Matthew Garner, Managing Director at Hatters, talks about reaching 65 years in business as well as the benefits of a recent solar panel sustainability investment.
As one of the biggest furniture stores in Bedfordshire, independent retailer Hatters has reached an historic milestone for the business. This summer, the company which is still a family-owned business celebrates its 65th year of trading.
Located on Goldington Road, Bedford, the company is currently run by Managing Director Matthew Garner. “Hatters is still a family-owned business, and has been since it started in 1959. It is currently owned by the son, Paul Wenham, of one of the founders.” he said. “The third generation of the Wenham family are now working in the business too.” Matthew is also part of the family, he is Pauls brother-in-law.
“Paul is now retired. Myself and James Selfridge, Buyer and Customer Service Director, have run the business for the last 10 years. For our anniversary, we don’t have any specific celebrations planned at the moment, but we have updated a lot of our signage in our showroom and on our vans to reflect the 65 years!” It’s a very special milestone in the history of the business.
Hatters has a large ‘timeline’ poster in its coffee area showing many memorable moments, which you will see when turning the page. In more recent times the business has ramped up its sustainability commitments, installing a huge solar panel system on the roof of the store.
“In 2022 we decided to invest in solar panels,” says Matthew. “It made a lot of sense both from a financial and sustainability point of view. The installation was completed in April 2023 achieving instant results, an 84% reduction in our electricity costs across the summer and 48% through the autumn and winter months.
“We installed 616 panels in total, and expect to see a return on our investment within six to seven years. We have also installed a smart television screen in our showroom which displays the live data for the panels. This has generated a lot of interest from both customers and staff.”
Matthew added that business has been good in the last couple of years, post Covid, with 2022 being their best year to date. So far this year 2024 has “been a bit slower, but we continue to work hard to provide the best products and service levels to all our loyal and new customers.” We need to adapt to ever-changing shopping habits.
“We are seeing customers spending more on middle to higher priced beds.” Matthew revealed. “Customers are ‘investing in better sleep’, while they are also spending more on additional functionality in sofas, including lumbar support and adjustable headrests etc. Oak cabinet ranges have become more popular in the last 12 months too.”
Back to celebrating 65 years, Matthew added that he believes that Hatters ongoing success is down to a few factors, with one key ingredient being the unrivalled shopping experience in the county.
“The key to our success is providing our customers with the best buying experience possible. We have very skilled and knowledgeable staff that are passionate about customer service. All our staff want to make sure each customer finds the best products to suit them, their home and their lifestyle. Our warehousing and delivery team then ensure that the customers whole experience is completed in a professional and helpful manner. We’re always working hard to maintain our level of service, which will continue to be a key ingredient in the years to come. Here’s to another 65 years!”
