Cabinet Maker articles from July 2007

Cabinet Maker archives from July 2007

Igoe brand is sold.
July 6, 2007... Igoe Furniture's factory is to close and manufacturer Whiteleaf Furniture has bought the intellectual property rights of its brand and products for an undisclosed sum. Igoe parent Dolphinhead said the Waltham Abbey, Essex, factory was no...

Harveys sponsors Coronation Street.
July 6, 2007... Bid to become the nation's favourite furniture store After months of talks, furniture retailer Harveys has signed a two year deal with ITV to sponsor the country's most famous soap opera - Coronation Street. The tie up with the ITV...

Campaign to promote British furniture.
July 6, 2007... BFM is to launch a #200,000 consumer advertising campaign to promote British furniture. The autumn campaign, which will feature advertisements in national newspaper supplements and general interest magazines, will centre around the slogan...

Lofa show for great outdoors.
July 6, 2007... New event, Solex, is to target outdoor furniture buyers The Leisure and Outdoor Furniture Association (Lofa) is to launch a members only trade show in a move that could see it cut ties with GLEE, the September event aimed at the garden and...

Green lights.(John Cullen Lighting)(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... In a bid to help consumers become greener John Cullen Lighting has developed low energy efficient light fittings. The products include plaster and metal up/downlights, bathroom mirror lights and wall- mounted bedside lighting. The range also...

IN BRIEF: No show for textiles.
July 6, 2007... European exhibition organiser The Trade Link Company has cancelled Salon de Textile scheduled for September. The Belgium event was to have replaced the 15 year-old Textiles d'Interieur Premiere show. Trade Link said it wanted to `put its...

IN BRIEF: Flood damage.
July 6, 2007... Flooding caused Eyres of Chesterfield to lose #250,000 worth of stock. Charles Summers, md, said that its 8,000sqft Derbyshire warehouse was under 3ft of water, destroying 14 containers of furniture. Fortunately there was no damage to the store...

IN BRIEF: Tax change urged.(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Small businesses have urged the new chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling to make changes with most wanting a reduction in tax. A survey by the Forum for Private Business also found that 70% of members thought the way prime minister...

IN BRIEF: UK Czech mates.
July 6, 2007... The Building Centre is working with the Czech furniture industry to introduce a selection of interior products and services to the UK. The Czech interiors sector is targeting UK business partners for both contract and domestic markets. For...

Debenhams merger talks.
July 6, 2007... Department store Debenhams has been in talks about a possible merger with German group Acandor, which owns the KarstadtQuelle chain of department stores. KarstadtQuelle operates around 90 outlets and 32 sports stores across Germany. ...

Bespoke cover.
July 6, 2007... Upholstered furniture manufacturer Homeheaven is targeting the interior design sector with a tailored furniture service. Any furniture from its latest catalogue can be covered in fabric to the designer's choice, with customers specifying or...

Galiform to trim supply arm and jobs.
July 6, 2007... Redundancies inevitable as manufacturer plans restructure to concentrate on rigid cabinets Kitchens and furniture group Galiform is embarking on a #35m restructure at its supply division, with the loss of 560 jobs. Under the proposals,...

City: Interest rate rise fear takes its toll.
July 6, 2007... Share prices take a tumble as consumers trim their spending The market suffered two weeks' uncertainty as share prices reflected fears of interest rate increases in the UK and instability among credit- providers in the US. The Cabinet Maker...

Shakeup at HomeForm.(HomeForm Group)
July 6, 2007... Job losses likely as company embarks on efficiency drive The HomeForm Group, whose brands include Sharps, Moben and Kitchens Direct, is laying off staff and consolidating its back office functions in a bid to `enhance customer experience'....

Piles of outlets.
July 6, 2007... Dutch hand-tufted rug designer Arte Espina plans to increase its UK retail sales stockists by 50% - from 500 to 750 stores - by the end of 2007. It entered the British market in 2001. The firm recently launched its autumn rug collection -...

June sales dip.(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... Interest rate rises are taking effect Furniture and carpet sales fell slightly in June. A balance of 2% of retailers reported a fall in sales compared with last year, according to the CBI Distributive Trades' Survey. This compares...

Out of Africa.
July 6, 2007... Villeroy & Boch has expanded its NewWave Caffe collection with four African designs - Mombasa, Okavango, Amboseli and Nahema. Mombasa is decorated with softer colours while Amboseli and Nahema use traditional ethnic patterns. The firm has also...

Views by Tom Marsh.
July 6, 2007... Large retailers are generally a good barometer of consumer concerns, since their success depends on catering for the current mood. So when the large retailers start promoting the environmental credentials of their businesses and products it is...

