This month sees a focus shift to tools. We explore different platforms from secure payments to measuring your carbon footprint, as well as supercharging sales through retail training. But before we get into that, to kick February off, we sat down with the team at Gallery Direct – our cover star this month – to discuss their furniture focus concept in more detail. Jump to page 22 to see what they have lined up for the year ahead.
Back to tools. In the digital age, fraud, cyber threats and genuine human error can all lead to big problems, especially when it comes to moving money. On this note, we caught up with FurniturePay and found out just why their platform is the perfect tool that is safe, secure and with the potential to save thousands of pounds in the process. Another tool that caught our eye was Design Conformity’s Carbon Efficiency Estimator – a unique carbon footprint calculator. In keeping with calculations, we spoke to Sam King who has formulated a toolkit that helps drive sales, while we got the low down from The Roost’s new planning tool that brings home furnishings to life. On the back of last month’s Trustpilot trust story, Gareth Price, UK Divisional Manager at Lynch Sales Company, talks about the topic of trust and the power it brings when promoting, especially a sale event.
This edition also features our second ercol write up following our visit at the end of last year. The focus is all about the factory and the attention to detail that goes into every product. Their sanding tools where a standout too! With ercol in mind, the factory is also home to their recently refurbished showroom. We spoke to Spaceworks on the project as they were tasked with the refit following a flood last year.
Turning our attention to anniversary celebrations, we caught up with NEJ Stevenson who reflected on the past 40 years and shared an insight about the things learnt along the way. Meanwhile, Emmiera Group, formerly known as Homeserve Furniture Repairs Limited, commemorates two decades of dedicated service in the furniture care industry. From birthday milestones to strategic partnerships takes us to Sofa Club. The company talks about how its partnership with Tessa Group came to fruition and why it’s a game-changer for the business.
Moving to products, Kettle Home shares a look at what was launched at the recent January Furniture Show, while Carpe Diem Beds unveils their new floating bed design and GNG talks about how meeting market needs through further innovations has driven growth. The Bed Expert is back and talks about why now is the time for ‘aggressive marketing’.
As for the other regulars, Joanna Hauptman, Co-founder at Hyde House, takes the Big Interview and shares an insight into her bespoke furniture company, how she began her journey into the furnishings industry and what she would change to help bring through new and young talent. Meanwhile, Grant Berry, owner of Home World – Mattress & Bed Centres, talks about hard work, why its recent refurbishment is paying off and potential expansion plans in the future. Our next instalment of the Green Retail series focuses on ScS, while Letter’s from China and Vietnam share some insight into their respective territories.
To wrap things up, The Big Question is all about investments moving forward and Furniture Sales Solutions concludes the edition talking about how to shift gears and mindset during two key winter sale phases.
Cover stars: Gallery Direct (front); SATCoL (back)
