Monday, September 16, 2019
TOP STORIES
The Range enjoys profits, cash boost after new stores lift sales
Home, garden and leisure retailer The Range opened a dozen new stores on the way to returning to profit growth in 2018–19, with annual sales closing in on £1 billion.
Sofa.com launches debut contract range including mattresses from Hypnos
Upholstery vertical Sofa.com is to enter the contract sector for the first time with a collection of products that also includes a tie-up with bed company Hypnos.
Regulator probes completed takeover of carpet yarn company
Antitrust regulators are examining the completed takeover of a £47 million carpet yarn spinner earlier this year to see if it contravenes U.K. competition rules.
Company behind Woodpecker Interiors brand folds leaving creditors short
The company behind the Stoke-on-Trent based furniture and home accents retailer Woodpecker Interiors has liquidated leaving a six-figure sum owed to creditors.
IKEA buys seven wind farms for €136m
Ingka Group, owner of the bulk of IKEA's global store estate, has agreed to pay €136 million for an 80 percent stake in seven Romanian wind farms.
Shops, like exhibitions, benefit from quality over quantity
Evaluating store numbers is ever more challenging.
Furniture supplier Artisan acquires PD Global online assets
The London based company behind the Artisan Furniture brand has acquired selected assets of PD Global, the furniture importer and distributor which ceased trading earlier this summer.
Flood of last minute PPI claims could cost extra £30m, says JD Williams owner
Home shopping group N Brown says it has made an additional provision of up to £30 million after it received a torrent of late-in-the-day and unforeseen PPI claims, many from the Official Receiver.
Batley bed maker appeals NBF suspension for Code of Practice audit failure
The National Bed Federation (NBF) has suspended the membership of Dura Beds after the West Yorkshire manufacturer failed its Code of Practice audit. The company is appealing the decision.
Upholstery giant Kuka sells entire stake in Australian furniture retailer
Upholstery giant offloads shareholding in Nick Scali — one of the largest furniture chains in the Southern Hemisphere — for the equivalent of about £41 million.
Laura Ashley targets China's $130bn furniture market through licensing tie-up
Furnishings-to-fashion retailer Laura Ashley has hired a licensing partner to build a bigger brand presence for its furniture and furnishings business in China and other nearby markets.
New photography showcases future brand direction, says At The Helm
Hydeline Furniture, the upholstery supplier behind the At The Helm brand launched earlier this year, has revealed new photography in a move that signals the direction of travel for the range's aesthetics.
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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China's Mlily grows sales by a fifth in first half of 2019
Output continued to ramp up for the company behind the Mlily mattress and pillow brand in the first half of 2019 despite growth slowing in the second three months of that period.
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Emma mattress brand widens U.K. distribution
Mattress brand Emma is selling its products through John Lewis & Partners after agreeing a tie-up with the department store chain across selected shops and online.
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Historic bed brand to reveal new look, adjusted name and product offer
Bed business Hush-a-Bye is rebranding as hushabye with a refreshed identity that better reflects the brand's "tone of voice" according to Nick Gigg, md at the Airsprung Group owned manufacturer.
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Sales trend improves for Harveys/Bensons despite cancelled orders after systems switch
The pace of sales decline slowed for Steinhoff International Holding's U.K. household goods unit in the three months to end June 2019 with Bensons for Beds outperforming its sister chain Harveys so...
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Consumer Confidence: Major purchase index falls back after July gain
Big-ticket sentiment among prospective buyers fell back in August as consumer confidence took a dive over fears regarding the U.K. economy.
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
Shops, like exhibitions, benefit from quality over quantity
Evaluating store numbers is ever more challenging.
Some threats facing furniture retailers are hiding in plain sight, not under the duvet
It is not just the new and emerging companies that established furniture retailers need to be following closely.
Free TV exposure for Harrison Spinks, but all of bed industry benefits
Rival bed makers to Harrison Spinks, who might be a tad green with envy after watching TV Tuesday night, will not feel any better when they read the following story.
Tariffs: Vietnam 'in the crosshairs', furniture CEOs told at U.S. summit
Shifting furniture production away from China to other nations in Southeast Asia to avoid tariffs is a strategy laced with risk, according to a senior former U.S. Government official.
DATA & LISTS
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The Insolvency Report: Companies filing for administration, liquidation in the week to September 13, 2019
Six insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period September 6–13, 2019.
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Why retailers' assets are suddenly more valuable
The book value of John Lewis Partnership non-current assets increased by a whopping £1.67 billion between the summers of 2018 and 2019.
