30 years of success

Nick Cancea, Managing Director at Kyoto Futons Ltd, shares an insight into the business as the company celebrates its 30th anniversary year.

“Continual innovation and process improvements” are the key foundation blocks behind Kyoto’s ongoing success and growth over the past three decades. This year marks the company’s 30th anniversary, where the brand will officially kick off celebrations at the January Furniture Show (JFS).

“We’re thrilled to be celebrating 30 years at the January Furniture Show at the NEC in Birmingham, from the 19th to 22nd January 2025,” says Nick. “It’s the perfect venue to showcase our new designs and connect with our customers. Kyoto Limited was established in January 1995, and since then, the company has gone from strength to strength.”

Rolling back the years, Kyoto – a name inspired by Japan with its logo once encapsulating that theme – started life in a “very small” manufacturing space in Peterborough before quickly relocating to a larger facility. From its inception back in 1995, the company continued to build and outgrew its Peterborough base, expanding to its present site in Deeping St. James.

Nick continued: “It all began as a family retail business when my father introduced futons to the market. I initially didn’t even know what a futon was, but they sold exceptionally well. When the manufacturing supplier went out of business, a friend and I decided to produce them ourselves.

“After a few months, my partner opted out, and I found myself running the manufacturing side. We started by importing wooden futons from Indonesia, then transitioned to Taiwan, Malaysia, and finally China.

“In 2001, we purchased our current site in Deeping St. James. Two years later, in 2003, we extended the building and automated our futon production. That shift from manual to a conveyorised system was a major milestone for the business, allowing us to increase production capacity significantly.

“Then in 2013, I purchased the business from family and took the opportunity to reinvent it. That was a pivotal moment in Kyoto’s journey. The brand’s evolution has been fascinating. ‘Kyoto’ was actually suggested by a friend, inspired by the old capital of Japan, and it stuck.

“In the early days, all our products had Japanese names, and our original exhibition stand featured screen-printed Japanese artwork. Even our logo has evolved over the years — we once had a bonsai tree in it!”

To present times, Nick added that the past year has been both a challenge but a positive period for the business as it looks to move into its next phase of growth, while revealing an industry shift in fabric tastes.

“It’s been both challenging and rewarding. The shipping rates and supply chain issues have kept us on our toes, but we’ve had a positive year overall. During Covid, we experienced an unexpected surge in demand, which was challenging but, in some ways, simpler to navigate than the complexities of the past 12 months.

“We’ve also seen a shift in fabrics and finishes. While velvets aren’t as dominant as they once were, accent pieces are more popular than ever. Buyers are becoming more discerning about style, design, and sustainability.

“At Kyoto, we’re focused on creating products that combine style with functionality, ensuring they have longer life cycles and can be reused or recycled. We work closely with leading furniture retailers, independent stores and interior designers throughout the UK, to create products ranges we can both be proud of.”

Looking ahead, the company plans to expand its operations and product range, as Nick continued: “This year, we’re expanding again! We’ve opened an additional warehouse in Stamford and are planning to move operations back onsite by joining the two locations over the next 18 months. This expansion will increase our capacity and support our plans to introduce additional products and a broader range.”

With a final thought on Kyoto’s ongoing success, as Nick highlighted at the very beginning of the article, growth has been driven by a number of key pillars. “Continual innovation and process improvements have been vital to our growth, but our dedication to product development and excellent customer service truly sets us apart. It’s that commitment that keeps our clients coming back.

“It’s been an incredible journey full of milestones, challenges, and growth – honestly though, I thought I’d be retired by now! However, more recently, it’s been particularly rewarding to see our team grow, positioning us well for the future.

“We’re excited about what lies ahead, starting with welcoming customers new and old to our stand during JFS. Come and celebrate our historic milestone with us in Hall 5 Stand E01.”

www.kyoto.co.uk