Sofas by Saxon is a sofa and chair retailer which hand-crafts every piece of furniture it sells in its own workshop. Each item is fashioned by time-served upholsterers, seamstresses and cutters, many of whom have grown up with the business. MD Matt Deighton gives Furniture News further insight into the workings of the company ...
Tell us about the history of Sofas by Saxon
Sofas by Saxon was originally founded in 1982 by Mr and Mrs Jolly, who are still involved with the running of the company today. The company’s showroom and factory are based in Bolton, Lancashire where our experienced team handcraft leather and fabric furniture.
The original founders were inspired to create high-quality, handmade British furniture which is built to last. Since establishing the business, they have developed a growing company that currently employs over 70 craftsman and women from the local area.
What products do you offer?
We offer traditionally handmade leather and fabric furniture – including sofas, chairs, sofa beds and footstools – which is made in-house by our very own team of talented craftsmen and women. Our sofa and chair frames are made from solid beech hardwood, using traditional joints, strengthened corners and robust suspension, plus buttons and studs are all individually hand-tacked.
For our leather, we source only entire cowhides from the best Italian tanneries. Our fabrics include sumptuous wools, tweeds and linens woven and finished in Britain, and velvet from Italy.
What makes you stand out from the competition?
As all of our products are made from scratch in our Bolton factory, we’re able to offer a bespoke service. Our customers have the option to customise existing styles, or they can even commission an original piece of furniture which we can design exclusively to fit their specifications.
What are the aims of the business?
Sofas by Saxon’s primary goal is to produce handmade British furniture of the highest quality. Everything from our traditional manufacturing process to the superior quality of materials we work with ensures that each piece we create is long lasting.
Tell us about the business’ recent activities
We have recently rebranded from Saxon Leather to Sofas by Saxon, alongside the introduction of a new brochure including new photography of our entire range. The rebranding has also allowed us to introduce fabric into our range for the first time since our company began.
How do you address the needs of a changing market?
We continuously monitor the economic climate in order to judge the mood of the global economy and how it is perceived by the consumer. This allows us to keep up to date with changes in the market.
What trends are you currently experiencing?
The ever-increasing popularity of smart phones and tablets has resulted in a rise of mobile browsing. These technology updates makes accessing the internet from anywhere easy and convenient for users. It is vital that websites keep up to date with these changes and ensure their content is responsive and optimised to be functional on all platforms.
How does your website offer a heightened user experience?
Our new website now allows customers to view every piece of furniture within our extensive collection in over 130 different leathers and fabrics. Often customers find it difficult to imagine what a sofa or chair would look like in a certain colour – our website takes away this worry and has proven to be very popular. We’ve also produced videos of each style to allow our customers to see our furniture from all angles.
What’s ahead for Sofas by Saxon?
With all our recent developments, we’ve certainly got a busy time ahead of us! Watch this space!
