A return to high street retail for bedding and upholstery trades

A blog by Nick Harland-Smith, managing director of corporate member Handy Ltd

Our industries have endured another period of enforced restrictions as a result of the past three-month lockdown that has prevented high street retail from trading.

This has been a tough period for all of us and we are excited as retailers open their doors this month with people being permitted to return to their local furniture store or automotive showroom. This will feed through to more buoyancy in general trading for the weeks and months ahead.

Handy Ltd has remained open for business throughout and our customers have been resilient and creative during these challenging times, navigating their way around the various COVID-19 production challenges with innovative solutions.

We have enjoyed strong demand for our products; however, business has been slower than it would have been in more “normal” times. We really hope that the public embrace the re-opening of the high street and support this key area of our economy.

While there is an undoubted place for online purchasing of furniture in today’s world, there is no substitute for trying out your sofa or mattress instore before making such a key purchase.

Style and design cannot be ignored in the consideration of such a purchase, but comfort and feel must be the key driving factors. An average person may spend over 30 years of their life lying on their mattress and spend 45 plus days per year sitting (or lying) on their living room sofa.

Some consumers will therefore continue to prioritise their comfort and the “feel” of a product when making such a significant purchase.

Having supplied components for over 30 years, we are privileged to provide a wide range of components to the bedding, upholstery, fashion, automotive, office and aerospace industries and have thrived whilst doing so.

During the past year we have been working hard at expanding our range of components, performing due diligence testing of these prior to bringing them to market.

We have continued to maintain and build stocks, despite the hike in raw material and shipping costs, mindful that our customers will be needing our key components as demand increases following the relaxation of lockdown.

We understand that markets are changing and have been delighted with feedback for our re-brand and the launch of our new website to make it easier for manufacturers to find and purchase components and services.

Soon we hope to welcome new and existing clients to our distribution centre to see our components in the flesh and learn more about how we can support their manufacturing needs.

While some restrictions will remain in place for the coming months, we move forward with a great sense of optimism that with the return to bricks and mortar retail, the economy will start to thrive once more.