Talk: What can the new Labour Government do to help your business?(Brief article)
July 6, 2007... `Not much. It's a waste of time. It could help by not taxing us as much but it does not care about the small business and does not give a damn. Taxes always go up. Electricity goes up, rates go up. The Government does not encourage you to set...

CM COMMENT - Leader: Get brands on the Street.
July 6, 2007... Furniture retail chain Harveys has signed a two-year #20m deal to sponsor Coronation Street, ITV's flagship soap opera (see p3). In doing so it has secured near daily access to a large groundswell of the British public. The sponsorship...

ANALYSIS - Forum for change in Wales.
July 6, 2007... The Welsh manufacturing industry intends to better promote itself and get its problems heard by the UK central Government, reports Deven Pamben After years of heavy blows the Welsh furniture industry is fighting its corner with the All...

MARKET DATA - Style and choice clinch the sales.
July 6, 2007... Retail Intelligence: beds and bedding Big-ticket furniture is taking a back seat as consumers with less disposable income are opting to update the look of their homes, as Alexa Nightingale explains Summer is traditionally a time where...

STATISTICS: COMPLAINTS - Packing cases.
July 6, 2007... The longer supply chain from the growth of imports has left cabinet more vulnerable to handling damage than quality complaints, says Peter Bonsall For cabinet furniture complaints, damage is one of the main recurring issues. The reason is...

SHOP WINDOW: The Manchester Furniture Show - WB and H.
July 6, 2007... WB&H's Caxton Delta combines semi-retro styling with an unambiguous teak style finish and will be on display alongside a comprehensive selection including the Country Oak, Heritage and Royale collections. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

SHOP WINDOW: The Manchester Furniture Show - Inghams Furniture.
July 6, 2007... Inghams Furniture will be showing its new Carlton bedroom range alongside the ever popular Lothersdale and Ribblesdale collections, made to measure oak tables and benches. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

SHOP WINDOW: The Manchester Furniture Show - Cameo Sofa.
July 6, 2007... Cameo Sofa Company will show a variety of contemporary and traditional styles in stationary and motion upholstery. The Manchester Furniture Show takes place from 15-18 July at Manchester Central Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

INTERVIEW: ALAN SCOTT - Team innovation.
July 6, 2007... There aren't many furniture industry institutions that pre-date Cabinet Maker, but as Richard de Melim reports, bed brand Somnus is launching a strategy based on a 167-year legacy of innovation Anyone who grew up in the 1970s, or who has...

RETAIL: ITALY DESIGN - Shaping up.
July 6, 2007... Belfast is on the crest of a development wave, but Dominic McKeating of Italy Design is making sure the Italian legacy lives on, as Ruth Pringle reports Belfast has been undergoing a renaissance, both economically and culturally. Inward...

REVIEW: ICFF - Young and old.
July 6, 2007... New York's International Contemporary Furniture Fair saw Charles Eames celebrated and fresh designs for children, as Stephanie Baum reports Many of the 600 exhibitors at the 19th instalment of New York's International Contemporary...

DESIGN: BCUC - Grand entrance.
July 6, 2007... A new group of furniture design graduates from Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College are emerging on to the industry stage Among the furniture designs on show at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College's degree show (9-14 June)...

MARKETING: REVIEW - Fashion statement.
July 6, 2007... Spanish company Fambuena's latest brochure builds on the higher profile of lighting with images that add glamour and drama, says Shaun Davies It's official - lighting is sexy! For many years, lighting was seen as an afterthought of an...

SHOW: DIARY - August hotspots.
July 6, 2007... A trip to the US seems to be a must for those wanting to experience the best furniture and homewares shows next month, reports Rachel Calton August is set to be a hot month for the US furniture market, kicking off with the fifth Las Vegas...

CM OFFCUTS: Don't mention working too hard.
July 6, 2007... Sarah Green is company director of 1st For Furniture in Weston Hertfordshire How did you get started in the industry? After working as a sales assistant in an independent furniture shop I was made redundant when the owner died. I...

CM OFFCUTS: When the going gets tough - just cheat.
July 6, 2007... Shocking news has emerged that there was an element of cheating at this year's FTBA Big Shot's event. Not-so hot-shot Rhianwen Roberts, The Furniture Ombudsman head of service, went to extreme measures. Prior to the event Rhianwen was...

CM OFFCUTS: Cycling for kids.
July 6, 2007... Hopewell associate director Alan Ball and md Adam Hopewell thanks all those people who helped them raise more than #5,000 for the National Autistic Society and Nottingham Nightstop, an emergency accommodation charity for homeless children. The...

