Furniture News 389

#389 February 2022 www.furniturenews.net

GOING GLAM New brands broaden Kettle’s portfolio

In the BHAG Sussex Beds’ extraordinary expansion plan ECO CONSCIOUS | BEDROOM LIVING | TRADE SERVICES

The sustainable packaging dilemma What JFS’ postponement means

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IT’S THOROUGHLY REFRESHING TO HEAR SOME GOOD NEWS FOR ONCE The news can be numbing. As a journalist, it’s not in my nature to turn a deaf ear to the goings on around me, but there are times it’d probably be better for my health to do so.

Despite the possibility of being on an exit path from the pandemic – the most recent stage of which was far less impactful than feared – the mood hasn’t changed. On this bleak midwinter’s day, for example, there’s an imminent cost of living crisis, global superpowers on the move, civil unrest, and ongoing scandals in our pillars of power.

Given all that, it’s thoroughly refreshing to hear some good news for once, courtesy of a retailer local to me who’s contributed to this magazine on many an occasion.

After building his business back from administration and adopting progressive strategies across the board, Sussex Beds’ Steve Pickering is thinking big – turn to p8 of this month’s issue for the exclusive reveal of his grand ambitions (granted, it’s unlikely Steve’s business would be in its position without the tribulations that prompted its reinvention – perhaps the good news needs the bad?).

This month’s issue also sees the return of our popular Eco Conscious feature (from p27). Meet The Furniture Recycling Group’s Nick Oettinger (p32), discover why KAPDAA’s Nish Parekh sees opportunity in the demand for sustainable approaches

(p42), and learn how some of the industry’s biggest brands and partners are laying the foundations for a greener future.

With mounting consumer demand, and new taxes and regulations imminent, we look closely at the evolution of sustainable packaging materials and processes, and present views from a range of industry experts on the challenges, costs and benefits of more eco-friendly fulfilment (p27). “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to packaging issues,” states FIRA International’s John Hubbard, “but optimising packaging should be of benefit to the whole supply chain in controlling costs and ensuring that we are taking responsibility for limiting the environmental impacts from the sector.”

Clearly, getting furniture from A to B requires more than just careful handling and wishful thinking.

Elsewhere, VIDA’s David Caffrey gives us the lowdown on the wholesaler’s recruitment, investment and cross-border business (p14), Clarion’s Zoë Bonser shares the thinking behind the January Furniture Show’s postponement and discusses what visitors can expect this April (p16), and the BFM reveals new initiatives and a fresh format for next month’s Fabric Show London (pages 18 and 57).

Surely all that’s worth a break from the headlines?

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Vegan mattress ticking is designed to keep us sleeping soundly and healthfully without harming people, planet, or animals.

5

#389 February 2022 www.furniturenews.net

GOING GLAM

CONTENTS

New brands broaden Kettle’s portfolio

7

NEWS

8

INSIGHT

8 Sussex Beds / 14 VIDA Living In the BHAG Sussex Beds’ extraordinary expansion plan ECO CONSCIOUS | BEDROOM LIVING | TRADE SERVICES

The sustainable packaging dilemma What JFS’ postponement means

22 KETTLE INTERIORS AGENCIES (COVER FEATURE)

16

EVENTS

16 January Furniture Show / 18 BFM Fabric Show London 20 CIFF Guangzhou

22

PRODUCTS

27 Eco conscious / 46 Living / 48 Bedroom 52 Trade services

CONTRIBUTORS

54

27

54 CSIL’s global outlook / 57 BFM / 58 Feedback

John Hubbard, Technical consultant, FIRA International

OPINION

8

42

Nish Parekh, co-founder, KAPDAA - The Offcut Company

57

Sean Holt, MD, BFM

WE WERE SALESPEOPLE – NOW WE’RE BUSINESSPEOPLE

6

NEWS

READ MORE AT WWW.FURNITURENEWS.NET

JULIAN CHARLES ENJOYS ONLINE FILLIP Bedding and linen retailer Julian Charles, which currently operates from 75 locations across the country, with 13 concession sites in garden centres, recently reported a +30% uptick in online sales across last year, following the roll-out of a new ecommerce proposition, comprising improved usability and order speed, and the introduction of free delivery on all online products, a self-service process to streamline returning products, and a virtual assistant to quickly address customer queries.

Online sales were up +65% YoY last September alone, and further digital growth is expected to run at +25% over the next two years. This success follows a period of investment in Julian Charles’ digital proposition from SKG Capital, which acquired the Manchester-based business in June 2020 and took it to a breakeven position from a £2.1m loss.

MD Simon Peck says: “The growth of our online proposition is introducing the historic Julian Charles brand to a new generation of customers for the very

first time. We continue to focus on growing both our high-street and online presence across the UK over the coming months and years.”

The retailer also announced plans to open up to 10 concessions in garden centres across the country over the next 12 months, following the launch of its 1800ft2 concession in Tong Garden Centre, West Yorkshire. “We are a fast-growing business, and are on the hunt for new garden centre partners to meet our target of opening up to 10 concessions within garden centres over the next year,” says Simon.

HYPNOS INVESTS TO MEET GROWING DEMAND Hypnos is further investing in its team, training, machinery and responsible product innovation to increase capacity and meet consumer demand for its award-winning brand and sustainable products.

The continued investment follows a three-month programme launched last August in response to industry-wide labour shortages, which saw the brand recruit and fully train more than 50 new members of staff at its Princes Risborough Factory, to expand mattress capacity by +50% and enable it to satisfy growing consumer and retailer demand.

In addition, Hypnos invested more than £250,000 in new equipment, and fine-tuned its factory layout, increasing mattress manufacturing space by another +30%.

CEO James Keen says: “We are committed to supporting our retailers in providing their customers with comfort with integrity, which is why we have made significant investments in 2021 and will be continuing to do so in 2022. Furthermore, we are continuing to work with our wider supply chain to further reduce material lead times, whilst placing stronger emphasis on responsible sourcing from new UK suppliers. With the imminent consumer launch of our new long-term partnership with the Eden Project too, covering a range of charity, community and product development projects, 2022 is set to be an exciting year for Hypnos’ team, our retailer partners, suppliers and our communities, and we look forward to working together.”

RETAILERS ENCOURAGED TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL BED MONTH As National Bed Month (March) approaches, the National Bed Federation (NBF) is calling bed manufacturers and retailers to support the annual campaign, and is providing an exclusive multimedia toolkit to its NBF Retail Champions.

The campaign, which has been running for over 30 years, promotes to consumers the health benefits of buying a new bed – and particularly one made by an NBF-approved member. This year’s theme - Wake Up on the Right Side, with the Right Bed – focuses on bed-buying advice to ensure consumers get the right bed for their needs, plus tips on how to prolong its lifespan.

According to the NBF’s consumer research, the advice is needed – 41% are replacing their old mattresses in five years or less, with a third citing as a reason for replacement that their

old bed is worn out, and a further 21% that it is uncomfortable.

Simon Williams, the NBF’s newly promoted head of marketing and membership, says: “Over the years, we’ve had hundreds of retailers and manufacturers support National Bed Month in their sales and marketing campaigns. Whether it’s fundraising, providing fun photo opportunities, special discounts or added value offers, it’s the ideal opportunity for all bed retailers to push new bed sales.

“The new toolkit gives NBF Retail Champions the additional tools to help them promote the importance of a good, comfortable bed for a great night’s sleep. Use the video and infographics on social media, the banners on websites and the logo in marketing collateral.”

Salone del Mobile.

Milano’s 60th edition will no longer be held in April this year, but will take place from 7-12th June, prompted by “the desire to organise an event that fully reflects the importance and the quality of the fair”

Artisan Furniture (Global Vision Direct) was recently the subject of a Forbes article which explored the importer’s Indian manufacturing operation and growth

Dreams opened four new Feather & Black stores last year – in Hedge End, Watford, and Knaresborough and Canterbury in December – and says more openings are planned this year

EFE, which was due to take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 9-12th March, has been postponed to an as-yet unspecified date

Red Ant, a retail technology specialist, has surveyed UK shoppers and discovered that nearly a third of them (30%) would choose their next sofa based on the retailer’s sustainability credentials

Meble Polska, which returns to Poznan from 22nd-25th this month, says visitors from 50 countries have confirmed their participation in the exhibition, and that the overall share of registered visitors lined up to attend from outside Poland stands at 47%

Barclaycard reports that consumer spend increased +5.9% Yo2Y, fuelled by demand for convenience, online shopping and home improvements – spending on furniture was up +19.8% Yo2Y READ MORE ONLINE AT FURNITURENEWS.NET

NEWS

READ MORE AT WWW.FURNITURENEWS.NET

Hartman UK has appointed David Cotgrave as its new head of sales.

David boasts experience of multichannel customer management, new business development, and the delivery of new product development for seasonal markets

The NBF has relaunched its Introduction to Beds course, a fast-track learning module now freely available for everyone in the bed industry

Heimtextil, after being postponed from its traditional January timeline, will take place as a one-time summer special in Frankfurt from 21st-24th June this year, parallel to Techtextil and Texprocess. Messe Frankfurt’s Ambiente has been cancelled this year

FIRA International has announced a new course for 2022, Carbon Measurement and Towards Carbon Zero, which is scheduled to run on 2nd March

Colour Marketing Services has doubled the size of its Suffolk production facility and appointed Caroline Adams its sales and marketing director

Woolroom, a retailer of natural wool sleeping products and homewares based in Rutland, has unveiled plans to expand in the US after receiving funding from Santander UK

FIRA International is delaying its open day events, originally scheduled for January and February, and will instead be hosting them in March, on: 1st (AM, fully booked); 3rd (PM); and 8th (AM)

READ MORE ONLINE AT FURNITURENEWS.NET

7

OMNICHANNEL STRATEGY PAYING OFF FOR BENSONS Bensons for Beds has announced a return to operating profitability and confirmed that it saw two-year LFL growth of +10.5% in the key sevenweek trading period ended 15 January, as its transformation programme continues to gather momentum. Bensons says the growth was driven by investment in its omnichannel strategy, including a new ecommerce platform, product innovation and accelerated store relocations and refurbishments.

The retailer’s customer order book reached record levels in the autumn, followed by double-digit sales growth from the August bank holiday through to its post-Christmas peak. Bensons says that this strong performance continued into the new year, both in-store and online – online sales are still enjoying strong double-digit LFL growth Yo2Y. In December, Bensons opened eight new stores, including five relocations – in all, 20 new openings took place over the previous 12 months, taking the total number of stores to 179. Around 35 new stores and relocations are planned for 2022, with 15 in the first half, which started with Telford’s Forge Retail Park on 28th January.

Alongside investment in new machinery, Bensons also began to re-engineer its supply chain in order to source more products in the UK. Last year, around 65% of the products it sold were

manufactured in the UK, with approximately 50% made at its Huntingdon site alone.

For the five months to 30th September 2021, Bensons turned over £101.9m and delivered an operating profit of £1.6m – a step up from the 10-month trading period to 30th April 2021, when it generated revenue of £148.4m and reported an operating loss on continuing operations of £24.9m.

CEO Mark Jackson says: “While our return to profitability is an important milestone, it’s simply a consequence of doing the right thing by customers.

In the year ahead we’ll keep focused on our customers, on how they want to shop with us – online and offline – and on making their experience as they invest in their sleep as easy as it can be.”

DFS ENJOY STRONG H1 AND APPOINTS NEW SOFOLOGY MD In a trading update covering H1 (to 26th December 2021), DFS Furniture has announced strong order intake performance across the half, and says that the post-Christmas trading period has started well.

Gross sales were up +10% Yo2Y, with delivery throughput accelerating across the half. Order intake was materially ahead of the FY19 pre-pandemic comparative period, but lower than the exceptional FY21 period, which benefited from significant pentup demand post lockdown, says DFS. Group chief executive Tim Stacey says: “We will

continue to invest in our digital platforms and our showrooms, our delivery network, our UK manufacturing capacity, and, with expansion into other home categories, we are well positioned to succeed.”

DFS also confirmed the appointment of Emma Dinnis as the MD of Sofology. Emma, who boasts extensive retail experience with IKEA, Arcadia Group, Marks and Spencer and, most recently, as CCO of M&Co, joined the group on 1st November, and has now commenced her new role.

SPRING FAIR CONFIDENT OF A STRONG EDITION Home and gift show Spring Fair will take place from 6-9th February across halls 1-8 of the NEC Birmingham as planned, says Julie Driscoll, divisional MD for retail, engineering and manufacturing at exhibition organiser Hyve Group.

“As well as our responsibility to Health & Safety, we have a huge responsibility to the many thousands of businesses that rely on us as a key part of their buying and selling calendar,” says Julie. “We saw a renewed energy and excitement at both Autumn Fair and Glee amongst the thousands of exhibitors and attendees. Everybody who attended the event came to do business.

“We also successfully launched Curated Meetings, delivering over 300 15-minute face-to-

face meetings, generating hundreds of thousands of pounds of business and an incredible return on time investment for participants. We have grown Curated Meetings exponentially for Spring Fair, incorporating all sectors of the show.

“What 2021 has highlighted is the importance of reliability and retailers being able to see and touch what they are buying. One thing is clear – they cannot afford another year of virtual buying.”

