Sofa Workshop
Encyclopedia
The Sofa Workshop Ltd are a furniture
manufacturer and retailer formerly based in Lodsworth
, West Sussex
, United Kingdom
, now at Farnborough, Hampshire
. They are best known for creating stylish retro furniture and offering an unprecedented level of fabric customisation.
in 1986. Cussins sold the company to MFI Group in 2002 for £12.25m. When MFI ceased selling lounge furniture, Sofa Workshop was bought in October 2006 by furniture retailer New Heights. New Heights appointed an administrator in May 2008. At that stage the company had 31 stores in England
, Scotland
and Northern Ireland
, employing 160 people. The company had revenue amounting to £30 million in the year ending May 2008.
On 31 December 2008 Sofa Workshop announced that they were lining up Leonard Curtis
as a possible administrator
. Leonard Curtis stated at the time that there had been expressions of interest in purchasing the company.
On 31 January 2009 it was reported that Sofa Workshop had been sold. Leonard Curtis said 10 of the company's 30 stores had been bought by Erewash Upholstery, which is controlled by a consortium of investors led by Andrew Cussins, who founded Sofa Workshop in 1985. Soon after the management buyout, Cussins moved on.
Since the change of ownership, Sofa Workshop has re-established itself as one of the key furniture retailers in the UK and has seen a 40% increase in profits in the year ending December 2010.
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
manufacturer and retailer formerly based in Lodsworth
Lodsworth
Lodsworth is a small village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is situated between Midhurst and Petworth, half a mile north of the A272 road...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, 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...
, now at Farnborough, Hampshire
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
. They are best known for creating stylish retro furniture and offering an unprecedented level of fabric customisation.
History
Sofa Workshop, founded by Andrew Cussins in 1985, opened their first store in MaidstoneMaidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
in 1986. Cussins sold the company to MFI Group in 2002 for £12.25m. When MFI ceased selling lounge furniture, Sofa Workshop was bought in October 2006 by furniture retailer New Heights. New Heights appointed an administrator in May 2008. At that stage the company had 31 stores in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 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...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, employing 160 people. The company had revenue amounting to £30 million in the year ending May 2008.
On 31 December 2008 Sofa Workshop announced that they were lining up Leonard Curtis
Leonard Curtis
Leonard Curtis is one of the largest independent firms in the UK specialising in corporate recovery, insolvency and business restructuring.It is a national practice with 14 directors and more than 100 staff based at offices in Manchester, Bury, Blackburn, Wolverhampton, Birmingham,...
as a possible administrator
Administration (insolvency)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
. Leonard Curtis stated at the time that there had been expressions of interest in purchasing the company.
On 31 January 2009 it was reported that Sofa Workshop had been sold. Leonard Curtis said 10 of the company's 30 stores had been bought by Erewash Upholstery, which is controlled by a consortium of investors led by Andrew Cussins, who founded Sofa Workshop in 1985. Soon after the management buyout, Cussins moved on.
Since the change of ownership, Sofa Workshop has re-established itself as one of the key furniture retailers in the UK and has seen a 40% increase in profits in the year ending December 2010.
External links
- Sofa Workshop Official Website Retrieved 2009-08-30