Ikea cuts 300 jobs in efficiency drive.(IKEA International A/S)
July 13, 2007... Hard-pressed chain strips out management layers The tough retail market has bitten Ikea, with 300 management roles set to go. The Swedish business, which employs more than 9,000 people, revealed that it will be restructuring all of its...

Multiyork to build up business.(Gordon Brown appointed)(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Multiyork has appointed former Wilkinson md Gordon Brown as its chairman as it looks to develop the business geographically and via the web. Brown has vast experience in senior retailing and manufacturing roles, and for the past 16 years...

Plastic bags go after campaign success.
July 13, 2007... Ikea has become the country's first leading retailer to abandon single- use plastic bags. The company removed bags from checkouts at its 15 UK stores on Monday. The firm had pledged this year to cut plastic bag use from 32million to...

Dunelm Q4 sales boost.(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Homewares retailer pins growth hopes on new stores schedule Dunelm saw a boost in sales during the last few weeks of its financial year helping it achieve a 12.5% increase in turnover to #354.7m from #315.2m. As part of its trading...

Ideal plans expansion.(Ideal Furnishings)(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Ideal Furnishings has purchased its St Peter Port town centre retail site in Guernsey for #1.6m. The company has been trading from the site since April 2005 where it has 26,000sqft of retail space over three floors. It sells all home...

Storing up growth.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Design and manufacturing company Chalon UK has opened its latest showroom, in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The 3,000sqft store is the fifth in the UK and will showcase kitchens, bathrooms and furniture. It comprises three roomsets, with plans to...

IN BRIEF: It's raining discounts.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Furniture was discount-driven last month as retail was hit by poor weather and interest rate rises, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). General UK retail sales rose 3% on a like-for-like basis, compared with June 2006, when sales...

IN BRIEF: Storage challenge.
July 13, 2007... Design Factory, the East Midlands' leading design organisation, is looking for up-and-coming talented furniture designers to submit ideas for an innovative and practical item of storage furniture. The award for the winner will be presented at...

IN BRIEF: Keep track of carbon.
July 13, 2007... The British Contract Furnishing and Design Association (BCFA) has developed a carbon footprint calculator. Comprising user-friendly spreadsheets, the calculator expresses the carbon or carbon dioxide which is inherent in a product by virtue of...

IN BRIEF: Shoreham revisited.
July 13, 2007... The former Furnitureland store in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex is to reopen as Dunelm Mill next month after being empty for almost two years. It will be the chain's first Sussex store. Before becoming Furnitureland, the store was a branch of...

Home ranges lead M&S sales growth.(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Financial report)
July 13, 2007... Growth in furniture sales attributed to `dull weather' and better value rather than promotion Marks & Spencer Home saw UK sales increase by 13.4% in the three months to 30 June - making it the largest UK growth area for the firm. The...

Hilding Anders acquires Eastborn.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Hilding Anders has bought bedding company Eastborn, one of the leading bed manufacturers in the Netherlands. The Swedish bed group, which runs Dunopillo and Slumberland in the UK, now owns more than 10 European and Asian brands through...

Legals: Liquidator appointments.
July 13, 2007... Harpers Fine Properties Ltd, retailer. Co no: 01944185. Liquidator: Philip Gorman, Hazlewoods LLP, Barnwood, Gloucester. Appointed: 22 June. Cotswold Business Furniture Ltd, manufacturer. Co no: 02040913. Liquidator: David Hughes, Janes,...

Legals: Creditors' meetings.
July 13, 2007... Furniture Discount Stores, Hetton Le Hole, Tyne and Wear, retailer. Co no: 4916418. Venue: Holiday Inn, Washington, on 19 July, 11.15am. Tel. 01204 678200. JAIG Furniture Ltd, Leek, Staffordshire, manufacturer. Co no: 05071300. Venue:...

Legals: Final meetings.(Calendar)
July 13, 2007... Michael Ellis Furniture Ltd. Co no: 01401899. Venue: The MacDonald Partnership, 25 Old Broad Street, London, 3 August, at 12noon. Tel: 0207 496 1010. Volume Furniture Ltd. Co no: 03885190. Venue: Langley House, East Finchley, London, 2...

Bensons builds ads on humour.
July 13, 2007... Bed specialist's #6m campaign includes press and television advertising as well as TV sponsorship Bensons for Beds has launched a #6m marketing offensive to help boost trade. Amid recent interest rate rises in the past few months,...

