Strong results were reported across all five halls of January Furniture Show, the UK’s biggest furniture buying event, during four days of trading at the Birmingham NEC last month.
This year’s edition saw the launch of the sleep-centric Beds and Light sectors in Hall 5 and 3, respectively. Both new initiatives proved popular – according to organiser Clarion Events, they contributed to a +5% increase in visitor numbers YoY, while exhibitor feedback focused on the quality of buyers and orders committed on site.
Steve Freeman, MD of bedmaker Silentnight, which returned to the fixture after a 10-year break, says: “We set some tough objectives that we wanted to meet to support the investment we made, and pleasingly we surpassed every one. We were extremely busy across all four days, booking orders, securing new floor distribution within existing retail partners, opening up new customers and arranging follow-up meetings with many new potential stockists. There was a great feeling of optimism permeating the halls, which generated a very positive vibe. For Silentnight, Sealy and Rest Assured it was a great show."
Charting 150 years of producing and selling UK-made upholstery, upholstery manufacturer Parker Knoll got celebrations off to a fine start with a win in The Furniture Awards and sales across the board for its new models. Head of marketing Meisha-Grace Nicely comments: “We had a great response to our new models which contain elements of Parker Knoll’s famed history, we were delighted to win an award and at this show we have definitely proved that the brand still has plenty of longevity.”
Event director Cleere Scamell says: “The reaction we’ve had to this year’s show from both exhibitors and visitors has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re delighted with the great support from our exhibitors who build amazing stands and present inspired new product collections so thoughtfully - together with the huge support from buyers who come in their thousands to source everything they need for their stores, projects and contracts. We’ve already started planning JFS for 2020 and intend to make it even better.”
January Furniture Show 2020 will run from Sunday 19th to Wednesday 22nd January.