Spring Fair has also unveiled its Inspiring Retail Stage content programme, which includes speakers from John Lewis, Sedex and Mintel, plus the founder of Green & Blacks Jo Fairley, TV personalities Billie Faiers and Paul Moneypenny, and various insights and trend forecasts.

8

INSIGHT

FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS WE PLAN TO OPEN A STORE EVERY QUARTER, THEN PREPARE FOR FASTER GROWTH THEREAFTER, HITTING 80 STORES BY 2030

THE BIG SLEEP Sussex Beds, which turned 40 last month, is one of the UK’s most successful independent retailers. Currently in the early stages of a 10-year expansion plan, the 12-store chain (a 13th opens in Dover this month) has its sights set on controlled, measured expansion, CEO Steve Pickering tells Paul Farley. And the best is yet to come … www.sussexbeds.co.uk

9 It was December 2020 when I first heard about Steve Pickering’s BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal), but at that stage I had no idea quite how big, hairy and audacious it truly was.

When the opportunity came for a long-overdue check-in with Steve at his new(ish) office, I jumped at the chance to find out more about his rapidly expanding business. Conveniently situated in my hometown, Hastings – in the former HQ of our local newspaper, where I’d last set foot during a work experience stint in 1996 – Sussex Beds is, like many local independent retailers, something of an institution in these parts.

With a history dating back as far as I do (to 1981), the Pickering family’s bed shops have been the destination of choice for many of the county’s consumers in need of new shuteye solutions, and its liveried delivery vehicles are a common sight down here on the UK’s Sunshine Coast.

Yet clearly the secret’s out. With the opening of stores in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Ashford, Maidstone and Canterbury – and, this month, Dover – Sussex Beds is increasingly overstepping its brand’s boundaries.

With a modest calmness that belies

the sheer scale of his ambitions, Steve reveals that these forays into neighbouring Kent are just the beginning.

“For the next three years, we plan to open a store every quarter,” he says.

By my count, that’s 11 more locations, totalling – if, like Steve, you count the website as a store equivalent – 25 by ‘25.

“I don’t see such expansion as a risk,” he continues. “The finance is in place, and we have a very strong business model.”

But that’s just the start.

“That’s the slower bit,” Steve continues, flashing a wry smile. “The objective then is to prepare for faster growth thereafter, hitting 80 stores by 2030.”

That statement takes a while to settle in. After seeing so many retailers downsize/rationalise their store estates over the years, it’s quite a shock to hear directly from an independent retailer (and a local one, to boot) that’s planning quite the opposite.

Waking up To appreciate the credibility of Steve’s ambition, one must first understand his back story. Founded by Steve’s parents John and Sandra in 1981, Hastings Bed Centre was joined by stores in Haywards

Heath, Bexhill, Uckfield, Portslade, Hailsham and Newhaven over the following three decades.

This expansion came to an end in 2012, when the realisation hit the Pickerings that the business was unsustainable. Sussex Beds was overstretched and underperforming, and its principals made the difficult decision to place it into a CVA, hitting a hard restart on proceedings in the name of long-term survival. Full administration followed.

“There was just so little knowledge of what was going on behind the business,” Steve recalls. “Retail isn’t just about product, but a whole host of structures and controls – finance, HR, KPIs … and we were well out of our depth.”

In hindsight, it’s fortuitous that the family chose rip off the plaster when it did.

“The challenge certainly spurred our thought processes in new directions,” says Steve, who, together with the current management team’s John Rayment (operations director), Matthew Pickering (financial director) and Sue Skinner (sales and buying director) – all of whom had joined before 1995 – took the reins of the downscaled six-store business in 2014.

Sussex Beds’ management team – Steve Pickering, Sue Skinner, Matthew Pickering and John Rayment

WE WERE SALESPEOPLE – NOW WE’RE BUSINESSPEOPLE

10

INSIGHT

Sussex Beds’ delivery team prepares to hit the road

Reinvention was driven by frequent meetings in which Steve’s team were forced to question the very fundamentals of their operation. These were led by a local business coach, who continues to play an important role in mediating and counselling the team’s decisions.

“We met up every two weeks, and always came out of each meeting with actions to be implemented,” says Steve. “It was – and continues to be – extremely productive. It’s given us structure. We were salespeople – now we’re businesspeople. We strategise, we spread the risk, we study the numbers.”

Steve was determined to empower himself and his staff through knowledge, and to avoid repeating the mistakes which led to the company’s capitulation in 2012. “As long as you learn from your experiences – and you take much more from your failures than your successes – you can only get better,” he explains, recounting an experience in the newco’s early days when he made the decision to outsource the installation of the stores’ fittings: “The job just wasn’t up to scratch.

Whereas before we might have asked for improvements and let the installer roll out the rest, we chose to do it all ourselves instead, and get it right.

“Over the years, one voice of conscience – our coach – has turned Sussex Beds into a DIY business.”

The subsequent turnaround saw Sussex Beds awarded various

WE NEED TO CONTINUALLY STRETCH OUR THOUGHT PROCESSES AND ASK OURSELVES WHY AND HOW WE’RE GOING TO ACHIEVE THOSE MILESTONES accolades, including the NBF’s Bed Retailer of the Year (under £5m beds turnover) award in 2016. More store openings across the region followed.

Like many businesses, the pandemic proved both cuff and catalyst for Sussex Beds, which in its 2020/21 FY turned a record-breaking profit, opened four new stores and a second distribution hub, and invested significantly in its staff and digital operation – an inspiring effort

which earned the business its second Bed Industry Award, this time the Retail Champion of the Year accolade, in 2021.

Although it hurt at the time, the decision to rebuild from the ground up following the administration proved crucial, giving Steve’s team the opportunity to get to grips with the new rules of retail – both in-store and online – before the market became (arguably) more unforgiving.

INFORMING INDUSTRY, BUILDING BUSINESS 11 Bye bye, brands “I was walking the floor of our Bexhill store in 2015,” Steve recounts, “when a customer selected a mattress from a well-known UK brand. It was priced at £500. ‘Can we do a deal?’ asked the customer. ‘OK’, I relented, ‘£450?’. ‘But Argos has one for £199,’ he replied.

“In that scenario, you can explain that the cheaper model they’re comparing yours against is far inferior, and that your services count for a lot. But, right away, you’re fighting the customer.

Why were we allowing ourselves to be a showroom for our online and catalogue competitors?

“That was the moment I decided to move away from selling branded beds.”

The value – or lack thereof – in brands in the furniture industry is a recurring conversation, but it’s rare to see a retailer that has taken their conviction to such extremes. Today, Sussex Beds is a completely white-label business, and is in the process of building its own brands rather than relying on the sector’s established players.

“We always felt like we needed brands to compete locally and add credibility,” says Steve, “but no brands means no price comparisons. They don’t tend to advertise significantly, or add value.

Today, Sussex Beds is the brand.”

Steve’s own brands include the higher-end Harrington & Abbott, and Nectus, which targets a younger audience. “If it’s of a standard that meets your purpose, why not have the confidence to put your name on it?

Present it to the customer, who can then make an informed choice about whether or not it’s right for them, and it works,” says Steve.

This approach also grants Sussex Beds far greater control of its pricing and margins. Having made another conscious decision to move away from the volume market and next-day deliveries, Steve believes the battle will be won by “great product and honest values” – but admits that this sometimes means turning customers away.

“You can’t work to everyone’s budget, but when/if they do want something good, they know where to come,” says Steve. “It sometimes goes against your instincts as a salesperson – you want all the money you can get! – but doing away with your own margins just isn’t sustainable.”

Accordingly, Sussex Beds’ AOV has

undergone a remarkable shift over the years, going from £450 five years ago, to £750 in 2019, to £1050 in its most recent quarter.

In the BHAG It takes skill and confidence to sell profitably, and Sussex Beds takes great care to train its sales staff to a codified standard. Post 2020 lockdown, a new commission structure was introduced which rewards higher AOV delivery with greater proportions of the profit.

“Before we put that into place, we might have seen a salesperson make one £5000-plus order each month,” says Steve. “Now they’re making 3-4.”

Still presenting a ‘good, better, best’ range of floor models in each line, Sussex Beds’ strategy is to start the pitch at the top, giving the customer a taste of the best of the bunch, regardless of any budgetary expectations they might have. “A lot of people want something nice, and, generally, where you start is where you end up,” Steve says.

“People are more appreciative of a good night’s sleep these days, and are willing to invest in it. Thanks to the likes of the NBF (and even the bed-in-a-box brands), they’re also better educated and have a different perception of how much it should cost.”

Although the stores account for the vast majority of Sussex Beds’ transactions, its online business is booming, up some +400% over the past 18 months (albeit from a low base). The website also fulfils a vital marketing role, with more than two thirds of the retailer’s customers (68%) visiting it before going in-store.

“The website feeds our stores, but selling is ultimately about connection,” says Steve, “which is why I’m so committed to bricks-and-mortar expansion. Around 20% of our business is repeat custom, or referrals, and it may take a few years before customer loyalty pays off – but pay off it does.”

Sussex Beds markets itself hard through a range of channels, including digital marketing, direct mail, radio, press and social media. “All our receipts have vouchers offering rewards for referrals,” Steve adds. “It’s far cheaper to market to and via existing customers than to reach new ones!” Early forays into TV advertising have also proved successful to date, he notes.

The retailer’s in-house marketing

has fallen into a steady rhythm over the past two years, driving business through compelling product offers and a myriad of additional services and incentives – from discounts for trading in old beds for recycling, to a 0% finance model and 30-night trial (with the purchase of a mattress protector).

As well as reinforcing the NBF’s values, the messaging covers almost every conceivable reason to buy, while establishing those all-important pricing expectations.

“The trade can get a bit self-righteous about discounting, but consumers do buy into it – every one of us likes to think we’re getting an offer,” says Steve. “Take Black Friday – it’s now bigger for us than January. Historically, sales dropped

12

INSIGHT

Gaining Traction At the heart of Sussex Beds’ recovery – and key to its successful expansion – is attention to detail. The whiteboards and flip charts around Steve’s office betray a management style steeped in aims, goals and KPIs, while outside the retailer’s mission statement fills the wall: ‘Great products, great service, for a great night’s sleep.’ But what exactly does it all mean?

Fundamentally, says Steve, the business is concerned with helping people sleep better: “Do you know what would be really powerful? Having a number so you can gauge exactly how many people we’re helping to achieve that each year …”

But he acknowledges there’s a lot to unpack from that statement – and that was just one of the goals of a recent four-day management retreat, while thrashing out some of the BHAG’s finer details.

“Ahead of us is a path to 80 stores,” says Steve, “but if we’re even going to reach 40, we need to continually stretch our thought processes and ask ourselves why and how we’re going to achieve those milestones. Our mission statement really does mean something to our team. It has to – it’s important we all believe in what we’re doing and where we’re going.”

Building on the teachings of the aforementioned business coach, frameworks such as those laid down in Gino Wickman’s bestseller Traction have empowered Steve’s team to build additional checks and balances into his fast-expanding business, while nurturing ambition.

“The trouble with a lot of retailers – and we were in this camp – is that they don’t know their numbers. How many people are coming into your stores (and returning), what are they converting, and what’s the AOV, revenue and gross profit?

“A business’ overall performance is the result of each of these metrics, and more. Every department needs to be accountable, and when it comes to the

John Rayment, Sue Skinner, Grace Pickering and Matthew Pickering celebrate winning the NBF’s Retail Champion of the Year accolade last year

before Christmas, then the weather would put people off going out to the shops – what a great time to have such a big sales opportunity!

“Yes, new sales spikes might detract from others, but sales are becoming much more consistent across the year than they used to be, which is great. Why fight it?”

IF YOU DON’T HAVE A GRASP OF EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR BUSINESS, HOW CAN YOU MAKE IT BETTER? numbers, you have to take a detached view. You need to know what’s going on each day, not just at the end of each month or year. It’s the only way to control a business. If you don’t have a grasp of all these aspects, how can you make it better?

“The bigger you get, the more rules come into play,” says Steve. “But if you’ve got the knowledge and the right people, you can achieve anything.”

Steve’s jobs The first lockdown placed extraordinary pressure on every ‘non-essential’ retailer, but Steve’s team spent their time wisely, working on store refurbs and migrating sales and product training courses online. Lines of communication were streamlined, ensuring team members would not lose touch with one another, and knew where to turn if support was needed.

The temporary detachment the lockdowns imposed gave Steve some idea of how a scaled-up Sussex Beds might lose some of the values associated with its independent roots, but he’s confident that the brand’s identity will remain intact if the expansion is done right.

“We’re making a £250,000 investment in our IT systems alone this year, which will give us a solid base from which to

upscale in a controlled manner,” he says. “If we were to scale straight to 40, 60, 80 stores right now, we’d implode – so we need to make sure all our processes can handle our ambitions.”

Steve says that although there is still some further local potential, the expansion will inevitably take Sussex Beds beyond its current Sussex and Kent territories into Hampshire, Surrey and beyond – all counties with a customer demographic in line with the business’ existing audience. He envisions some new stores, some takeovers, and perhaps even a couple of destinations driven solely by his inhouse brands.

