Industry News & Analysis
The latest industry news and analysis—across all categories—listed in chronological order, with the most recent articles first.
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- UPHOLSTERY |
Premium upholstery retailer Wesley Barrell has temporarily closed one of its showrooms while it resolves property maintenance concerns with the store landlord.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
Retail footfall fell over the weekend taking in Black Friday promotions according to Springboard, a consultancy measuring shopper numbers in different types of retail destination.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES |
Sun Capital has owned Dreams, based in Buckinghamshire, since 2013
Private equity firm Sun Capital is proposing a bond issue as a means of extracting some of the latent value in Dreams, the beds retail business it has owned since 2013.
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- REGIONAL |
Major independent invests in new assets and property arm delivers growth.
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- OPINION & ANALYSIS |
"From July, Nasons will have its own website," the independent retailer wrote in accounts filed 13 long years ago.
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- INTERNATIONAL |
JYSK, the Danish value furniture retail conglomerate, says its planned opening in Ireland next year will mean it has stores in every major European country.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES |
660 Mattress Firm stores are closing
Mattress Firm, the largest bedding retailer in the U.S and a key cog in the Steinhoff International Holdings network, has emerged from Chapter 11 having completed its reorganisation plan.
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- REGIONAL |
East Midlands independent retailer Swannacks Furnishers of Retford is to close after the fourth generation owner of the company decided to retire.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
The Nasons furniture store at Wincheap, Canterbury
Furniture and flooring chain AHF was one of several interested parties in taking over either the Nasons furniture store in Canterbury or its brand, according to administrator Kreston Reeves.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
IKEA, the world's biggest home furnishings retailer, says it plans to restructure its business in order to adjust to "never seen before" changes that are rapidly transforming the global retail sector.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
AO World, one of the country's largest electricals retailers, is looking to leverage its logistics network and expertise by building partnerships with external furniture businesses.
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- ECOMMERCE |
European home and living ecommerce retailer Westwing says it is now profitable as it balances revenue growth with cost control.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
Home sales at John Lewis & Partners were down for the second straight week in the seven days to November 17, but it did write more furniture and flooring orders than the same period last year.
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- UPHOLSTERY |
ScS' 16-week comp has weakened compared with 12-week figure given last month
ScS, the UK's number two sofa retailer, will tell shareholders at its AGM later today that core written orders remain ahead of year-earlier trade but that growth has slowed in the past month.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
B&Q's Cribbs Causeway store
The decision to pull away from kitchen fitting services was behind more than half of a fall in B&Q sales in the past three months, the home improvement giant said today.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES |
Mattress seller Simba Sleep says it is nearing the completion of another funding round that will take it to "the next level." It declined to comment on a Sky News report saying it had cut its valuation as part of the process.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
Having introduced occasional furniture to its product roster this summer, fashion retail conglomerate H&M has taken another step into the home category with the launch of its first UK H&M Home store.
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- REGIONAL |
Alan Ward is one of Britain's largest independent furniture retailers
Four-store furniture retailer Alan Ward said 2017–18 has proven to be "extremely challenging" but maintained that continuing improvements mean it is well placed to take advantage of any upturn.
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- INTERNATIONAL |
Steinhoff International Holdings, parent to UK chains Harveys and Bensons for Beds, says commercial director Louis du Preez will become its new chief executive officer with effect from January 1, 2019.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE |
Beaulieu International Group, the international textiles conglomerate, says it will increase prices worldwide at its Engineered Products division because of input cost pressures.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
IKEA, the world's biggest furniture retailer, is betting on the enduring value and appeal of city centres and will invest billions on real estate developments over the next three years.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS |
Victoria has pursued an acquisition strategy in recent years
International money manager Invesco has continued its stock build in Victoria, the acquisitive flooring group headquartered in Kidderminster, buying up another tranche of shares last week.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
Oak Furniture Land is hoping to make its U.S physical store debut early 2019
Oak Furniture Land, the circa 100-store UK hardwood furniture retailer, is close to opening its long desired first U.S showroom, and has chosen Boston as its launch city.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES |
The NBF has released the findings of its latest consumer mattress/bed survey
Heavy advertising has helped vacuum-packed mattresses become the fastest growing beds sub-segment according to twice-yearly research from the National Bed Federation, but it is not only those spending the cash who are benefiting.
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- INTERNATIONAL |
Home furnishings giant Williams-Sonoma will take its West Elm, Pottery Barn and Pottery Barns Kids retail brands to India for the first time after signing a franchise agreement with a local partner specialised in Western consumer brands.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS |
Bury based Cormar Carpets, Britain's largest carpet manufacturer, has made a seven-figure investment expanding its delivery fleet.
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- UPHOLSTERY |
A hoped-for rescue of adjustable furniture maker AJ Way & Co has fallen through leaving the High Wycombe business facing an end to more than 80 years of trading. It was placed into administration last Thursday.
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- IN BRIEF |
The supervisory board of Koelnmesse has decided to "terminate the working relationship" with chief operating officer Katharina Hamma with immediate effect.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
Loaf has been opening new showrooms including this one at St Albans
Expanding clicks-to-bricks retailer Loaf made further top line gains as it began its rollout of showrooms across the UK. Profits fell on narrower margins, investment costs and foreign exchange.
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- OPINION & ANALYSIS |
Cash runway shortens in past four months, as mattress brand reimagines its business and taps investors for more money.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES |
Eve Sleep will lower its investment in marketing and try and generate more repeat business, its new CEO said yesterday. The direct-to-consumer business also plans to raise £15 million in equity funding before the end of the year.
