Furniture industry poised to do battle as red sale tickets come out in force

RETAIL | MARKETING

Furniture retailers large and small are gearing up to launch their winter sales, with the depth of discounts, timing, and the impending VAT increase the key tactical battlegrounds.

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Yorkshire bed manufacturer enjoys 2009 sales and profits growth

BEDS | MANUFACTURING

Dewsbury based manufacturer Highgate Beds has lodged its highest profits since 2006, with its operating return climbing 300% in the year to 31st August.

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Nathan up 25% as it acquires new Nottingham design hub

CABINET | SUPPLY

Cabinet supplier Nathan Furniture is to offer specials and customised ranges after buying a 4,000sq ft manufacturing facility near Nottingham.

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Glasgow indy acted early to mitigate recession; Turnover drops just 5%

FURNITURE | RETAIL

Top Scottish furniture retailer makes loss after introducing cost cutting measures.

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Online sales to double for Barker & Stonehouse; Dining leads the way

FURNITURE | RETAIL

Eight-store furniture retailer Barker & Stonehouse says online orders will double this year, after reporting record pre-Christmas sales from its website and a six-fold uplift in the past week.

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Wearside furniture store to close; Lacks retail planning permission

INDEPENDENTS | FURNITURE

An independent furniture retailer in Sunderland has been told it must close its retail showroom after failing to succeed with a retrospective application to gain planning permission for retail use on the site.

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Retail sales dropped 10% for 11-store home chain Leekes before Cole's buy

FURNITURE | RETAIL

Leekes, the new owner of Midlands independent Cole of Bilston, registered a double digit fall in retail sales in the year to the end of March, but a £10.53m disposal of development land helped the firm achieve a £0.98m operating profit for the year.........full article

UK md to leave Steens; Sales director primed to take over in February

FURNITURE | MANAGEMENT

Steens UK sales director Alan Cozens is to succeed Keith Robinson as md when he steps down from his role with the Danish furniture manufacturer in February.

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Sales climb 17% for Cheshire bedlinen and furnishings manufacturer

BEDLINEN | SALES

White label soft furnishings and bedlinen manufacturer Comfy Quilts has delivered a near 20% sales uplift in the year to the end of June - its fifth successive year of revenue growth.

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Hilco backed consortium buys Habitat; Seller provides £45m in working capital

FURNITURE | RETAIL

Furniture and homeware chain Habitat has been bought by Retail Investments, a consortium backed by retail turnaround specialists Hilco. Mark Saunders, the chain's chief executive, will stay on despite having tried himself to broker a management buyout.

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Flooring retailer in Devon launches online furniture store

ONLINE | RETAIL

A Plymouth retailer specialising in carpets and flooring has launched an online store selling oak and pine furniture.

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Turnaround at Airsprung; £0.5m half year profit as turnover climbs 9%

FURNITURE | SUPPLY

Improving sales at Airsprung help the firm to a £0.47m pre-tax profit in the half year to 30th Sep - a £1.2m year on year turnaround for the company.

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British flooring manufacturing group grows sales 27%

FLOORING | SALES

The parent of the Heckmondwike, Granwood and Paragon flooring brands grew sales by 27% to £37.97m in 2008. Group operating profits for National Floorcoverings Group also rose, but by a skinner 3% to £1.64m.

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Owner rescues Italian furniture specialist Mattucci in pre-pack deal

RETAIL | FURNITURE

Five store south east furniture retailer Mattucci has been bought back by its owner in a pre-packaged administration deal. The retailer, which has stores in Catford, Northfleet, Dalston, Walworth and East Ham, went into administration on 4th December.

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Acquisition boosts Sterling sales to nearly £50m; Profits fall 58%

SCOTLAND | FURNITURE

Group sales at Scottish furniture retail giant Sterling climbed 7% to £49.2m in the year to 28th February, but same-store sales dropped 15% to £39.5m.

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Industry body to argue case for UK furniture manufacturing

RESEARCH | FURNITURE

Furniture trade body FIRA will launch its industry competitiveness report at a dedicated event in London early next year, where it will contend that UK furniture manufacturing has a future and does matter.

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November sales growth fails to mask weak comparatives

RETAIL | SALES

UK retail sales grew nearly 2% in November, but the like for like uplift masks the weak comparative performance of 2008 when sales collapsed following the banking crisis.

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Glasswells' sales in line with rivals; New store needs 2 years to achieve potential

RETAIL | INDEPENDENTS

One of the UK's largest family owned home furnishing retailers says it could take two years for its new 73,000sq ft Ipswich store to reach its full potential, as it reported a 13% group turnover fall in the year to 28th February.

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Upholstery supplier given $3m by US Government

SOFAS | ANTI-DUMPING

Sofa manufacturer and retailer La-Z-Boy has received $3m in anti-dumping duties from the Government in the United States.

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North West upholstery retailer ramps up argument with Italian sofa supplier

UPHOLSTERY | RETAIL

Preston independent retailer Cresta Furniture has escalated its ongoing legal dispute with sofa manufacturer Natuzzi by complaining to the Office of Fair Trading.

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