Dreams forges football links.
July 13, 2007... Dreams has strengthened its partnership with its local football club Wycombe Wanderers, signing a deal to become its main sponsor. The bed retailer already sponsors one of the stands at the club's 10,000 capacity Adams Park stadium. ...

FSB fund to ease flooding hardship.
July 13, 2007... Loans to help furniture stores get back on their feet The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is offering interest-free loans to firms affected by last month's floods. Furniture companies in parts of England and Wales were hit with...

Budget conscious.(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Swedish bed maker Hastens is set to launch a range of entry-level beds inspired by the Classic, Continental and Adjustable models from its existing premium collection. Available in soft, medium and firm and 100% pure cotton upholstered fabric,...

Views by Shaun Davies.
July 13, 2007... News last week of Harveys' deal to sponsor Coronation Street was well received by the marketing community, and rightly so. Over the past few years our commercial television channels have followed their US equivalents and realised the...

Talk: Are rising interest rates affecting your business?
July 13, 2007... `Because we import our furniture direct, high interest rates mean a strong pound. We buy our products in US dollars, and the rate is good at the moment, so we get a better deal. It's not good in terms of retail custom, but we can pass on...

CM COMMENT - Leader: Service and information can be replicated online.
July 13, 2007... A call from a public relations agency pitching for a new account prompted me to check out an online bed retailer - www.bedeezee.co.uk - this week. It's hard not to be impressed with the sales proposition - which includes free next day delivery...

ANALYSIS - Another confidence knock.
July 13, 2007... How are retailers coping after another interest rate rise, asks Deven Pamben Big-ticket retailers will be some of the hardest hit after the Bank of England's decision to raise interest rates to 5.75%. The current base rate is at its...

ANALYSIS - Business group reaction.
July 13, 2007... Matthew Knowles, Federation of Small Businesses public affairs deputy head `Small firms are currently borrowing #40bn. This 0.25% rise adds #100m to repayments. As we near 6% interest rates, and because banks see small firms as a riskier...

STORE MANAGER - In the line of duty.
July 13, 2007... Spelling out directors' duties more clearly in The Companies Act is designed to save #30m a year in costly advice, report Christopher Sykes and Peijun Xia Directors have powers to take majority business decisions on behalf of companies. As...

SHOP WINDOW: Children's furniture - Little Eskimo.
July 13, 2007... Summertime duvet cover set from Little Eskimo has butterflies appliqued on to 100% cotton, while the lilac and white candy stripe Hanging Tent playhouse in heavy duty 100% cotton can be used as a fairytale canopy or in the garden as a den. ...

SHOP WINDOW: Children's furniture - Abaca Organic.
July 13, 2007... Abaca Organic has worked to exacting Soil Association standards to produce a safe, high quality cot mattress. A sturdy core of coir and natural latex is wrapped with a deep layer of wool and finished with a cotton cover. No fireproofing...

SHOP WINDOW: Children's furniture - Children's Furniture.
July 13, 2007... Milkshake desk from The Children's Furniture Company is made in beech and painted. It has a deep cupboard with an adjustable shelf, pre-cut cable holes in the back, two drawers, and shelves underneath for CDs. Copyright: CMP Information...

INTERVIEW: MATTHEW PLUMMER FERNANDEZ - Musical chairs.(Interview)
July 13, 2007... Designer Matthew Plummer Fernandez uses a range of disciplines to challenge perceptions of shape and materials, as Rachel Calton reports While iSaloni in Milan boasted the City's biggest names in design, over at Studio Romeo Gigli in the...

LEATHER: UPHOLSTERY - What retailers need to know.
July 13, 2007... Many complaints about leather upholstery are because consumers have not understood its characteristics. Melanie Spence offers a guide for retail sales staff What is leather? Real leather is a natural product. It breathes, is warm and...

LEATHER: UPHOLSTERY - Courses.
July 13, 2007... To learn more about leather, BLC offers a range of training courses aimed at providing a better understanding of the unique characteristics of leather, product performance, quality and testing, or a fundamental understanding of the leather...

UNDERCOVER SHOPPER: Lakeside Retail Park.
July 13, 2007... Six stores are visited every month to check service. This month we look at: Lakeside Retail Park. Lakeside Retail Park, in West Thurrock, Essex, is of such gigantic proportions that it can make the average British shopper feel like an ant...

CM OFFCUTS: From churches to inspirational cats.
July 13, 2007... Peter Bonsall is FIRA Home Service Technicians manager How long have you been in the industry? I started out as a cabinet maker/French polisher - making and restoring church organs of all things - 25 years ago. How much has it...

