Phew! January is coming to an end and with it our hectic exhibition schedule – Birmingham, Cologne, Scotland! No wonder we are all feeling a bit tired…
But also quite elated! All the shows have been really fantastic – what a great way to start the New Year.
We were very impressed with the new January Furniture Show at the NEC – we loved just three days and no Sunday! And we saw lots of good quality independent retailers – both new and existing customers additional resources. We’ve definitely committed again for next year – and with a stand that’s 30% bigger so we can show even more ranges – thank you to our colleagues in Germany for their faith in us Brits.
As usual, in Scotland we had a fabulous dinner and fantastic live entertainment from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers (that’s not a misspelling!). Thanks to all those who put on such a splendid event. The show went well, too!
It’s interesting that both in the UK and over in Germany at the Cologne Fair, we noticed a distinct increase in interest for our better quality products – our VIP and semi-solid ranges.
Perhaps this shift is a direct result of what I can only say really is a change of focus for the business to a philosophy of ‘less is more’. These days, rather than chasing after accounts at any price, we’re looking for business partnerships with well run, well organised retailers who will support us in more depth. Of course, we know they expect nothing less than great products and excellent service in return so we’ll carry on doing everything in our power to make sure we deliver those – there is always room for improvement, we’re the first to admit!
So once we’ve had a few days to recover, we’ll be hard at work following up enquiries and overseeing the delivery of all the new displays that have been ordered. The new ranges go into production this week in Germany – which means those who have ordered these won’t have to wait too long.