The scale of the ambition is remarkable – but, having heard all sides of the story, it seems to me that in Sussex Beds’ combination of unique product, processes and people, there’s a recipe for success to rival even the nation’s biggest multiples.

“I’m building something I’m proud of, that people enjoy working in and are proud to work for,” says Steve, looking across the office to his wife Paula, son Josh, daughter Grace and other close friends in the company, all of whom have proved their abilities and are passionate about taking this regional operation to a whole new level. “The only thing that could stop us is ourselves”

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14

INSIGHT

PEOPLE POWER Operating from both Dundalk and Manchester, market-leading wholesaler VIDA Living has borne the challenges posed by Brexit and Covid-19 with aplomb, COO David Caffrey tells Furniture News … www.vidaliving.com

David Caffrey

THE APP OFFERS OUR CUSTOMERS AN ALTERNATIVE TOUCHPOINT WITH VIDA, AND ONE THAT’S FLEXIBLE TO THEIR SCHEDULE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT

What’s been keeping you occupied in the past week?

This past week has been mainly focused on finalising our strategic business goals for 2022 and planning how the business will perform in 2022.

This involves working with various stakeholders across the business and identifying future needs now, so we successfully deliver our planned growth.

It also included quality time with key customers, forward-planning product launches, etc. As always, the week also included time being spent with various VIDA team members.

Can you outline VIDA’s size and scope?

VIDA is a furniture design and distribution business. Our scope is simple – to provide world-class products and services to our customers in each of the markets into which we operate. Our values are at the very core of ensuring we deliver upon this scope. With locations in Ireland and Great Britain, VIDA currently employ 120 people across a range of roles, from warehouse management and logistics to product design and marketing. Our stockist base covers the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

How well would you say VIDA has fared during the pandemic?

The key in periods such as these is to seek out and identify the opportunities that exist to improve your business, and to ensure that you are in a position to capitalise on these in the future.

Ultimately, we have used that time to focus on improving various aspects of VIDA. From product development and sales to operations and supply chain, we recognise that our customers’ experience is our brand, and as such we have focused on the desire to improve all areas of our business – so I would say we have fared very well over the past 15 months.

What’s been the greatest challenge, and how have you negotiated it?

I would suggest that there have been two equally challenging topics. Firstly, securing the continuity of our supply

chain. Global pressures on supply chain are now well documented, so it has been a real test of our resilience to successfully manage the continuity of our product supply. It never stops evolving – sometimes daily – so understanding our market and confidently backing our growth strategy has ultimately been successful.

Secondly, in times of turbulence and change, ensuring your people are equipped with the requisite tools to be able to manage change is absolutely critical. We have invested in a leadership development programme over the past 12 months, run by our talent partners, Peoplewise. The programme covers all management levels of our business, from executive and senior leaders to managers and supervisors. It has equipped our people with the ability to better manage change by building out positive resilience, strategic thought processes and timely decisionmaking.

We are a people business, and the empowerment of our people speaks to the heart of what VIDA is today. In a world of change, we can secure more certainty for everyone by developing ourselves.

How did Brexit impact your business last year – are you well placed to handle it?

Three years ago, we formed an internal Brexit working group to identify and manage any impacts that we foresaw coming from Brexit. We currently operate our business from two locations – our headquarters in Ireland and our UK base in Manchester. The existing structure of our supply and distribution chain meant that some of the challenges from Brexit have been mitigated.

However, we are not fully insulated.

The current driver shortage is proving challenging in terms of predictability of supply from port to warehouse, along with the additional administration requirements from the exporting of particular products to the UK. We continue to monitor the situation closely, and our partners in logistics have been exceptional in helping us manage the impacts as best possible.

15

our senior quality, health and safety manager. Natalie has hit the ground running, and has had an immediate positive impact on the business.

Have any new technological developments/tools/systems made a difference to your business of late?

We launched our VIDA app in Q3 last year, and it has proved to be a big hit with our customers. The app enables our stockists to check availability of products, create a shopping list of the products of their choice, and place orders directly through it in real time. We believe that the app offers our customers an alternative touchpoint with VIDA, and one that’s flexible to their schedule at any given moment.

In terms of tools, we are about to launch our new CRM tool, which will be a game-changer for the management of our sales service to our customer and our opportunity pipeline. We are excited by this development, and expect it will provide us with deeper insights into our customers’ habits and future demands.

Along with this, we have also invested in a new warehouse management system, which is currently in development with our ERP partner.

We plan to launch this in the coming months. It will enable us to provide an improved quality in service to our clients,

Ottavia

Can you give us a rundown of your latest key appointments?

In line with our vison for VIDA, we have invested heavily in a number of key areas to acquire the leadership talent and expertise to deliver on our strategic aims.

In sales we have appointed Victoria Bellerby as our group business development director. Victoria leads our sales function across all revenue streams and regions. Victoria commenced with VIDA early last year, and we have been extremely excited by the impact and progress to date in developing our sales function. We have also appointed Karl Bickerstaff as area sales manager (North) in the UK. In our UK business, we appointed Marc Seddon as our warehouse manager, which has been very successful. Finally, we have appointed Natalie O’Brien as

Ottavia

With fluctuating supply chains and changing consumer tastes, how has VIDA’s product offer changed in that time?

We operate a long-established, in-house product development department, which is led by our brand director, Ruth Cherry.

Ruth and her team operate a cyclical product development process. Innovation is at the core of our product development process, so this ensures that VIDA are continuously developing new products for our various markets. We review future trends, and collaborate with our customers and sales teams on feedback.

It is through our relentless passion for design and innovation that we are able to provide our customers with products that inspire.

Darby

How have your stockists in the ROI fared, compared to those in NI and Great Britain?

It would be fair to say that in general ROI and NI stockists compare very favourably, with a strong performance being reported across both regions this past 12 months. Consumer confidence has remained buoyant, and the outlook is favourable.

In terms of Great Britain overall, it is generally accepted that the market has performed strongly over the past 12 months of trading. There has been a noticeable slowdown since the summer period, so, coupled with the impacts from driver shortages and supply chain challenges, it will be an interesting final quarter of the year for the industry.

coupled with improved operational efficiencies.

What’s VIDA’s roadmap for the coming months? Can stockists expect anything new in the way of products or services?

Our roadmap encompasses a number of key deliverables. These include: the January 2022 launch of multiple new product ranges, specifically tailored for each of our markets; the continued investment in our people, with targeted support and development programmes; and the successful implementation of our operations improvement objectives in safety, quality and warehouse management and customer service.

We will also launch our new sustainably sourced range of products.

Our customers can expect a range of exciting new products to choose from.

So, there is lots for our customers to look forward to from VIDA! Finally, what’s your favourite range/ model in VIDA’s current product line-up?

Oh, a tough final question! I will answer by giving you my favourites in some of our product categories. In dining, it’s the Valent and accompanying Duke fabric chairs – an instant classic. In sofas, it has to be the Vitalia, and in bedroom, I’m a big fan of the Jessica – a very stylish range

16

EVENTS

SAFETY FIRST

www.januaryfurnitureshow.com

THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF THE COMMUNITY IS PARAMOUNT

Where does the show stand in terms of exhibitor numbers, pre-registrations, etc?

The response from the industry for the April dateline has been fantastic.

All major brands in the UK, Europe and the Far East have confirmed their attendance, and visitor registration is ahead of the 2020 event. We’ve had an influx of brands register their interest now the dateline is in April, and visitors stating they are now able to attend the April dateline.

What factors influenced your decision to postpone the exhibition when you did?

The safety and wellbeing of the community and everyone involved with JFS is paramount, and this will always be put first. We wanted to give our exhibitors, visitors and partners the best possible chance of success, as well as give the industry the time it needs to prepare for an event like JFS. With this in mind, we felt it was the best option to postpone to a later dateline when the industry could feel confident, safe and secure.

Why did you settle on the new late April slot?

We felt the UK would be in a better position with regards to tackling the evolving pandemic, and, through consultation with the market, we know

Zoë Bonser

The decision to postpone January’s big UK show cannot have been easy – but it was the “best option” for all concerned, says the portfolio director of Clarion Events’ Retail division, Zoë Bonser. Now taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 24-27th April, the January Furniture Show (JFS) still promises to be an essential outing for trade professionals, while boasting even greater scope this time around …

April is still a good time to run the UK’s leading furniture event safely and successfully. Plus, we have managed to secure the same footprint with the venue.

Seeing how Omicron’s spread has actually progressed through Christmas and January, do you regret the decision at all?

No! The safety of everyone involved will always come first! Myself and the team have been speaking with the industry, and by their own admission they felt it would have been difficult to attend due to staffing and contractor concerns. In turn, we want to ensure visitors have full confidence in attending safely. It

INFORMING INDUSTRY, BUILDING BUSINESS 17 would have also been very difficult for our international exhibitors, visitors and contractors to enter the UK and make the January dateline.

What do you think the benefits of exhibitors and buyers going to market in April this year (instead of January) might be?

The April event will be able to run successfully and safely. We know we’ll attract more European buyers and European brands to the April event. The event features a new talks programme, and the VIP offering will be the best yet for our visitors. The April dateline will really benefit the brands’ order books, and give buyers that much-needed opportunity to touch and feel product, as well as meet the whole industry, in person.

How much do you think JFS in April is likely to benefit from greater international scope?

With the cancellation of imm cologne and the relaxation of travel restrictions, we have already seen increased registrations from European buyers. As the event now falls outside Chinese New Year, we’ve seen a number of enquiries from Chinese

brands, as well as enquiries from new European brands wanting to showcase.

This is an exciting opportunity, and we look forward to welcoming a wide range of exhibitors to JFS 2022.

Does the extra lead-up time mean visitors can expect any improvements on what was originally planned for January?

Yes – the April date allows us to deliver a new programme of content at the show, Furniture Talks, launching this year. Some speakers we had approached were a little hesitant on the January date, but are happy to be involved in April, when they feel we can run a safer, more successful show.

Furniture Talks will give attendees access to the latest trend insights, as well as to the industry’s leading experts, who will be on hand to share their advice through keynote presentations, masterclasses and panel discussions.

We will also be announcing and showcasing the winners of The Furniture Awards, and buyers will benefit from seeing the winning brands and products at the show. Emerging designers from the Young Furniture Makers awards will also be showcasing

THE INDUSTRY RESPONSE HAS BEEN FANTASTIC their inspirational designs.

We can’t wait for the industry to get involved in all the new activations that will take place in April.

Finally, please summarise why the trade should visit JFS this April …

Firmly established as the largest and most popular furniture and interiors event in the UK calendar, the event in April promises to deliver an exceptional buying experience. With an exhibitor list comprising over 400 UK and international exhibitors, supplying upholstery, cabinet, beds and interior accessories, JFS really is a one-stop shop for all the latest collections in furniture and accessories. Plus, with the introduction of expert seminar content to enhance attendees’ experience, the 2022 edition will be one not to be missed. The JFS team cannot wait to see you there!

THE TRADE’S TAKE “I look forward to showcasing our new ranges at the JFS in April – it remains the most important event in our calendar.

We look forward to meeting and completing business with new and existing buyers in April.”

- Ian Kettle, Kettle interiors “I haven’t been for a number of years, so I’m looking forward to seeing what is out there and new, and meeting new suppliers. The date change was enough in advance that I could move some things around and still be able to attend.”

- Sadie Barron, Interior Inspirations “Following a long absence from the JFS, we are excited to be in the midst of preparing an exciting new stand for April 2022. Everybody at Forte is looking forward to welcoming customers, both existing and new, to our 500m2 stand in Hall 4, where we plan to show our brand-new product ranges – including our uniquely sustainable range of ‘living’ furniture.

The team at Clarion have been invaluable source of support and guidance during our preparations.”

- Victoria Ross, Forte Furniture “I’m looking forward to discovering new trends and catching up with suppliers at the furniture show in April.”

- Heather Way, Raindrop Interiors

“Working closely with Clarion has enabled us to develop and build an active exhibition programme throughout the year. This has enabled us to engage with both existing and new retailers to grow our business as we emerge from the pandemic.

“They have been both flexible and supportive over the past 18 months with the disruption that inevitably occurred, and they remain the backbone of our annual exhibition programme. I would wholeheartedly recommend them as an exhibition partner.”

- Adam Morley, La-Z-Boy UK “Lebus looks forward to showcasing at the front of Hall 5 at the JFS in April. The event is an important date in the calendar, and we look forward to meeting new and existing retailers over the four days. See you all in April.”

- Karl Walker, Lebus Upholstery “We always look forward to coming to the furniture show.

It’s a great chance to meet the owners and representatives of the companies we deal with, and it’s a great place to meet new businesses and see new products. I believe you are doing the right thing with the Covid measures you are implementing, and look forward to the new date in April.”

- Steve Walker, Homescape Flooring and Furniture

18

EVENTS

LONDON’S FABRIC FOCUS Buyers within the international furniture community can take advantage of a fresh new format for one of the leading B2B events in the industry calendar, the BFM Fabric Show London 2022 … www.bfmfabricshow.uk

WE PRESSED FORWARD WITH PLANS TO INVIGORATE THE EVENT

Taking place from 8-9th March, this hosted, invite-only show offers a high-quality exhibition experience for buying professionals looking to source contemporary fabrics for upholstery, beds and soft furnishings.