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- DATA & RESEARCH |
Retail sales were up overall in October, said ONS
The value of retail sales lifted mid single-digits in October according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), though furniture and lighting sales were fractionally lower year-on-year.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES |
The Sid mattress cover features a removable and washable quilted top
Yorkshire mattress start up Sid, an acronym of sleep intelligent design, is today (Nov. 16, 2018) opening its first store, with a pop-up shop at Victoria Leeds.
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- UPHOLSTERY |
TCM Corp acquired Alexander & James owner DM Midlands in 2016, having bought Alstons the year before. Its Q3 figures include all its UK sofa businesses combined.
The Thai owner of sofa makers Alstons and Ashley Manor has reported lower third quarter sales for its combined UK sofa business unit but wider margins, leading to improved profits.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
More House of Fraser stores will close
House of Fraser is to close its stores at Norwich, Nottingham, Newcastle's Metro Centre and Lakeside Shopping Centre at Thurrock in early 2019 after rent talks with the property owned failed to yield an agreement.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
IP lawyers representing Furniture Village will make the case for an online retailer's application to trademark the phrase HomeFurnitureLand to be quashed at a hearing next month.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS |
A Danish investment group with links to the furniture industry has acquired a majority stake in premium wood flooring company Junckers.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE |
Privately-owned furniture wholesaler Annaghmore Agencies improved cash generation in a challenging year that saw sales lift but earnings fall on narrower margins.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
It has more than a year since John Lewis managed to string together two straight weeks of home growth
Negative year-on-year home sales returned for John Lewis & Partners in a tough overall week that saw total sales across the chain drop by just over £8 million.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE |
Early export wins, dining ranges and higher sales with existing customers were behind Baker Furniture's top line growth in 2017–18, according to managing director Mark Callaghan.
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- REGIONAL |
William & Sons' store at Merry Hill
Heritage West Midlands furniture retailer William & Sons has closed its doors for the final time after a long-in-the-planning orderly shutdown while it cleared stock.
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- UPHOLSTERY |
Far East upholstery giant Man Wah Holdings says its summer acquisition of one of Vietnam's largest furniture manufacturers shields the business from the impact of tariffs.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
N Brown, the home shopping retailer, says it faces higher marketing costs and a potential asset write-down as a result of a "mixed" draft verdict in its long-running legal battle with the tax man regarding VAT.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
The figures include approaching a full year of deliveries from Barker & Stonehouse's Hove store
Privately-owned furniture retailer Barker & Stonehouse grew sales double-digit in 2017–18 with the impact of new stores and online combining to deliver a sixth straight top line gain.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES |
Year-on-year mattress imports advanced for the fourth straight month in September with a 9.9 percent increase driven by the two largest supply nations.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS |
Belgian carpet makers posted their weakest year-on-year export comp for the UK market since last November at the end of the third quarter of 2018, losing share to their Dutch rivals.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE |
Sales advanced again for fitted furniture maker and retailer Ashley Ann in the year to end March but the privately-owned company cautioned it was not expecting to grow at the same level in 2018–19.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
Independent department store group Ulster Stores built on a return to growth in 2016–17 with rising sales and profits in the year to January 31, 2018.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS |
More than a third of the business now held by two external shareholders
An Atlanta headquartered investment giant has built more than a fifth share in Victoria, the acquisitive floorcoverings giant, after a series of transactions over the past year.
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- UPHOLSTERY |
Italian sofa imports have grown strongly since April
The turnaround in Italian sofa imports gathered pace in September with the value of goods from the country rising by a third, countering weak figures from elsewhere including China.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE |
Britain's three biggest overseas sources of living, dining and bedroom cabinet all exported less to the UK in September with the total for the combined categories slipping 5.0 percent.
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- DATA & RESEARCH |
Footfall figures a worrying portent for winter trading, says consultancy
Retail footfall fell in October but edge and out-of-town shopping parks — where many of Britain's residual furniture and flooring stores are sited — near maintained year-earlier levels.
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- FLOORCOVERINGS |
Regional floorcoverings retailer and wholesaler Calverts Carpets booked higher profits in 2017–18 as its lower cost-of-sales helped counter the impact of a top line decline.
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- RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION |
More Argos stores have been integrated into Sainsbury's supermarkets
General merchandise giant Argos, one of Britain's largest retailers of furniture, will have 280 stores inside Sainsbury's supermarkets by the end of its 2018–19 financial year with another 30 units planned over the next six months.
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- SUPPLY & WHOLESALE |
Trendsetter says 2018–19 will show an improvement on an exceptionally difficult year
Bedding company Trendsetter Home Furnishings says it has addressed a number of challenges to reverse the impact of "an exceptionally difficult year" during which it booked a seven-figure net loss.
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- INTERNATIONAL |
Divests Scandinavian upholstery and cabinet business for nominal sum.
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- BEDS & MATTRESSES |
The CEO of Tempur Sealy International — the world's biggest bedding company — says he believes Chinese imports may be hitting bed-in-a-box companies harder than other mattress segments, harming their growth potential.
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- IN BRIEF |
Half-year profits jumped for Wincanton with the logistics business citing the growing impact of ecommerce and the success of its business in the home and DIY retail segments.
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- IN BRIEF |
Howden Joinery Group, which sells kitchens to consumers via small builders and installers, likely gained market share in summer/autumn trading as sales climbed.
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- IN BRIEF |
London Fabric takes place March 4–5, at Stamford Bridge
Visitors can now signal their interest in attending the BFM-organised London Fabric trade event next spring following the launch of the pre-registration process online.
