REVIEW
Above left: Wescote Above: Sloane
A family affair The show marked a very special birthday for LPD Among the exhibitors at Manchester Furniture Show, LPD Group had a special reason to celebrate: its 40th anniversary. Jim Gordon established the company in 1981 as a brokerage firm for plywood under the name Leeds Plywood and Doors, before moving into the distribution of internal and external doors. As the 1980s boomed, the business went from strength to strength through the hard work, dedication and determination of its founder and his team He was a natural entrepreneur and had a keen eye for the latest trends and, in 1996, he spotted an opportunity when he saw the rise in popularity of pine furniture. He imported a container of pine bunks from Brazil from one of the company’s door suppliers as an experiment. The bunks quickly sold and this first success in the furniture market led the firm to importing furniture from across the globe. Following his passing in November 2020, the company is now run by his children, Lisa, Helen and Stuart. ‘The company has changed a lot over the last 40 years, as has the industry, with the move to buying and selling online. However, we are very proud that we are still able to serve our traditional retailers that have been with us from the start. We are a family-run business that prides itself on strong, loyal relations with both our suppliers and our customers. A lot of
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these relationships go back 40 years and customers and suppliers have become friends over the years: we really value that,’ says Lisa Gordon. The company’s founding family is excited about where they are taking the business next. ‘Furniture is much more fashionable now,’ says Helen Gordon. ‘People update their homes and styles more frequently. We love finding new furniture ranges to keep up with the current market trends and it means that we can be more adventurous when choosing new lines, which we find really rewarding.’ The company’s longevity in the market and, most importantly, its strong relationships with its suppliers and
Jim Gordon
customers has stood it in good stead during the pandemic. ‘The pandemic has made it more difficult for us to extend the range as much as we would have liked. However, thanks to the strength of our long-term relationships with our Far East suppliers we have still been able to develop new ranges for the new seasons because of the trust we have in our factories in Asia,’ says Lisa. ‘Much as we are really proud of our 40th anniversary, our focus is always on the future. We will celebrate our history but what really excites us is that we will soon be able to travel again and expand our ranges even further.’ Visit: www.lpdfurniture.co.uk
Cocoon
