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Dreams (bed retailer)
Encyclopedia
Dreams is a UK bed
retailer and manufacturer with over 200 stores throughout the United Kingdom
. Its head office is located in Loudwater, High Wycombe
.
. In 1987 the ‘Sofa-bed’ shop was renamed Dreams and the business opened its first Head Office and warehouse in High Wycombe
.
and the store estate totalled nine stores. Two years later the store estate had grown to 12 stores.
By 1994 the number of stores within the estate had reached 17. In 1996 the head office moved to Knaves Beech, High Wycombe and the store estate had increased to 22. In 1998 Dreams added a second distribution depot in Crawley
and the company’s trading name changed to Dreams Plc. At this point the Dreams store estate was 37 stores.
.
By 2003 100 stores were within the estate. In 2005 the business launched its first ecommerce website in 2005 and had 120 stores. 150 stores by 2006 and their bed factory in Oldbury, West Midlands
opened in this year. Operations expanded in to Scotland
in 2006 as nine stores opened. A training academy was opened in Wednesbury
in 2007 to support 160 stores and by 2008 Dreams had 200 stores and was purchased by private equity
firm, Exponent.
By the end of 2009 Dreams had 220 stores and over 1700 employees.
In 2005 the diversion from landfill grew to 180 tonnes and metal and wood have been added to the recycling waste streams. More recently the company invested in two state-of-the-art bed shredders to recover metal, wood and other material. As mattresses are a difficult waste stream to handle at civic authority and landfill
s sites, the recycling work initiated by Dreams has seen 55,000 beds shredded over the past year and diverted from landfill.
and dreams
.
. Producing a number of own brand mattresses and divan beds.
, the home of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club
and London Wasps
, as well as providing sponsorship for Celebrity Big Brother. It has also sponsored the tv series Heartbeat.
in 1998 and again in 2001, due to contracts in breach of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999
. Following customer complaints, the company was also investigated and featured on BBC
's Watchdog
programme. In response to this matter Dreams made an apology on the programme.
In 2007, Dreams was investigated and censured by the Advertising Standards Agency
for misleading claims in its promotional material.. In 2010, another complaint against Dreams was upheld by the ASA, which ruled that Dreams' advertising broke the rules regarding truthfulness, and contained misleading advertising without evidence to back up its claims.
Bed
A bed is a large piece of furniture used as a place to sleep, relax, or engage in sexual relations.Most modern beds consist of a mattress on a bed frame, with the mattress resting either on a solid base, often wooden slats, or a sprung base...
retailer and manufacturer with over 200 stores throughout the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Its head office is located in Loudwater, High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
.
1980s
In 1985 Mike Clare opened the 'Sofa-bed' shop in UxbridgeUxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
. In 1987 the ‘Sofa-bed’ shop was renamed Dreams and the business opened its first Head Office and warehouse in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
.
1990s
In 1990 the first Dreams franchise opened in the Isle of WightIsle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
and the store estate totalled nine stores. Two years later the store estate had grown to 12 stores.
By 1994 the number of stores within the estate had reached 17. In 1996 the head office moved to Knaves Beech, High Wycombe and the store estate had increased to 22. In 1998 Dreams added a second distribution depot in Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
and the company’s trading name changed to Dreams Plc. At this point the Dreams store estate was 37 stores.
2000s
54 stores made up the Dreams estate at this point. Their first website was launched this year. With 67 stores in 2002 Dreams added its own mattress factory and expanded its operations by opening five stores in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
By 2003 100 stores were within the estate. In 2005 the business launched its first ecommerce website in 2005 and had 120 stores. 150 stores by 2006 and their bed factory in Oldbury, West Midlands
Oldbury, West Midlands
Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands in England. It is a part of the Black Country and the administrative centre of the borough of Sandwell.-Local government:...
opened in this year. Operations expanded in to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 2006 as nine stores opened. A training academy was opened in Wednesbury
Wednesbury
Wednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
in 2007 to support 160 stores and by 2008 Dreams had 200 stores and was purchased by private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm, Exponent.
By the end of 2009 Dreams had 220 stores and over 1700 employees.
Recycling
In 1995 Dreams started to recycle its customer’s old beds and mattresses and in 2004 began to backhaul the packaging from products delivered to customers on the company's delivery vehicles for recycling.In 2005 the diversion from landfill grew to 180 tonnes and metal and wood have been added to the recycling waste streams. More recently the company invested in two state-of-the-art bed shredders to recover metal, wood and other material. As mattresses are a difficult waste stream to handle at civic authority and landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
s sites, the recycling work initiated by Dreams has seen 55,000 beds shredded over the past year and diverted from landfill.
Internet presence
Dreams has operated on the internet since 2000. In 2005 the website became transactional and added an additional area to its website in the form of My Dreams]in September 2009 to provide more information to its customers about sleepSleep
Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...
and dreams
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
.
Manufacturing
On 16 October 2006 Dreams set up its own bed 84000 sqfoot bed factory on the Granada Trading Estate in Oldbury, West MidlandsOldbury, West Midlands
Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands in England. It is a part of the Black Country and the administrative centre of the borough of Sandwell.-Local government:...
. Producing a number of own brand mattresses and divan beds.
Sponsorships
Dreams sponsors the Dreams Stand at Adams ParkAdams Park
Adams Park is a football stadium in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is the home ground of Wycombe Wanderers F.C. and the Aviva Premiership Rugby Union club London Wasps...
, the home of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
and London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
, as well as providing sponsorship for Celebrity Big Brother. It has also sponsored the tv series Heartbeat.
Awards
Dreams was named National Bed Retailer of the Year in 1994 and Furniture Retailer of the Year in both 1996 and 2000. In 2008, the company won the High Street Recycling Champion award.Investigations
Investigations in to the business's operations have been conducted by the UK's Office of Fair TradingOffice of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
in 1998 and again in 2001, due to contracts in breach of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999
Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999
The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 is a UK statutory instrument, which implements the EU Unfair Consumer Contract Terms Directive into domestic law.Implemented under the European Communities Act 1972. See also, L95 OJ 29...
. Following customer complaints, the company was also investigated and featured on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Watchdog
Watchdog (TV series)
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...
programme. In response to this matter Dreams made an apology on the programme.
In 2007, Dreams was investigated and censured by the Advertising Standards Agency
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
for misleading claims in its promotional material.. In 2010, another complaint against Dreams was upheld by the ASA, which ruled that Dreams' advertising broke the rules regarding truthfulness, and contained misleading advertising without evidence to back up its claims.