company says the manufacturer is now on sound financial footing after undergoing a restructuring and downsizing exercise.
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John Lewis blames poor weather for home decline
Sales declined at John Lewis last week with the retailer pinning the fall at the door of poor weather and the annualising of Easter promotions.
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OTHER NEWS
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.
Bedroom retailer records shortfall, issues shares
Return to profit short-lived for multi-store bedroom business.
Fitted furniture maker says London showroom will arrest sales slide
Sales fell for the first time in five years for fitted furniture maker Strachan in 2016–17 with the direct-to-the-consumer vertical planning showroom expansion this year.
Irish demand prompts Shire to widen sales remit
Shire Beds has widened the sales brief of one of its sales executives after a spike in demand from customers in Ireland.
Organisers make registration live for Bed Show 2018
Registration is live for the ninth Bed Show, which takes place September 18–19, 2018 at the Telford International Centre.