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Furniture, furnishings and flooring company insolvencies in the week to September 5, 2019
Six insolvencies from within the furniture and furnishings industry were announced in the period August 31–September 5, 2019.
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Debt Report: Who's owed what by insolvent industry companies — September 4, 2019
Today's list contains five insolvent companies leaving combined debts of c. £750,000. Names all 14 creditors owed £10,000 or more.
TOP STORIES
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The Range enjoys profits, cash boost after new stores lift sales
Home, garden and leisure retailer The Range opened a dozen new stores on the way to returning to profit growth in 2018–19, with annual sales closing in on £1 billion.
-
Sofa.com launches debut contract range including mattresses from Hypnos
Upholstery vertical Sofa.com is to enter the contract sector for the first time with a collection of products that also includes a tie-up with bed company Hypnos.
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Historic FIRA building faces demolition, prompting test house and trade association to mull moves
The FIRA building in Stevenage — one of the furniture industry's most recognisable landmarks — will be demolished if redevelopment plans put forward by the property owner go ahead.
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John Lewis "redesigning every part" of home programme after £17m sales slide
Department store chain John Lewis & Partners said it is launching 3,000 new own-brand products this autumn as part of an overhaul of its home merchandise programme.
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Dwell to open first store outside mainland Britain
Dwell, the modern furniture and home accents retailer, is expanding its store footprint with a first unit outside the U.K. mainland next month.
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Homesense adding six new stores as it rolls out TK Maxx tie-up
Homesense will open two new stores today amid six new openings over the next three weeks as the U.S. owned off-price furniture and home furnishings chain takes U.K. store numbers to nearly 80.
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Stressless narrows half-year U.K. revenue slide after softer second quarter fall
Half year sales declined in the U.K. and Ireland for the company behind major European upholstery brand Stressless, though the second quarter improved on the first.
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Chinese mattress imports into U.K. rise for tenth straight month
Containers of China-made mattresses led the way as bed imports into the U.K. returned to growth in July, according to new Government figures.
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Furniture retailer OKA makes ecommerce launch into U.S. market
Premium British furniture and interiors retailer OKA has launched into the U.S. market for the first time with a dedicated ecommerce store. Stores will follow.
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Fast growth in sofa imports meets abrupt end at start of second half of 2019
Upholstery imports into the U.K. declined year-on-year in July, bringing three straight months of high double-digit value growth to an end.
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OTHER NEWS
Regulator probes completed takeover of carpet yarn company
Antitrust regulators are examining the completed takeover of a £47 million carpet yarn spinner earlier this year to see if it contravenes U.K. competition rules.
Company behind Woodpecker Interiors brand folds leaving creditors short
The company behind the Stoke-on-Trent based furniture and home accents retailer Woodpecker Interiors has liquidated leaving a six-figure sum owed to creditors.
IKEA buys seven wind farms for €136m
Ingka Group, owner of the bulk of IKEA's global store estate, has agreed to pay €136 million for an 80 percent stake in seven Romanian wind farms.
Furniture supplier Artisan acquires PD Global online assets
The London based company behind the Artisan Furniture brand has acquired selected assets of PD Global, the furniture importer and distributor which ceased trading earlier this summer.
Flood of last minute PPI claims could cost extra £30m, says JD Williams owner
Home shopping group N Brown says it has made an additional provision of up to £30 million after it received a torrent of late-in-the-day and unforeseen PPI claims, many from the Official Receiver.
Batley bed maker appeals NBF suspension for Code of Practice audit failure
The National Bed Federation (NBF) has suspended the membership of Dura Beds after the West Yorkshire manufacturer failed its Code of Practice audit. The company is appealing the decision.
Upholstery giant Kuka sells entire stake in Australian furniture retailer
Upholstery giant offloads shareholding in Nick Scali — one of the largest furniture chains in the Southern Hemisphere — for the equivalent of about £41 million.
Laura Ashley targets China's $130bn furniture market through licensing tie-up
Furnishings-to-fashion retailer Laura Ashley has hired a licensing partner to build a bigger brand presence for its furniture and furnishings business in China and other nearby markets.
New photography showcases future brand direction, says At The Helm
Hydeline Furniture, the upholstery supplier behind the At The Helm brand launched earlier this year, has revealed new photography in a move that signals the direction of travel for the range's aesthetics.
Maisons du Monde makes pitch to contract buyers with first B2B showroom
Furniture and home accents retailer Maisons du Monde has opened a first-ever business-to-business (B2B) showroom as it looks to build a larger customer base in the office and hospitality sectors.