As we all wind down for Christmas (our retail friends excepted!), it’s a good time to reflect on the year past and the year to come. Once again, it’s been a year of growth – pretty respectable double-digit growth too – so we’re delighted. It’s been great to see a shift towards our quality, VIP ranges. Not surprisingly we’ve got some great new concepts in VIP ( and our other collections ) to unveil at the January Furniture Show, as you’ll read in our various articles and adverts in the trade press over the coming weeks.
New for 2016 the Catania dressing table unit
These include Sunset, in Havanna and a great new soft champagne finish; Canberra in Havanna and white glass; Malibu in dark rustic oak and white glass, with robes featuring a clever new combination of drawers and sliding doors; Catania in that new champagne colour plus Nocce, a new soft grained walnut finish, which will also feature a new dressing table unit; and last, but by no means least, the fantastic, ingenious Multiplus sliding robe which offers walk-in storage along its length, in Havanna and champagne. In our core ranges, we’ve got a new white oak finish model, Malaga; and at the promotional end two very competitive new collections, Imola, with hinged robes and a sliding robe model, Brisbane.
We’re really excited about the NEC – we’ve got our biggest stand ever at the show (Hall 4 stand C50) and hopefully it’s going to look spectacular, as we’ve got the teams who do the stands at MOW and Cologne dressing it up for us. The layout will be something completely different too – we’re creating a walk-through design, which aims to ensure visitors are sure to see every model on the stand – all 20 of them!
One of my favourite shots of Des – and probably one of his – with his hero Joe Frazier
There are some goodbyes and hellos to make as 2015 comes to an end. Des Gwilliam, our long-serving agent in the Midlands and South Wales is hanging up his hat for a well-deserved retirement and while we are sad to see Des go, we’re also delighted to welcome Barney Dibben in his place. Barney has form in retail and in selling bedrooms to retailers and has already been making the most of his established contacts, even though he only officially starts in January! Norrie Westbrook is also ‘supposed’ to be taking things more easily up in Scotland, where son Peter will take on more of the load more than capably. Which means we’ve a vacancy in Ireland (if anyone knows anyone, you know what I mean).
And talking of taking life a little more easily, that’s my plan, too, come January 1st – but more of that in my next blog! For now, may I take the opportunity to wish all of you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and of course a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Cheers!