Organiser the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) has moved the event to the ILEC Conference Centre, near to Earl’s Court, to offer increased capacity and space, as well as greater opportunities for more fabric suppliers to showcase their latest products.

Running across two days on Tuesday and Wednesday, 8th and 9th March, the show will offer a vibrant space for more than 40 prestigious UK and international fabric suppliers to present their latest collections, bestsellers and exclusive options – including world-renowned fabric manufacturers and suppliers from

Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Germany and the UK. Fabrics on show will include wools, tweeds, velvets, cottons, linens, chenilles, silks, leathers, faux leathers, backing fabrics and FR treatments. The latest fabric protection and cleaning treatments will also be presented, to give industry professionals an insight into the latest innovations in this area.

BFM MD Sean Holt says: “The BFM Fabric Show offers an unrivalled opportunity to see high-end fabrics from some of the best mills, weavers and suppliers in Europe. We are delighted to be attracting an international audience, and to be able to offer certainty with the date. With the industry pushing for an opportunity to network and move business forward, we took the decision to press forward with plans to invigorate the event, after the challenges of the last few years due to Covid.

“The BFM Fabric Show London has previously operated at capacity, so the extra space the ILEC Conference Centre offers has enabled us to include more exhibitors this year, so we can expand the scope of products on display and make the show even more compelling for buyers to visit.”

Register via the show’s website to secure an invitation to the BFM Fabric Show London. A small number of exhibition spaces are still available (at the time of publication) – to find out more, email enquiries@bfmfabricshow. uk

THE

BFM Fabric Show London 2022 DATES: Tuesday 8th March 9.30am - 6pm Wednesday 9th March 9am - 4pm Come and join us at our spacious NEW VENUE The ILEC Conference Centre near Earls Court.

47 Lillie Rd, London SW6 1UD. This is a hosted buyer event for professionals sourcing high quality contemporary fabrics for upholstery, beds, and soft furnishings.

Over 40 UK and International prestigious fabric suppliers will: Showcase their latest collections, best sellers and exclusive options.

Present the very latest fabric protection and cleaning treatments.

To secure your invite to this highly regarded event please register at

www.bfmfabricshow.uk

Brought to you by

www.bfm.org.uk

20

EVENTS

NEXT PHASE China International Furniture Fair (CIFF) returns to Guangzhou next month. As the world’s largest furniture fair, representing the entire supply chain, the event promises to reassert its strategic importance – for export development as much as for China’s domestic market … www.ciff.furniture

CIFF Guangzhou 2022 will take place in two phases, from 18th-21st and 28th31st March in the Canton Fair Complex, covering a total area of 750,000m2 of exhibition space. The event’s organiser expects the show’s 49th edition to host more than 4000 exhibiting companies and attract over 350,000 trade visitors.

The first phase will feature top brands from the Home Furniture sector, which will showcase the latest innovations in high-level design, upholstery and customisation options for living and sleeping areas.

Representing the design sector, and in light of the success of the last edition, Design Spring (CIFF’s Contemporary Chinese Furniture Design Fair) will expand from two to three halls, bringing together some of the most influential

Chinese brands, artists and designers.

Meanwhile, Homedecor & Hometextile will present new trends in interior design across furnishing accessories, lighting, paintings, decorative elements and artificial flowers, while Outdoor & Leisure will focus on outdoor furniture such as garden tables and seating, as well as leisure equipment and decor.

The Office Show, the world’s largest fair dedicated to the office space, will focus on new types of workspace, public and commercial spaces. In addition to systems and seating for the workplace, office accessories, and metal furniture, solutions for the smart office, furniture for medical care and the needs of the elderly, and furnishings for schools, hotels, and commercial spaces will also be on display.

At the same time, CIFM/interzum Guangzhou 2022, the largest Asian trade fair dedicated to furniture industry technologies, will bring together top Chinese and international brands to present the latest innovations, machinery, materials, surfaces and components for furniture.

Numerous thematic events will also be held, including the CMF Trend Lab and 2030+ International Future Office. These, and various other design exhibitions, seminars and conferences, promise to enrich the fair with content, providing visitors with additional insights, networking opportunities and useful ideas

17th & 18th May

2022

Over 60 exhibitors ● FREE parking ● FREE lunch ● Central location at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire ●

For a full list of exhibitors and to register please visit

www.springfurnitureshow.co.uk

22

PRODUCTS

COVER STORY

MINT, MAMBO AND MORE Kettle Interiors Agencies will use Spring Fair – and later a new, extended showroom – as the launchpad for its biggest-ever collection reveal, Mint Interiors, a hand-curated collection of premium home furnishings and accessories … www.kettleinteriorsagencies.com

WE’VE EXPERIENCED DEMAND FOR A BROADER MIX OF PRODUCT

With more than 440 products, Mint Interiors builds on the foundation of Kettle Interiors Agencies’ expertise in the manufacture and supply of cabinet furniture to the trade. Mint Interiors is home to everything from exclusive furniture ranges and home furnishings to opulent rugs, lighting and accessories.

From stylish gold and glass cocktail trollies to sculptural coffee tables, modern armchairs and chrome clothes storage, Mint Interiors captures the latest in glam home styling. Suitable for renters looking to add their unique style or homeowners wanting statement pieces, the collection is packed with choice.

Simon Ainge, international sales director, Kettle Interiors Agencies, says: “Our expertise in the manufacture and supply of cabinet furniture has seen us build an enviable supply chain that’s facilitated the growth of our customer YoY. “As our customer base has expanded, we’ve experienced a demand for a portfolio that encompasses a broader mix of product – hence the introduction of our Mambo Outdoor Living furniture last year – and Mint Interiors is part of that response. Driven by market demand, as well as a move towards a more glamorous aesthetic in home interiors, we’re hugely excited about the launch and can’t wait to show this impressive range first at Spring Fair.”

Kettle Interiors Agencies will also use Spring Fair (taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 6-9th February) as another chance to present the Mambo Outdoor Living line. With dining sets ideal for al fresco dining to modular, customisable seating sets for catching some sun, the collection presents contemporary outdoor living and dining collections ready for the summer ahead. Kettle says stock of this new collection is arriving in the UK this month, so Spring Fair represents the ideal chance to refresh store displays before the good weather arrives.

For anyone that cannot attend the exhibition, Mint Interiors and Mambo Outdoor Living will also be a part of the celebratory launch of a new showroom at the company’s Corby headquarters. Taking place from 20th-23rd February, the in-house show (IHS) will include a tour of a newly refurbished and expanded 8000ft2 space, featuring brand-new products from the Essentials, Originals and Signature cabinet furniture collections (prebooking is essential).

Both Mint Interiors and Mambo Outdoor Living will be available through Kettle Interiors Agencies’ all-inclusive DHD service, designed to support retailers through a single price that includes a two-man, direct-to-customer delivery – discover more about this new service at either event

LET THE SHOWS BEGIN! February

6 - 9 2022

NEC Birmingham Hall 6 | Stand 7E40-6A41

February

20 - 23 2022

New Kettle Interiors Showroom 5 Macadam Road, Corby, NN17 4JN We would like to invite you to tour our brand new extended and fully refurbished showroom at our Headquarters in Corby.

Now over 8,000 square feet and encompassing brand new product displayed from our Essentials, Originals and Signature collections and now featuring stunning dedicated areas for our recently launched MAMBO outdoor living range and all new Mint Interiors.

Refreshments provided throughout the day, book your appointment today.

Our extensive value range is expanded to over 600 lines with 112 new products for February 2022.

We are excited to announce the launch of Mint Interiors at Kettle, our biggest launch ever with over 440 hand selected products from exclusive furniture ranges to stunning home furnishing, rugs, lighting and accessories that deliver an enviable opulent style.

Mint Interiors brings a huge breadth to our range, with products in accessories, rugs, chairs, mirrors gifts and ornaments. Our stand at Spring Fair will be brimming with stunning pieces designed to delight and inspire designer and retailers alike.

We have carefully designed over 50 new products to complement our existing collections.

60 new products, beautifully styled and built to exceptional standards bring our range to over 300.

From dining sets perfect for a bite to eat with friends and family to fully customisable seating sets that make the perfect social setting, Mambo is set to transform gardens across the country this season.

Our NEW contemporary outdoor living collection designed to create utopia in any garden.

Spring fair is another chance to see our stunning NEW outdoor living collections; from dining al fresco to lounging in the sunshine, Mambo delivers contemporary outdoor living and dining collections set for big things in 2022.

Mint is the latest addition to the Kettle suite of brands. Delivering a hand picked selection of exclusive furniture ranges alongside stunning home furnishings, rugs, lighting and accessories that deliver an enviable opulant style.

Scan here to book your Spring Fair appointment today!

www.kettleinteriorsagencies.com

Scan here to book your Showroom appointment today!

PRODUCTS

24

THE LIBRA COMPANY

www.thelibracompany.co.uk

Doing business for 50 years and drawing inspiration from across the globe, The Libra Company is renowned for its distinctive, design-led home and giftware collections.

This year marks a milestone for the brand, which is preparing to release its newest designs for spring/summer 2022, alongside a special collection of its most iconic products to celebrate five decades of business.

MD Paul McLaughlin says: “Our family-run business has come a long way since the launch of butchers scales and paraffin lamps at our first trade shows in Torquay and Blackpool over four decades ago!

“Fifty years on, the longstanding relationships we’ve built with our clients is the key reason for our

ongoing strength, and is what keeps us focused on our mission to supply the highest-quality products from across the world. We are immensely proud of our heritage, grateful to our loyal customers, and excited to be bringing back some iconic Libra products and showcasing our newest designs this year.”

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CONTACT US Rhenus Home Delivery UK. Unit 7 New Cheshire Business Park, Wincham Lane, CW9 6GG, Northwich Phone +44 (0) 7745 540524. Email: alan.whitley@uk.rhenus.com gavin.boden@uk.rhenus.com www.rhenus-home-delivery.co.uk

Rhenus_JA.indd 1

19/01/2022 12:58

25

BACKING BUSINESS

FOR RELIABLE & EFFECTIVE RESULTS…

Furniture News goes behind the product this March

“A Phenomenal 6 Weeks Business in the First Five Days! Another Record Sale!”

Cy Fogel, You’re Furnished, Essex.

“6 Months Turnover in 3 Weeks - Greenwood surpasses all expectations again!”

With the January Furniture Show postponed to April, suppliers and service providers are gearing up for this year’s big launch platform, and the hoped-for return of business as usual.

Our March issue is the perfect opportunity to signpost where your brand is going this year, and how you plan to get there.

Before April’s big new product reveal, we’re going behind the scenes to explore the tools and frameworks that are helping our industry remain competitive.

Alongside the latest launches and unrivalled insights, March’s issue will focus on: RETAIL TECHNOLOGY Smart, automated processes have never played a more important role in retail. We look at what’s new and the difference it can make, alongside a special focus on shopper tracking tech INDUSTRY STANDARDS & QUALITY CONTROL There’s little room for error these days. We look at the businesses going the extra mile to ensure product (and production) perfection JANUARY FURNITURE SHOW (PRELIMINARY PREVIEW) Prior to our big preview in April’s issue, we tease a few of the launches visitors can expect to find at the NEC

The issue will also present the latest in Bedroom, Dining, Living and Trade Services.

Don’t forget that there’s a host of digital marketing channels available to advertisers beyond the magazine.

James Fraser, M.D., Blackbridge Furnishings, Inverness, Elgin and Fort William.

“Another Great Success! That’s 3 Great Results Over 5 Years! Very Reliable!”

Adam Tomlin, M.D. Jones and Tomlin. Horsham, Chichester and Worthing.

“I have found Greenwood Retail to be a great pleasure to deal with over many years and they have proved to be both reliable and effective.”

Donald Dixon, M.D. Dixons Department Stores, Whitehaven & Workington.

The above retailers have collectively held THIRTY Greenwood sales over the last twelve years and enjoyed consistently excellent results – they wouldn’t keep coming back otherwise. You could too…

Find Out More About Greenwood Sales…

Take a look at our website or call me, Bernard Eaton now on 07771 700247 or, send an e mail enquiry, and I’ll gladly contact you to discuss the exciting possibilities Greenwood can offer you, without obligation...

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Just get in touch of you’d like to find out more – we’re here to help!

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BOOKING DEADLINE: THURSDAY 14TH FEBRUARY

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13/01/2022 10:40

ECO CONSCIOUS PRODUCTS

27

CARE PACKAGE With environmental concerns prompting a rethink of how goods are packaged for delivery, the furniture industry is having to consider new materials and processes, writes Paul Farley – who has enlisted the help of some of the sector’s more progressive packaging professionals to evaluate what the changes might look like …

Making sure a piece of furniture gets from A to B in one piece requires more than careful handling and wishful thinking. Effective packaging plays a vital role in the fulfilment process, protecting what are often large, unwieldy and expensive deliveries from damage in transit, and minimising the likelihood of returns.

Yet today’s orders can’t simply be wrapped up (figuratively) in cotton wool. With consumer mindsets and Government regulation increasingly taking account of sustainable concerns, the furniture supply chain is having to explore new approaches to packaging.

