Britain’s best independent furniture retailer expects double-digit sales fall in 2009

3rd June 2009 | independents | Surrey independent furniture retailer Vale Furnishers says its turnover could drop 12% during 2009. The Ash Vale furniture store, voted Britain’s best independent at the last outing of the Interiors Awards, says the consumer downturn is putting pressure on sales and increasing the likelihood of bad debts.

In financial statements posted in the past few days, the retailer warned that a 2.3% rise in turnover to £6.04m in the year to 31st July 2008 masked a 12% fall in the final four months of the year – a trend it says it expects to continue throughout 2009.

The family firm, which has one of the strongest balance sheets in the independent sector, returned a post tax profit of a shade over £809,000.

Besides its shop, the retailer also runs an online store and a separate clearance ecommerce site under the banner Got-to-Go.