CM OFFCUTS: Right Royal action.
July 13, 2007... The Prince of Wales has brokered a #45m deal to save Dumfries House from auction. The East Ayrshire mansion holds a time-capsule collection of original Chippendale and Scottish furnishings, commissioned when the house was built in 1759....

CM OFFCUTS: Success stories.(cabinet maker)(Brief article)
July 13, 2007... Never too far from the Cabinet Maker pages, Mike Clare, Dreams chief executive joined other top entrepreneurs at Waterstone's in Piccadilly, London recently, to celebrate the launch of a motivational book. How they Started by David Lester,...

Furniture pre-sale hike hits inflation.
July 20, 2007... Greater price establishing by furniture retailers ahead of summer sales pushed prices up by 9.8% last month, lifting the annual furniture retail inflation rate to 12.5%. Combined with furnishings, including carpets, the rate jumped by 7.2% - a...

Courts winding up on final lap.
July 20, 2007... Pensioners should get payment news by October Courts pensioners will have to wait until autumn to see if they will receive 90% of their missing pensions, more than two-and-a-half years since the furniture retailer went bust. It had...

Dorlux: no positive news.(company looses business and employees)(Brief article)
July 20, 2007... One of the joint mds of bed firms Dorlux, Sleepline Beds and Sleepvendor has conceded that he has not received any positive news from the firms' administrators. Afzal Amir said he was hopeful of a way to save the companies but had no...

Place in history.
July 20, 2007... Upmarket upholsterer Derwent's 2007/08 brochure signals a transition to a more aspiration-focused brand. Photographed in historic locations including Haddon, Renishaw and Tissington Halls, new models such as the Hardwick (pictured), Hepburn and...

Russian push at Kingfisher.
July 20, 2007... DIY chain aims to tap booming housing sector as UK sales slow Kingfisher, owner of home improvement retailer B&Q, has unveiled plans to expand its empire in Russia with the opening of 50 stores within 10 years at a cost of about #250m. ...

Natuzzi head resigns.
July 20, 2007... Ernesto Greco, Natuzzi's chief executive is to resign the post after only a year in the job. Greco said he was standing down, effective on 30 September, due to personal and professional reasons. In June 2006, he succeeded Pasquale...

Second sitting.(Cocoon Furniture opened London showroom)(Brief article)
July 20, 2007... Cocoon Furniture opened its second London showroom, on King's Road, on Monday. Unlike its sister branch on Westbourne Grove, which sells an eclectic collection of furniture, the 1,700sqft store will primarily offer quality custom made sofas and...

IN BRIEF: Holiday pay delay.(Public notice)
July 20, 2007... Following company complaints of cost pressures, the Government has delayed plans for a second increase in the minimum statutory holiday entitlement to 5.6 weeks (28 days) on 1 October 2008 following the expected rise to 4.8 weeks (24) on 1...

IN BRIEF: Smiles misplaced.(The Forum for Private Business )(Brief article)
July 20, 2007... The Forum for Private Business (FPB) has slammed the consultation process for the controversial congestion charge in Manchester following revelations that pictures of local people in a leaflet were in fact of US models. Matt Hardman, FPB...

IN BRIEF: Tough June for NI.(Northern Ireland)(Brief article)
July 20, 2007... Northern Ireland retailers struggled through one of the toughest Junes for more than 50 years, according to a retail expert. Donald McFetridge, lecturer in business studies at the University of Ulster, described the latest interest rate hike as...

IN BRIEF: Airsprung share fall.
July 20, 2007... Shares in Trowbridge-based bed and upholstery manufacturer Airsprung Furniture Group fell 1.25p to 40.25p on the news that non-executive director Stephen Yates has halved his holding in the firm. Yates sold 1m shares at a 39p a share, taking...

IN BRIEF: Full house at Expo.
July 20, 2007... The China International Furniture Expo has sold out. Organisers said 1,662 exhibitors had confirmed their participation (up 10% on 2006) in the event, which will run from 12-15 September. Some 60,000 visitors are expected from 150 countries....

Local rate plan looms.(Brief article)
July 20, 2007... Retailers could be forced to pay more tax under Government proposals to grant local councils the power to raise funds for specific projects. The so-called `supplementary business rates', proposed by the Treasury this week, would pay for...

Firm fined for false mattress claims.(Trade Descriptions Act)(Bedmasters)(Brief article)
July 20, 2007... Bedmasters admits trading standards breaches A bed and mattress manufacturer has been fined more than #15,000 for offences against the Trade Descriptions Act. David Sheath, proprietor of Bedmasters in Landford, Salisbury, was fined...