“All major retailers in the UK and internationally are conscious of their responsibility towards sustainability,

and will be working on initiatives to ensure they are meeting their own governments’ national and international requirements,” writes FIRA International’s John Hubbard in Packaging and Sustainability: Guide to Alternatives, a report he compiled on behalf of the Furniture Industry Research Association.

In the study, John explains how packaging considerations can influence a product’s entire lifecycle, from design to possible reuse/recycling, and that the days of cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, polystyrene blocks and polythene bags could soon give way to more degradable alternatives.

From 1st April, for example, a new tax will levy charges against any plastic

Clockwise from top left: Gavin Boden, John Hubbard, Tom Hudson, Catherine Byrom, Richard Hunter and Pete McDonald

packaging that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. The Government expects the tax to impact an estimated 20,000 manufacturers and plastic packaging importers – but estimates that it will result in a +40% increase in the use of recycled plastic in packaging.

Or consider the Government’s proposal to introduce a UK-wide Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, which would focus compliance on packaging producers, and see them bear the full cost of managing packaging once it is discarded.

Although some businesses are ahead of the curve in the eco-packaging stakes, such developments will unavoidably create higher costs across the furniture industry – so it pays to know what is around the corner.

Thanks to this month’s panel of experts for speaking up: Gavin Boden, sales director, Rhenus Home Delivery (UK); John Hubbard, technical consultant, FIRA International; Tom Hudson, head of quality, Gallery Direct; Catherine Byrom, business development director, AP+; Richard Hunter, sales director, Ribble Packaging; and Pete McDonald, service and QS manager, La-Z-Boy UK.

THE FURNITURE SUPPLY CHAIN IS HAVING TO EXPLORE NEW APPROACHES TO PACKAGING

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Q&A

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THE BROADER IMPACT OF PACKAGING WASTE IN THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY? Gavin Boden: The furniture industry has a long way to go regarding recycling and sustainability with packaging. Using mattresses as an example, they all come wrapped in a whole heap of plastic – sometimes double bagged – then some of them also include bubble wrap.

I know of some manufacturers who are involved in the innovation of paper bags, but they’ll be very expensive, and I’m guessing the uptake will be slow at first.

John Hubbard: Our industry is in a different place to other sectors such as food or apparel. The products we supply are expensive and bulky, and will have a much longer service life.

The conversation needs to move beyond ‘packaging is bad’ towards ‘appropriate packaging is essential to protect the product during transit and storage’.

However, as an industry we should not be complacent, and we should be taking the steps to minimise the impact of the packaging, looking towards more recycled and recyclable or reusable materials and phasing out those materials where possible that are challenging to recycle (such as expanded polystyrene and shrinkwrap). There is no one-size-fits-all solution to packaging issues, but optimising packaging should be of benefit to the whole supply chain in controlling costs and ensuring that we are taking responsibility for limiting the environmental impacts from the sector.

Tom Hudson: I think the broader impact on the furniture industry, when it comes to packaging, is not just the environmental impact, but an economic one too. As our industry becomes more responsible and aware, there’s naturally greater demand for greener solutions

– although the economics mean we all inadvertently drive up the price of responsible raw materials. Card, for example, is by far the most expensive it has ever been, and a core element in recycled green packaging. Gallery has seen global prices increase during the pandemic – not just for raw materials, but for shipping too. This inspires us to work smarter as a business.

Catherine Byrom: That there is so much the industry can do at every stage of the supply and distribution chain to reduce their impact. We love working collaboratively with our clients to help them improve their impact before their stock reaches our warehouse, and when it’s ready to go to the end-customer.

It really is an industry responsibility, so we would encourage manufacturers to work with their supply chains to see what impact they can make collectively, and where processes and packaging can be reduced, changed for something more sustainable, or reused. If in doubt, speak to your distributor, as most couriers will have their individual sustainability policy, and packaging which has been responsibly sourced.

Richard Hunter: Furniture manufacturers and retailers face similar restrictions on packaging waste to the food industry. We see a number of these clients who – due to the multiple shapes they need to pack (both as flatpack and assembled to order) and the awkwardness of packing for example, a sofa – currently use various forms of packaging to get the item to the client in pristine condition.

Flatpack cabinets and units have multiple shapes and sizes and prove easier to manage through the packing

THERE IS NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION, BUT OPTIMISING PACKAGING SHOULD BE OF BENEFIT TO THE WHOLE SUPPLY CHAIN

process, as long as the right size of packaging is available – this can be a challenge in itself. Assembled cabinets and other furniture pieces prove to be the challenge, and again we see overpackaging used to compensate for the courier and handling to the client.

As such, the furniture sector faces challenges with multiple sizes, high volumes, difficult shapes and weights that are beyond most sectors’ problems.

Flexible packing automation can help considerably, and has been in existence for a number of years, massively reducing and replacing existing non-sustainable solutions with environmentally sound alternatives. This can also ease the removal of packaging waste from homes or premises.

Pete McDonald: As an industry, significant progress has been made in a fairly short period, but there is still more we can do to reduce wastage and the environmental impact it has. And, with the increasing pressure from the Government implementing additional plastic taxes as of April 2022 along with existing environmental levies, we believe that if you haven’t already made changes, now is the time to do so!

When investigating changing your packing materials, however, it is important to remember that its goal is to protect the furniture or other items within, so it arrives undamaged every single time. This will help you reduce the number of returns of items damaged in transit, which we all know have a huge environmental impact. In addition, the increase in online shopping has changed everyone’s thinking as to the suitability and purpose of existing packing materials and methods and potential wastage in this area, again encouraging retailers to make changes.

The packaging industry now offers a wide variety of solutions and materials at a range of price points, providing lots of options for furniture manufacturers to explore, and we’d encourage furniture manufacturers to speak to their supplier to see what they recommend

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Q&A

WHAT HAVE YOU DEVELOPED TO HELP MEET DEMAND FOR ‘GREENER’ PACKAGING SOLUTIONS? Gavin Boden: We have plastic and carboard balers in all our depots to recycle all packaging which comes back into the business. Within our services we offer the unwrapping and recycling of all packaging, which of course we try and promote so our clients’ customers don’t have to worry about getting rid of it. Sometimes the packaging can be substantial, proving difficult for customers to deal with.

John Hubbard: ‘Greener’ solutions, products and services were the central theme of my recent guide (see intro), which reviewed packing materials, including some of the innovative solutions. The key point is that solutions are not prescriptive but adaptable, and focused on the business model and the type of product being protected.

Sustainable packaging is at the core of Gallery’s UKmanufactured Sofa in a Box (SIAB) design, says Tom Hudson

Catherine Byrom: Firstly, we ensure any packaging we buy internally is sustainable and recyclable. Over the last 18 months, we’ve also developed our service offering to include reverse fulfilment management in addition to storage and distribution. We always do our best to reuse the existing packing material if we can, or repair it so it is suitable to use whilst protecting the item during transit.

We even have a workshop on-site where we can carry out minor furniture repairs before adding the product back

onto the customer’s inventory – or selling on or donating through another channel, depending on our customer’s processes.

Tom Hudson: Three years ago, we set about completely redesigning and repacking all our mirrors and wall art into a Drop Ship Ready (DSR) format.

This was a dual-purpose challenge – not only to remove the plastics and polystyrene from our wall decor packaging, but to enable the products to survive courier transportation and supply chain distribution.

This dual-purpose task really got us thinking, and with the use of innovative honeycomb card protection we were able to eliminate 99% of plastic and polystyrene from our wall decor category. Paper packing tape is another amendment we plan to make this year.

Richard Hunter: For over 12 years, Ribble Packaging have successfully provided a solution for the furniture sector to assist with reduction of packaging requirement from ‘nongreen’ alternatives.

Using a fully recycled, paper-based corrugated product known as Fanfold (continuous folded corrugated board) in conjunction with automation technology from Panotec, our supplier in Italy, we have pioneered the development of Right Size solutions within the UK furniture market.

Facing many challenges presented by our clients, we have been able to remove various forms of protective edge packaging that don’t have the same green credentials, are awkward to store by the client due to their bulkiness and

also awkward to dispose of. The solution offered also assists in reducing the amount of packaging required, as each piece used is a perfect fit to wrap the client’s product(s) securely and safely.

Reduction in packaging used provides a reduction in cost and all the associated energies required. Both these areas are hugely important in the current market to the manufacturer, the retailer, and, now more than ever, to the consumer, as the importance of our environment is spotlighted more and more.

Pete McDonald: The introduction of 100% recycled and recyclable packaging on all Far East models has been a hugely welcomed project, and we now use zero first-use plastic in products and packing. The packing materials we use have multiple environmental benefits including no plastic, no polyurethane and no restricted chemicals, whilst helping reduce our overall carbon footprint.

Our products are also delivered in quilted fabric bags which customers can keep and store as a useful cover to keep their suite protected whenever necessary (for example, during decorating works, or in a home move).

This is made from 100% recycled materials.

We’re proud that we were the first brand in the industry to have adopted this innovative approach, which is now in use on the majority of our products.

A world-renowned brand needs to take its environmental considerations seriously, and our next focus is to work on reducing plastic on our Europeanmade products

REDUCTION IN PACKAGING USED PROVIDES A REDUCTION IN COST AND ALL THE ASSOCIATED ENERGIES REQUIRED

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Q&A

WHAT ARE THE ADDITIONAL COSTS INVOLVED IN USING ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING, AND HOW MIGHT THESE BE OFFSET ELSEWHERE IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN?

Tom Hudson: Raw material prices for eco packaging have certainly increased recently, but the packaging itself has become more complex. This can lead not only to longer packing times, but the packaging solutions can also increase the cubic meterage (CBM) in shipping in some cases, especially for bigger, more delicate products.

To save costs, we can offset the need for repackaging products in the UK for DSR purposes, by ensuring the products are better packed back in the source factories, helping improve storage, distribution and overall packaging tax costs.

Catherine Byrom: Depending on what packaging you choose, there may be an initial investment, particularly if the protective material is reusable (such as a fabric furniture cover or mattress cover). However, this shortterm investment will lead to longerterm gains, and might influence the buying decision of your end-consumer.

Alternative eco-friendly packing material has become so much more affordable over the years, making it easier for all companies, big and small, to use it cost-effectively.

A quilted bag designed to protect a La-Z-Boy chair in transit

Gavin Boden: The costs are getting more manageable, but the difference between ‘normal’ packaging and ecofriendly packaging is still huge, and I don’t think there is any way of offsetting these costs.

Richard Hunter: This can depend on each individual client and occasion.

Packaging automation can be provided with no additional upfront capital cost.

In the majority of examples, there are flexible packages to suit a business looking for an eco-friendly solution.

Capital equipment purchases are generally offset by an excellent return on investment – typically within 24 months and very often within 12-18 months. Often, customers will see a significant reduction in the cost of purchasing packaging in the first place of around -30%, followed by the removal of other costly protective packaging items.

A further area to consider is that a perfectly wrapped and protected item will have less chance of damage during delivery to the consumer. This

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT WILL LEAD TO LONGER-TERM GAINS, AND MIGHT INFLUENCE THE BUYING DECISION OF YOUR END-CONSUMER

reduction of complaints, combined with satisfied customers being provided with packaging that is simple to dispose of, is a value that we as the supplier are unable to quantify ourselves.

Pete McDonald: The main costs involved in the transitioning from the old to the new protective materials was the time and resources required to rigorously test it to ensure zero risk of scuff, scratch and crush issues, which is often a problematic element of transporting upholstered sofas.

Even though there was significant money and resources dedicated to this project, and eco-packaging can often be more expensive, as a company we see all investment into sustainability as an investment into our product and service quality – and, above all, our brand identity.

We work with an external consultant agency that specialises in sustainability strategies, and we would encourage any company who are at the beginning of their journey to contact a consultant to support, assist and provide a fresh perspective on what positive changes they can make

INFORMING INDUSTRY, BUILDING BUSINESS 31

Q&A

CAN YOU OFFER EXAMPLES OF CLIENTS YOU’RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH, AND ANY FEEDBACK YOU’VE HAD?

OUR ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN CAN SEE HOW THESE CHANGES WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE

AP+ manages returns for a large number of furniture and homewares retailers and brands

Tom Hudson: We are working closely with many high street and major online retailers, and sharing sustainability ideas with each other. We look to specify sustainable packaging solutions throughout our supply chain networks, as we all have a common interest to not only be responsible, but also to supply beautiful products safely without damage. Our wall decor packaging has been very well received not only for driving down damages, but for the very fact that it offers a sustainable packing solution in itself.

Widening the categories further, furniture is a huge challenge due the size, weight, cost and delicacy of the many shapes, sizes and components in the sector. The recent launch of our UK-manufactured Sofa in a Box (SIAB) is a good example of where we have put sustainable packaging at the core of our product design. It has also been well received for not only its innovative product design, but for the fact we have swapped out huge amounts of singleuse polythene and focused on singlerecycled card cartons. The feedback has been so positive for the storage and safe distribution of these large, upholstered items too, as the flatter the packs, the less carbon footprint they generate during storage and distribution Currently, we are on a journey, changing polystyrene and plastics for cardboard honeycomb and tissue paper on other furniture collections, and we continue to work closely with our customers on this task. Any

concerns of being left with packaging by our customers are also alleviated by our Gallery Direct fleet’s white-glove service, and the removal and processing of packaging at our recycling unit at Sittingbourne.

