Furniture News: November 2009
Flooring supplier Westex makes 7% profit gain despite sales fall
CARPET | MANUFACTURING
Yorkshire carpet manufacturer Westex has reinforced its position as one of Britain's best run home furnishing manufacturers after delivering a £3.8m pre tax profit in the year to the end of February.
Big-spending consumers will boost online furniture sales this Christmas
RETAIL | ONLINE
Internet furniture sales will rocket this Christmas according to research that shows the number of shoppers willing to spend £1,000 on a single item online has doubled in the past year.
Argos furniture supplier: "Trade better than expected" Profits back on track
FURNITURE | MANUFACTURING
White label manufacturer Addspace Furniture says promotional activity by key stockists Asda and Argos is helping it trade ahead of forecasts in the first quarter of its financial year.
Operating profits climb for East of England department store giant
RETAIL | SALES
Norwich department store retailer Jarrold says its stable business platform is helping it trade through the current cyclical downturn - as the firm lodged a slight rise in profits for the year to 1st February.
Glasgow furniture retailer doubles store portfolio following Artisan acquisition
INDEPENDENT | RETAIL
Scottish furniture retailer The Store has opened a second outlet after picking up one of the Glasgow stores of collapsed retailer Artisan Furniture. Seven-store Artisan went into administration in September, leaving more than 1,000 customers unsure if they would see their deposit money again.......read more
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Artisan Furniture administration confirmed: 'It grew too fast'
Northants department store to close; KBB offer unaffected
RETAIL | CLOSURE
Rushden department store retailer Peter Crisp is clearing £1m worth of stock ahead of its proposed closure. However, the firm's kitchens, bedroom and bathroom studio will remain open.
Hammonds: "We've dodged recessionary bullet" - Makes retail growth priority
FURNITURE | RETAIL
Vertical furniture supplier Hammonds says 'It's going to be a fantastic year commercially' as it pinpoints further growth of its high street retail presence.
Sales drop fails to dampen Kingstown optimism as profits climb 45%
CABINET | MANUFACTURING
British bedroom and living room cabinet manufacturer Kingstown says it expects to go from 'strength to strength' as profits rocketed in the year to 31st March.
£10m Cole's of Bilston becomes part of Leekes furniture empire
RETAIL | ACQUISITION
Loss-making furniture retailer Cole of Bilston has been rebranded as Leekes, following its acquisition by the £65m Welsh furniture group.
Furniture suppliers battle for Manor Oak custom following demise of Olde Court
CABINET | SUPPLY
Three different furniture suppliers are selling the Manor Oak furniture range to UK retail stockists - and all of which say they have an exclusive agreement to supply the range from the Polish factory that makes it.
BFC praises 'industry's resilience' as it takes credit fight to Westminster
TRADE | MANUFACTURING
British Furniture Confederation chairman Martin Jourdan has told how competitive the furniture industry remains and praised its resilience, as he and a delegation of top furniture bosses lobbied senior Government officials to back up their commitment to the furniture trade in the Pre-Budget Report.
June marked turning of the tide, says Headlam; Reports 8.4% UK sales fall since January
FLOORING | SUPPLY
Flooring distributor Headlam says UK trading has been on the up since June and that it is now seeing like for like gains compared to 2008.
Salterforth villagers to view housing plan on site of Silentnight showroom
BEDS | SUPPLY
Residents in Lancashire will today (18th Nov) get the chance to view initial drawings of a housing development proposed to be built on the site of the Silentnight bed group's showroom in Salterforth.
Hilding Anders UK bed division makes £9.6m loss following restructure
MANUFACTURING | BEDS
The owner of the Dunlopillo, Slumberland, Myer's and Staples bed brands made a £9.6m pre tax loss through 2008 following tough economic conditions and what it described as 'significant changes to the business.'
Former Ikea exec launches broadside at Swedish retail giant
RETAIL | FURNITURE
Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has come under fire in a new tell all book written by one of the firm's former bosses.
Recession cuts Karndean profits by 40%+ but margin remains high
FLOORING | SALES
Design floorcoverings supplier Karndean International suffered a £10m year on year sales shortfall through 2008, with pre tax profits down to £6.9m from £12.3m the prior year.
To Catch A Dream owner to consider options as Harrogate bed store closes
BEDS | RETAIL
One of the industry's best loved independent bed retailers has ceased trading after the owner and landlord couldn't agree terms.
Furniture firm battles council after being issued with Enforcement Notice
RETAIL | APPEAL
The owners of a 10,000sq ft furniture outlet in Cambridgeshire have vowed to take on the local council after being told to cease trading - two days after opening for business.
27% of top 500 UK furniture and flooring firms running at a loss
MARKET | DATA
Of the leading 500 British furnishing firms by sales volumes, almost a third made a loss in their latest financial year - with a further 90 companies reporting a pre-tax margin of between break-even and 2%.
Scottish furniture supplier to be wound up; "It's no longer a viable business"
FURNITURE | SUPPLY
Aberdeen beds manufacturer Glencraft, which exists to provide skilled work for people with disabilities, has lost its long running battle for survival and has been put into liquidation.
Half year sales fall 7.8% for carpet supplier
FLOORING | MANUFACTURING
Six months sales for British carpet manufacturer Victoria have fallen by 7.8% to £30.17m with operating profits more than halving to £0.52m.
Bed manufacturer Hypnos moves to new Princes Risborough factory
MANUFACTURING | BEDS
Buckinghamshire bed manufacturer Hypnos has ended its two-year search for a new plant by acquiring a modern factory in Princes Risborough.
Top retail buyer joins Willis & Gambier to head up product development
FURNITURE | SUPPLY
Former Courts, Furniture Village and Furnitureland buyer Julian Cox has been installed as product development and sourcing manager at furniture supply group Willis & Gambier.
North West furniture independent Housing Units to launch clearance store
RETAIL | STORES
Major home furnishings specialist to open a discount store selling a combination of ex-display and specially sourced value lines.
BFM partners London retailer to launch first 'Great British Furniture Store'
RETAIL | MARKETING
The British Furniture Manufacturers' Association has joined forces with a Ruislip furniture retailer to launch the UK's first 'Great British Furniture Store'.