Catherine Byrom: We manage the returns for lots of furniture retailers, including Nectar Beds, Heal’s, Cult Furniture, Lights4You and many more furniture and homeware brands.

As part of this service, we reuse as much of the packaging as is possible whilst protecting the product, to minimise wastage. We even repair the original packing material and repair the products themselves in-house, so they can either be re-sold or donated to charity, if that’s what the retailer has requested.

We’re continually carrying out internal training, research and development on a number of environmental and sustainable issues including packaging, and we always share the knowledge with our customers.

Richard Hunter: We have many satisfied clients using our Right

Size solutions, including bathroom manufacturer Roman. Their operations director, John Wright, told us: “We purchased our first Panotec machine nearly 10 years ago now, and I have no hesitation in saying it is one of the best decisions we have ever made. It has not only made a large contribution to reducing the cost of manufacturing our products, but the just-in-time nature of producing the packaging perfectly fits our manufacturing system.”

Pete McDonald: La-Z-Boy does not favour or change packaging for any individual customer – we believe in offering the best we can for all clients, and we work continually with our factories, supply chain and distribution channels to develop and refine ecofriendly production and distribution techniques.

Both we and our stakeholders recognise how this is not only important for our short- and longer-term impact on the environment, but is also becoming a more influential part of the consumer’s decisionmaking process.

Therefore, our entire supply chain, right through to the consumer, can see how these changes will benefit everyone

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WASTE MANAGEMENT A circular economist and an authority on recycling and sustainability, Nick Oettinger is the founder and CEO of mattress recycling, rejuvenation and collection firm, The Furniture Recycling (TFR) Group, which works with local authorities, home delivery companies, waste management sites and retailers (including John Lewis, IKEA, Bensons, Argos, M&S and Arighi Bianchi) to divert this difficult waste stream from landfill … www.tfrgroup.co.uk

How did you enter the trade?

I first started out in business cleaning swimming pools. I moved up within the company to finally lead a management buyout of the UK’s largest swimming pool construction company.

After selling my shares in the business, I then made a move into the recycling industry working as an improvement consultant. There was a poignant moment at a landfill site when a mattress became wrapped around the driveshaft of a delivery vehicle on site, which got me thinking about how each component of a mattress could be broken down to ensure that as much of it was recycled and 100% diverted from landfill.

Who was your inspiration?

My first-ever boss. He taught me most of what I know in business today.

However, my family continues to inspire daily, and as the business has grown, I’m blessed to be able to say that our dedicated team inspires me too.

What was your career high point?

Being recognised as a global recycling hero by the Global Recycling Foundation.

The celebration of our work was truly rewarding and a great reflection of our colleagues’ fantastic efforts over the years. … and low point?

Having to close our doors across all sites as a result of Covid lockdowns and Government restrictions. It was extremely difficult to send all of our colleagues home for what would be a very uncertain period. Thankfully, we were able to safely reopen our facilities’ doors again shortly after. … and the turning point?

Moving to larger premises – our current headquarters in Blackburn – in order to facilitate the growth of our research and development, as well as our engineering department.

The mattress recycling process is very time consuming and labour intensive when you do it manually, so automation is key. I’m very pleased to say that we now have a world-first automated pocket spring recycling machine, a world-first automated mattress stripping machine, as well as a prototyped revolutionary system that allows a standard 40ft trailer, that ordinarily carries 90 mattresses, to carry 600 of them.

Describe a typical working day …

A typical working day is mostly spent looking after our clients and meeting with them to offer strategic advice and support for their own sustainable initiatives, as well as setting out the wider business strategy for TFR Group.

I will also check in with our R&D team daily to see how things are progressing with improving efficiencies and processes so we can grow sustainably.

33 Business tends to get particularly busy from November to January with the Black Friday, Boxing Day and January sales, so you’ll sometimes find me in the warehouse stripping mattresses, much to the amusement of the team!

I tend to leave the office and spend my evenings catching up with my family whilst enjoying a glass of wine.

If you had to start over, what career might you pursue?

My mother has always said I should have been a doctor or a medical professional, so something down that route!

What date on the business calendar do you most look forward to?

The January sales are our busiest time, so it not only provides us a great challenge to overcome, but also means we can kickstart the new year as we mean to go on, having enjoyed some relaxation time over the Christmas period.

What is the most important issue affecting your business right now?

There are a number of challenges, but one is educating the industry about the recycling and rejuvenation services that are available, showing them there’s an alternative to landfill, and encouraging the manufacturing industry to consider products’ end-of-life (EOL) during the design stage.

In order to create a truly circular economy, we all need to work together to make real changes to the way that we design, manufacture, promote, sell and manage EOL products, packaging and goods.

Which company do you look up to?

I couldn’t name just one, but I look up to any business who has set sustainability goals and has put measures in place towards creating a truly circular economy.

What would you most like to change about yourself?

To be able to switch off from work of an evening to enjoy some more welldeserved family time with my wife and children.

What do you enjoy most about working in the trade?

I enjoy pioneering innovative new solutions to problems no-one else has even identified, let alone tried to tackle.

I’m also very proud of the work we as a business have done to keep mattresses out of landfill. Every now and again, I get a little buzz out of what we’ve been able to do – usually when I add it all up.

We recently passed the three million mattress mark, and if you convert that into space, it’s a huge amount! Knowing that our work is having a real impact on the world is one the most rewarding

KNOWING THAT OUR WORK IS HAVING A REAL IMPACT ON THE WORLD IS ONE THE MOST REWARDING PARTS OF MY BUSINESS

NICK OF TIME 1998 - MD, WT Pools and Leisure 2007 - Product recycling, Circuit UK 2008 - Improvement consultant, working closely with YourWaste and EWRG 2010 - Founder, EOL Recycling (now a wholly owned subsidiary of TFR Group) 2012 - Founder and CEO, TFR Group

parts of my business.

It’s also great to see the progression of our colleagues, through regular training opportunities and leading industry support - we’re proud to say we work closely with those who don’t receive enough opportunities in the workplace, including the long-term unemployed and those with previous convictions who don’t always get the opportunities that they deserve.

Can you leave us with a word of advice?

The circular economy is completely misunderstood by many organisations.

Whilst the ‘circular’ element is a prominent thought, many businesses forget the ‘economy’ component. The true value of the circular economy is building in the value of the products – utilising renewable products that can create commodity value further down the line

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AGENDA FOR CHANGE Whatever the immediate challenges faced from a longer-term and broader business perspective, sustainability, and the need to address the climate crisis, must be on everyone’s agenda this year – states the National Bed Federation (NBF), which has been working on sustainability related projects for several years …

(image credit: iStock.com/jgfoto)

www.bedfed.org.uk/nbf-green

Already, the NBF has: set up an NBF Circular Economy Committee; set an ambitious target of 75% diversion of mattresses from landfill by 2028 – we have been keeping tabs on how many mattresses are disposed of and what happens to them, with our mattress End of Life (EoL) surveys (according to our 2019 report, it would take about 50 years to achieve that at the current rate – we recently commissioned our fourth report, which will reveal this spring how much that rate may have accelerated in the past three years); published the NBF Policy on the Sale of Used and Reconditioned Mattresses and Used Components and Materials; embarked on a research programme with Manchester Metropolitan University to determine more effective ways to test the cleanliness of fillings; worked in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland to develop an Outline Business Case for an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for old mattresses; published our 10 key Ecodesign Principles for the UK Bed Sector; worked with mattress recyclers and the Textile Recycling Association on the creation of a Register of Approved Mattress Recyclers (RAMR), backed by a third-party independent auditing process; and kept UK governments informed of our progress – resulting in our ecodesign principles being highlighted as best practice in the Waste Prevention Plan for England, published for consultation by DEFRA this March.

This year, we envisage several projects coming to fruition, including:

Pledge for our Planet We are determined to encourage and support our members to tackle climate change. This five-point pledge has been designed to kickstart the journey, and supplies a roadmap to progress via initial benchmarking and then policies and procedures for reduction. It is our intention to back up this pledge with practical guidance and support.

Ecodesign Assessment Scheme Having published a guide to internationally recognised ecodesign principles for mattresses, we will be launching an assessment tool and accreditation scheme for scoring and rating products. In light of the CMA’s recently published Guidance on Environmental Claims on Goods and Services, which highlights the need for clear, substantiated claims, tools such as this will be an important defence to show compliance with consumer protection laws in this arena.

Register of Approved Mattress Recyclers (RAMR) Pilot audits are taking place with the mattress recyclers who kicked off this initiative, and we are planning an official launch of RAMR this spring. RAMR has been created to provide a level playing field, and to signpost credible suppliers in a new and rapidly growing industry which has in the past had its image tainted by the actions of rogue traders.

Extended Producer Responsibility The Government has stated that it has every intention of introducing an EPR scheme for mattresses (and other furniture) in the second half of the decade. We already know that, despite the increasing number of businesses already offering takeback and recycling services, there is still a huge amount of products being handled by local authorities. EPR is designed to transfer that burden to industry. The NBF has set up a working party to engage with Government and identify what an industry-led EPR scheme could and should look like. Those discussions are ongoing, and the working party is being extended to include retail stakeholders

The NBF is going Green NBF Green is our response to the Global Climate Crisis

To find out more contact info@bedfed.org.uk

Our aim is to support our members on their journey to becoming more sustainable businesses Some of the things we are doing to help include: •

Introducing the NBF Pledge for our Planet

•

Developing an ecodesign framework for mattresses

•

Actively engaging with UK governments on climate action plans

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COMPREHENSIVE CONSCIENCE Elara

Leading European manufacturer and exporter of RTA furniture, Forte, recognises the need for environmentally aware approaches, both globally, and on a local level at its headquarters in Ostrów, Poland … www.forte.com.pl

Tobago

CARE FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IS A PRIORITY IN EVERY AREA OF OUR OPERATIONS

Founded by Maciej Formanowicz in 1992, Forte operates through five production plants (including its own chipboard factory), from which it designs and makes furniture for bedrooms, hallways, children’s bedrooms, offices, living and dining rooms – all with quality and the environment in mind.

“Our responsibility towards our customers, co-workers and the natural environment sets the course for our daily work,” says Forte. “We treat the ecological aspects as equally important to the economic and the social – care for the natural environment is a priority in every area of our operations, and we continuously search for the most environmentally friendly solutions.

We also expect the same from our suppliers.”

Working to a comprehensive environmental framework, Forte strives to develop environmental awareness in its employees and associates, systematically reducing the use of raw materials and other components across its production and packaging processes. “We also support responsible and sustainable forest management. As

a manufacturer we source our woodbased materials from legal sources, certified and controlled in accordance with FSC (FSC® C118178) standards.”

Forte also keeps a close eye on quality standards at every stage of the production process – from product design and the selection of wood used in its chipboard, to the manufacture and packing of its furniture – and carries out careful inspections prior to shipping.

“Maintaining high quality standards is our priority,” says Forte, explaining that the business even has its own R&D laboratory where it tests new solutions and technologies in order to evolve its offer. The business prides itself on being at the cutting edge of technological implementation, continuously modernising its machines, applying state-of-the-art solutions and using the latest IT systems.

“As part of our long-term development strategy, we opened our own chipboard production plant in 2018,” notes Forte.

“When it comes to product quality and eco-friendly standards, it’s the biggest and most modern furniture industry investment made in Europe in recent years”

WE’RE EXHIBITING AT

January

FURNITURE

SHOW

NEC 24th - 27th APR 2022

THE FORTE TEAM ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR VISIT!

How to find us: The NEC, Birmingham B40 1NT stand 4-B/45

30

5

> 3500

YEARS ON THE MARKET

MANUFACTURING PLANTS

EMPLOYEES

> 800

> 3000

> 45

NEW FURNITURE DESIGNS EACH YEAR

ARTICLES IN OFFER

COUNTRIES WE EXPORT TO

www.FORTE.com.pl

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REST EASY, SAYS SIMBA Leading UK sleep technology brand, Simba, is well known for its innovative products. What’s less well known is the great effort it is making to meet the climate crisis head-on, and to minimise its environmental impact through supply chain management, extending the product life cycle and long-term partnerships … www.simbasleep.com

All of the Simba Hybrid range of engineered mattresses, pillows and duvets is carbon neutral. The company has invested in reforestation and biodiversity projects in Peru, Brazil and the UK which offset the emissions created during production.

Simba is deeply vested in local manufacturing and suppliers, both in the UK and in new markets for the brand, such as Canada, France and China.

But how does that look in practice?

In the UK, Simba mattresses are crafted in Manchester, the titanium micro springs are made in Leeds, with cushioning foam layers from down the road in Middleton and soft wool fillings from over the moors in Yorkshire.

This model slashes manufacturing emissions while supporting the British manufacturing base, local people and

the local economy with job creation and community building.

A cradle-to-grave approach With strong ambition to be zero waste, Simba takes a long-term approach to its product line. Every single component, from the wool layers and cotton covers to the tiny Aerocoil springs, can be recycled, while any remnant materials, like the foam layers, can be repurposed for dog beds and carpet underlay, for example.

Designed for a long life and longer afterlife, Simba will refurbish pre-loved mattresses wherever possible, and redistribute or recycle all mattresses that are returned via its home collection scheme – while improving the design and customer support makes recycling easier and better.

The Simba Hybrid Pro boasts extra comfort layers

SIMBA’S MODEL SLASHES MANUFACTURING EMISSIONS WHILE SUPPORTING THE BRITISH MANUFACTURING BASE

39 Simba’s mattresses are made in Manchester, reflecting the brand’s commitment to local manufacturing

Simba provides pillows and mattresses to people in need via charities such as End Youth Homelessness

accordance with the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), and use ethical and sustainable timber, FSC-certified recycled packaging and plastic bottles in its duvets. To safeguard the workforce, Simba is SEDEX compliant, ensuring that its suppliers and factories are consistently protecting both people and the environment.

When it comes to giving back to the community, Simba currently works with several charitable initiatives – including End Youth Homelessness, providing pillows and mattresses to young people in need – along with sales discounts for healthcare professionals and staff who work for the NHS, and the brand is looking to expand its charitable partnerships this year.

Moving faster towards climate goals Looking ahead, Simba is turning its ambition into reality. It has committed to the BRC Climate Action Roadmap, which has a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2040. Simba is confident it can meet its net-zero commitment 10

Simba Hybrid Pro

Looking after people and planet Simba uses its engineering expertise to identify and refine its responsible materials. It sets a high standard with CertiPUR foam, having already removed as many pollutants as possible from its foam components, and it uses OEKOTEX-certified textiles that safeguard against harmful substances, while sourcing cotton through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) to reduce the social and environmental impact of cotton production.

Experts at the sleep technology brand continue to identify and replace new materials with recycled ones in

years sooner (by 2030), and aims to be responsible for as close to zero emission as possible by investing in projects that absorb emissions (rather than just offsetting them). To achieve this, Simba has commissioned an emissions audit of the entire supply chain and business to help prioritise its tasks for 2022.

Simba is also in the process of applying for B Corp status, arguably the gold standard in industry sustainable certification.

There will continue to be developments in environmental standards, and Simba says it will always strive to adopt the best practice

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GREEN AND SEEN Following the disruptive effects of Covid-19, family-owned signage fabricator Graffiti Design has enjoyed a record end of year – which has seen it deliver a host of signage solutions for both one-off and roll-out shopfits, plus an increase in enquires for more ecoconscious media and solutions …

Lush is among the growing number of retail brands requesting more eco-friendly signage

Before and after – Selfridges’ illuminating Project Earth initiative

www.graffitidesign.co.uk

With both the pandemic and climate emergency very much on the agenda, businesses have to be increasingly flexible and adapt to change, responding strategically in different ways. At Graffiti Design, the company has supported its existing client base with new approaches to shopfitting, while advancing brands looking to expand their foothold in the UK. Even during these challenging times, Graffiti is seeing emerging brands leave the world of shopping centre concessions to take new high street retail units for the first time. One such brand is Bubble CiTea, whose branding Graffiti is helping to reinvent for the high street.

Graffiti has also been working with established retailers – including a rebrand for Flying Tiger, which has seen it roll out new signage to over 16 sites.

“It is reassuring to see such growth right now, and to know that there is

increasing confidence to invest,” states Graffiti’s MD, Bruce Pestell.

Boom Battle Bars is another thriving new business.

Taking up previously empty retail units in shopping centres up and down the country. Graffiti has been working alongside its shopfitters to incorporate illuminated signage elements into timber furniture. These include acrylic beer-pong tabletops and illuminated tray signs, which run the entire length of the 5m-long bars. “The resulting interiors are illuminated wonders in themselves,” Bruce enthuses, “even before any fun is had playing mini-golf or axe throwing!”

Sustainability in signage is also on the rise, with many clients requesting more eco-conscious solutions. There is a strong focus on reducing, recycling and reusing to minimise material landfill and waste.

Lush, for example, recently commissioned a glue-free letterboard made of recycled content, which Graffiti has mass-produced efficiently for distribution throughout the UK and Europe.

In addition, Barker and Stonehouse, the first large-scale UK furniture retailer to achieve carbon-neutral status, has continued its work with Graffiti, most recently commissioning reusable PoS stands. Constructed from aluminium, one of the greenest metals available due to its ease of recycling, the stands feature hanging display boards that can be easily swapped or replaced.

With brands such as Lush stating they want to “leave the world Lusher than [they] found it”, and the likes of Selfridges continuing with drives such as Project Earth, there is a rise in demand for PVC-free alternatives and requesting more eco-conscious choices.

Following on from this and COP26, Graffiti has launched a new sustainability service. “Aiming to educate and provide information about many of the eco-materials and alternatives readily available, we hope to use it to help brands be kinder to the planet, one sign at a time,” Bruce concludes

42

PRODUCTS ECO CONSCIOUS

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT Has the pandemic changed people’s relationship with furniture? Here, Nish Parekh, co-founder of KAPDAA - The Offcut Company, suggests that growing demand for sustainable solutions means rethinking the supply chain …

THE TRENDS AROUND VALUE SHOW THERE IS SOME ELASTICITY IN THE PRICES OF TRULY SUSTAINABLE GOODS

By NISH PAREKH www.kapdaa.com

Sustainable living will come to define industry in the new world. In recent years, consumers have turned away from the novelty of single-use materials, investing in local craft and sustainable alternatives – but learned norms of the pandemic era will fundamentally change the way consumers and businesses shop.

Renewed attention to individual purchases and the planet over the last couple of years has made sustainability not only viable but necessary for retailers and suppliers. Above all, the shift to remote work highlighted to consumers the value of quality, long-term purchases that reflect their values. Limited in where to spend disposable income, the consumers that could afford to do so shopped around through the pandemic, and pressure on small traders renewed sympathy to buy from local, independent businesses championing upcycled and recycled furniture.

This is good news for manufacturers now facing the strain of post-pandemic inflation. Where in the past patchwork decor may have seemed miserly and crude, end-users now welcome businesses that can do more with less.

Ersatz furniture made from offcuts and recycled materials can, today, be sold on with no loss of profit, and those wishing to stay competitive must look for a new model of keeping costs down.

Both consumer demand in general and global supply chain issues will continue to push up prices into the new year. A recent report published in City AM suggests 60% of firms expect to lift prices in the next three months, with the cost of buying materials up +14% in the UK, and retail, manufacturing and construction all pegged to be hit hardest. But, rather than searching for shortcuts – cutting wages, lowering quality – the trends around value show there is some elasticity in the prices of truly sustainable goods.

To the point, this creates opportunities for businesses to reuse and recycle waste more widely. In 2022, soft furnishings like cushions can easily be created out of waste fabrics and stuffed with old materials without

offending the consumer. Rather than looking for less expensive materials, manufacturers can parade the fact their furniture has made effective use of every last piece of material offal, keeping landfills clear and consciences pure.

The solution scales, too. Delivering items in reused cardboard is more likely to win over the modern consumer than to turn them off, and, according to a survey commissioned by international branding and customer experience agency I-AM, 74% would be happy to wait longer for a sustainable delivery method – making shipping instantly more attractive than expensive air haulage. This also grants flexibility in minimum orders, creating new customers where they wouldn’t have been before.

Likewise, retailers appealing to businesses will find their decisionmakers in a similar bind.

Increased demand for staff coming out of lockdowns has given workers more freedom to leave jobs that don’t align neatly with their values – 20% of young people would now quit if their employer was unable to guarantee a sustainable business policy, found a survey carried out by Trainline Partner Solutions.

Pushed to save money, retailers offering sustainable products made from waste material will have a competitive advantage over those offering plasticky new furniture at a higher price.

The pandemic pushed many to consider their buying choices for the first time. If nothing else, the last two years have given us time to think – about the importance of our individual efforts to help the whole, about the frailty of life, about the threats facing the planet and humanity itself. Those who manufacture and sell the products upon which we all rely must answer to and utilise these new priorities in order to soothe customer concerns.

We start 2022 better for it – better equipped to question our behaviour and to call out the inconsistencies between our beliefs and our actions.

As values change, the entire ecosystem must adapt to usher in this profound, improved new normal

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43

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44

PRODUCTS ECO CONSCIOUS

REST AND RESPONSIBILITY All of us must play our part in helping achieve the Government’s ambitious climate change targets, says Jay-Be’s director of commercial and corporate responsibility Liona Ripley, as she outlines the bedmaker’s many efforts in this area …

Liona Ripley

www.jaybe.com

How long has sustainable manufacture been integral to Jay-Be? We’ve always been eco conscious, and constantly strive to be more so.

Back in 2008 we undertook a fouryear R&D project to investigate the eco-impact of the mattress industry.

The learnings from this full-life-cycle analysis established our passion for environmental change within our industry and drove our Feel Good, Sleep Well philosophy, considering all aspects of our 5-Step Product Life-Cycle Analysis – ensuring materials are from recycled sources wherever possible, and constructed in a manner which makes them easily recyclable at the end of life.

What key steps has the business taken in the past five years in this regard?

Last year saw us achieve accredited certification to ISO 14001:2015, and by securing this certification our customers and other stakeholders can be confident that we meet international industry-specific environmental standards, and that our Environmental Management Systems are legally compliant with processes in place to maintain and continually improve on our environmental goals.

As part of the certification process, we focused on our waste management systems, recycling wherever possible and sourcing outlets for waste raw materials. This effort was rewarded in

2021, when we achieved Valpak’s Zero Waste to Landfill Certification.

It is extremely useful to have an Environmental Management System tool like ISO 14001, as it helps us to ensure that all of our environmental challenges are consistently monitored and reviewed, providing the necessary tracking to attain further certifications.

Taking it further, we are tackling the issue of biodiversity at our new head office in Ravensthorpe. The loss of biodiversity in the UK is as big an issue as the climate crisis, so we’ve designated our new head office grounds as a biodiversity support site, with the aim of increasing habitats for wildlife.

Investing in a revolutionary new chemical-free pest control system, Jay-Be can ensure no harm to wildlife by using targeted monitoring. Smart traps have a wireless sensor to detect activity, removing the need for poison and ensuring pests are dealt with as humanely as possible. We are one of the first companies in Yorkshire to adopt this approach, which is vital for ensuring healthy wildlife in our immediate vicinity.

To encorage wildlife diversity in the region, we’ve also planted native trees, shrubs and wildflowers, and have created a mini wetland area. Bird boxes and bug houses are being installed, with staff looking forward to reaping the benefits this spring, viewing and recording any new visitors to the site.

What are the most important aspects of Jay-Be’s sustainable strategy, and how might these evolve?

The most important aspect of any sustainable strategy should be integrity and intent. Greenwashing is a growing issue, and consumers, industry watchdogs and Government bodies will be increasingly focusing on this.

The Government has set the world’s most ambitious climate change target, to reduce carbon emissions by 2035. Our strategy takes this into consideration, as it will fall to businesses like ours to achieve it. Encouraging consumers to purchase sustainably will be a large part of this, and visibility around reductions in our own carbon footprint will be an absolute requirement

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46

PRODUCTS LIVING

GALLERY DIRECT www.gallerydirect.co.uk

CORE PRODUCTS

www.coreproducts.co.uk

Core Products has seen a considerable increase in demand for darker finishes over the past year, so has introduced several new ranges in this vein for 2022.

The supplier’s classic Capri collection is now available in a combination of carbon-painted MDF, with antique-waxed solid pine tops and convex-styled wooden handles. All drawers are made from real wood, and feature Core’s innovative dovetail construction for strength and stability.

Gallery Direct has just launched its SS22 Collection, which features over 1300 new products, bringing its catalogue to over 6000 lines. The new collection features furniture, outdoor living, textiles, wall decor and accessories, including kitchen, tableware and bathroom products.

SS22 also features the launch of Gallery’s second design project, Packed-Flat, and five new trends – one of these is Shape of Colour (an example is pictured), which features bold accents and bright colours combined with a variety of shapes.

To view Gallery’s extensive SS22 Collection, visit the supplier at the front of Hall 7 on stand 7A30-B31 at Spring Fair, or at the front of Hall 2 on stand E40 at the January Furniture Show in April. All products are also available to view on Gallery’s newly upgraded website.

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48

PRODUCTS BEDROOM

ENVISAGE THIS From its factory in Birmingham, luxury bed and sofa manufacturer Envisage Trade designs and makes hundreds of different premium models for retailers across the UK and further afield …

President

www.envisagetrade.co.uk

With a bespoke offering available in a huge choice of fabrics, Envisage boasts total quality control over every product, and offers a DHD service plus discounts on showroom models.

The manufacturer states: “At Envisage Trade, our focus is about producing extraordinary products – something different to what the market has to offer – and, above all, being the best in manufacturing luxury beds and sofas in Britain.

“We have spent many years reinventing the way beds are produced – all materials are environmentally friendly, ethically sourced and beautifully handcrafted to ensure a fantastic product is made, and we offer a standard one-year manufacturer’s warranty on all our products.

“Our work with leading UK and international retailers, interior designers and property developers has enabled us to cater for current market trends, demands and bespoke projects, as well as getting to know the needs of the luxury furniture industry as a whole.

“As the demand for British-made products grows, we at Envisage Trade

are always focusing on introducing new lines to the market; our sofa range, for example, consists of everything from old-school chesterfields to modern models – and our market-leading frames are made from the finest materials in our very own wood mill by our experienced carpenters, giving the end-consumer the peace of mind that their furniture will last for many years to come.”

“We pride ourselves on being bespoke with every order. All work is undertaken from our factory in Birmingham, no work is outsourced, and every product is checked thoroughly, ensuring 100% quality control.

“We also offer a DHD service, working with respected couriers in the furniture industry to deliver goods all around the UK. A two-man service is used for all our deliveries, and every delivery is booked in with the customer beforehand, with a call made on the delivery date, too.”

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50

PRODUCTS BEDROOM Vogue’s Helix Utopia

VOGUE BEDS GROUP www.voguebeds.co.uk

Tim Dow

In line with growing demand for whitelabel product, bedmaker Vogue has invested in label-printing facilities, enabling its customers to brand its models as their own.

The service was developed by Vogue’s commercial manager, Tim Dow, whose own experiences derived from working in retail for 17 years are now shaping Vogue’s own-label offering.

“We understand the importance of

Vogue Beds_JA.indd 1

the relationships retailers have with their customers, and the relationship those customers have with the retailer’s brand,” says Tim. “Own-labelling ensures customers which experience a good night’s sleep recommend and/or return to the retailer that provided it.”

A growing number of retailers are introducing own-label ranges to see how they compare against the brand names, says Tim, enabling them to take control of their margins and which of the

products’ USPs they wish to promote.

This also means the retailer is providing the customer with a product they cannot find in any other store, or online, which encourages marketing activities with a more defined ROI. “We see Vogue’s own-label services continuing to grow as more and more retailers focus on their own brands,” concludes Tim, “and on why consumers should shop with them, and not elsewhere.”

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PRODUCTS TRADE SERVICES

EXPANSION AND EXPERTISE www.satra.com

SATRA boasts one of the UK’s most comprehensive testing facilities

WE HAVE AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR THE DIVISION

Last month, SATRA appointed Tristine Hargreaves to lead its furniture and flooring section. As divisional manager, she will drive SATRA’s strategy to be the UK’s preferred testing and technical partner for companies in these industries.

Tristine has over 27 years’ experience in the furniture industry, having worked directly for manufacturers, importers, retailers and trade associations including FIRA and the National Bed Federation (NBF).

Currently a technical committee member on many British Standards Institute (BSI) furniture, textile and flammability standards committees, Tristine is also one of the UK experts representing BSI on European and international standard committees relating to furniture and flammability.

The combination of her knowledge of standards and regulatory requirements, product safety, compliance, risk assessments and technical files has enabled Tristine to provide a broad range of technical advice and consultancy services to the furniture industry.

SATRA chief executive John Hooker comments: “We are delighted to appoint

Tristine Hargreaves

This year, research and technology centre SATRA is embarking on a major drive to support the furniture, furnishings and floorcoverings industries – starting with the appointment of experienced technical expert, Tristine Hargreaves …

Tristine to this senior management position at SATRA, which further strengthens our commitment to offer world-class services to the furniture, furnishings and floorcoverings industries. We have ambitious plans for the division, investing in further testing capacity, expanding our training and consultancy services and enhancing our technical knowledge hub.”

SATRA boasts unparalleled expertise in testing furniture, floorcoverings and associated consumer products, and has one of the most comprehensive test facilities in the UK. This is utilised to provide not only structural assessments, but also the evaluation of textiles, leather, flammability and emissions, as well as chemical testing.

Tristine’s appointment continues to enhance SATRA’s expertise and knowledge in this industry sector, complementing the expertise of Phil Reynolds, who has worked with SATRA since early 2021 and continues to provide his significant industry experience and knowledge in furniture testing, standards and regulation.

In addition to having Phil as part of the team, Tristine will be working with SATRA’s head of furniture and floorcoverings Geoff Bindley, senior team leader Johnny Worthington, and team leader Phil Weal, to grow the division

SATRA supporting you Membership provides businesses with a range of benefits such as bespoke technical support and advice through our technical team, helping businesses to understand current legislation, influence new standards and develop product specifications.

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SATRA Technology has launched a new furniture and floor coverings membership package, specifically tailored to meet the needs of these industries.

Also included are testing discounts, 20% of the annual subscription value returned in the form of vouchers and access to SATRA’s new online Furniture & Floor Covering Hub, a go-to repository for the latest industry news, technical information on standards and regulatory requirements, as well as industry focussed features such as polls.

www.satra.com furniture@satra.com Tel: +44 (0)1536 410 000

54

OPINION

GLOBAL OUTLOOK Based on preliminary estimates, world production of furniture in 2021 will exceed US$500b – a stronger-thanexpected recovery, mainly due to the major contribution from Europe and Asia – says Milan-based industry researcher, the Centre For Industrial Studies (CSIL) …

THE PROSPECTS FOR 2022 AND 2023 ARE FAVOURABLE, YET UNCERTAINTIES REMAIN

(image credit iStock.com/caracterdesign)

By CSIL www.csilmilano.com

Our estimate is based on data from official sources, both national and international, covering the 100 most important furniture manufacturing countries.

Demand was globally strong during the period, with differences across countries and segments. However, production growth is subject to a series of constraints – raw material scarcity and growing prices, supply chain challenges, high costs of transport and container shortages. Moreover, systemic uncertainties, deriving from continuing trade restrictions and changing supply chain strategies, affect the entire sector.

More than half of world furniture production took place in APAC. The main producer was China, followed at a distance by the US, Germany and Italy.

In the last 10 years, the international trade of furniture has grown faster than furniture production, and has consistently amounted to about 1% of international trade of manufactures, reaching about US$152b in 2018/19. The pandemic caused stagnation in 2020, but 2021 promises to be a year of steep growth. The prospects for 2022 and

2023 are favourable, yet there remain uncertainties deriving from supply constraints and transport problems.

The bulk of international trade of furniture originates in China, Vietnam, Poland, Germany and Italy, and goes to the US, Germany, France, the UK, and the Netherlands (as a trading hub).

On the consumption side, the lockdown experience highlighted the importance of the home, which acquired a new significance both for living and working. Spending more time at home emphasised the usefulness of having functional spaces for the whole family, and possibly modular furniture also suitable for working from home.

Consumers invested in improving their living spaces, often allocating to furniture substantial portions of income made available because of decreased expenditure for other leisure activities. For this reason, the worldwide pandemic-induced contraction in furniture consumption in 2020 was limited in size, affecting the different products of the furniture spectrum in different ways. Office furniture was more severely hit, following the decline in investments by both the industry and the service sector. Strong growth has resumed in 2021, with furniture consumption reaching a level well above pre-pandemic values.

According to the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2021), world GDP growth is resuming in 2021 (+5.9%), in 2022 (+4.9%) and 2023 (+3.6%).

Growth prospects remain stronger for emerging and developing economies than for advanced economies. However, uncertainties remain high – differences in the speed of recovery (both across and within countries) will be substantial, and the downside risks remain significant.

Our World Furniture Outlook report assumes that the international furniture consumption growth will reach about +4% in 2022 (in real terms). Among large markets (greater than US$5b of furniture consumption) those expected to have a greater rebound in furniture consumption growth are the European and Asian countries

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OPINION

57

GOING FORWARD TOGETHER The British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) has represented the interests of the nation’s furniture industry for more than 65 years – but it has a few more tricks up its sleeve for 2022, writes the association’s new MD, Sean Holt …

WE ARE LOOKING AT NEW AND ENGAGING WAYS TO TAKE THE ASSOCIATION FORWARD

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

By SEAN HOLT www.bfm.org.uk

BFM aims to grow, to expand membership and increase its value and relevance to the furniture industry. Working with the board, we are looking at new and engaging ways to take the association forward to meet these aims.

As part of that approach, we are focusing on introducing more opportunities to get together in person as an industry, in 2022 and beyond.

It’s important the furniture community has a chance to come together – particularly after all the limitations of the last few years.

More details will follow of initiatives and opportunities for the industry to engage with the BFM in the weeks and months ahead, but one date on the calendar to consider now is our first in a series of regional events which will take place this year. We’d urge members and non-members alike to put the date, Thursday April 7th, in their diary. The event will take place after work, from 6-9pm, at Ercol’s manufacturing headquarters in High Wycombe. We are delighted that BFM member Ercol is hosting the first of these regional events. It’s a superb location for us to get together.

The purpose of the evening is to bring the furniture community, both BFM members and non-members alike, together to create networking opportunities and share best practice.

There will be an opportunity to listen to, and discuss, contemporary issues and challenges facing the industry, and to generally increase understanding and knowledge.

Designed to enhance the value of membership of BFM, this particular event will include a tour of the Ercol factory, too.Bookings can be made by contacting Steph.Nelson@bfm.org.uk.

Another date for the diary is in March, when buyers within the

international furniture community can take advantage of a fresh new format for one of the leading B2B events in the industry calendar, the BFM Fabric Show London 2022.

This hosted, invite-only show will offer an unrivalled exhibition experience for buying professionals to source high-quality, contemporary fabrics for upholstery, beds and soft furnishings. We have moved the premium event to the ILEC Conference Centre, near to Earls Court, to offer increased capacity and space, as well as greater opportunities for more fabric suppliers to showcase their very latest products.

Running across two days, on Tuesday and Wednesday, 8th and 9th March, the show will house more than 40 prestigious UK and international fabric suppliers, showcasing their latest collections, bestsellers and exclusive options.

It will feature world-renowned fabric manufacturers and suppliers from Belgium, as well as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Germany and the UK. We are delighted to be attracting an international audience, and to be able to offer certainty with the date. With the industry pushing for an opportunity to network and move business forward, we took the decision to press forward with plans to invigorate the event, after the challenges of the last few years due to Covid. To secure an invitation, please register at www.bfmfabricshow.uk.

As we move forward in 2022, it’s exciting to start planning a timetable of events and initiatives to increase our value and relevance throughout the industry. I’m looking forward to meeting as many members of the community as possible in the months ahead. In the meantime, please get in touch if we can support you and your business

58

OPINION

THIS MONTH, WE’RE ASKING …

Steve Pickering, MD, Sussex Beds Over the next 12 months, our biggest competitor will be the return of aviation and the holiday industry. As it reopens, it will inevitably take a bigger share of consumer spend, which will have an impact on available funds to spend on other big-ticket purchases Paul Wray, MD, Modern Outlook Furniture With Covid, and the borders closed here in China, my competitors are very few. This is giving me a strong position in the market to maximise on new product development and sales here

John Conroy, BDM, Morrisofa Europe The fellow shippers that are competing for container space out of Shanghai – everyone involved in supply chain is longing for a return to normality, both on rates and availability!

WHO/WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR BIGGEST COMPETITOR?

Royce Clark, MD, Grampian Furnishers Some online pureplays have not updated their pricing to take into account the shipping surcharges and overall price increases, so price matching – and trying to explain the issue to customers – has become a real problem Wendy Martin Green, chairman, Peter Green Furnishers The web is definitely giving us all a run for our money, but in many ways it’s also our ally. Our in-store marketing surveys show that around 40% of our customers visit our website before they visit us in person – and they have checked out our competitors online too, which means by the time they reach our doorstep they’re more ready to buy Rob Walker, MD, Orbital Vision Our biggest competitor will always be the speed at which technology within the CGI industry develops

Mike Whitman, head of product, Iconography It’s not so much a single company, as much as a concept. Traditionally, omnichannel retail has been supported by a hodgepodge of systems that are trying to do things that they simply weren’t designed to do. We’ve all seen the EPoS system that is trying to provide ecommerce data to a website, but doesn’t store images so those are done elsewhere – or an accounts package that is being used to drive stock levels. Our challenge is to show furniture retailers that unified commerce is a better way of doing business. We aren’t simply offering a one-stop-shop, but a different way of thinking – a single digital operations platform that encompasses EPoS, RMS, ecommerce and CRM. Our competitor is the Frankenstein’s monster bolted together out of mismatched parts

#389 February 2022 www.furniturenews.net

GOING GLAM

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

New brands broaden Kettle’s portfolio

* Join the conversation on Twitter @FurnitureNewsED * Message the editor at paul@gearingmediagroup.com * For advertising and subscription enquiries, see p3 In the BHAG Sussex Beds’ extraordinary expansion plan ECO CONSCIOUS | BEDROOM LIVING | TRADE SERVICES

The sustainable packaging dilemma What JFS’ postponement means

John Northwood, trade agent Anyone that sells the same product. The large companies have the reach with their marketing, but we are also seeing a lot of micro businesses starting in the sector, because of the advanced technology to print wallpapers and fabrics digitally

Steve Adams, CEO, Mattress Online This is an ever-changing field, especially online. Importantly, there is enough business for all – the bricks-and-mortar nationals are an aspirational competitor who consistently do a fantastic job of retaining market share Peter Harding, MD, Fairway Furniture The internet is the single biggest threat to bricks-and-mortar retailers, so you could say that is the biggest competitor.

In trems of retailers, I admire DFS for their ability to generate new customers, and Furniture Village for their marketing and product range Andy Stockwell, Gardiner Haskins Wherever your physical location might be, the internet is your biggest competitor because it’s accessible from anywhere. Physical retailers should embrace the challenge and at the very least have a clear, functional website that shows what they have to offer

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