Reflecting “a commitment to the highest standards of service, quality, excellence and craftsmanship”, the Royal Warrant is one of the highest endorsements a business can boast. With the King’s coronation approaching, we asked five of the sector’s most prominent holders what the accolade means to them …
A seal of approval from the British monarchy, the Royal Warrant Holders Association (RWHA) describes the Royal Warrant of Appointment as “a document that permits a company to use the Royal Arms in connection with its business in an appointed trading capacity. It is granted for up to five years at a time as a mark of recognition for the ongoing supply of goods or services to the Royal Household.”
Today, there are some 800 Royal Warrant holders, across myriad trades and industries. In the furniture sector, holders comprise cabinetmakers, bedmakers, fabric manufacturers, retailers and more, and in this month’s Furniture News we’ve asked a handful of them to share their views on what it means to be a Royal Warrant holder.
How did they come to be awarded the accolade? What are its stipulations, and what does it mean for their business? Are they planning the mark King Charles III’s coronation accordingly, and how might the change of monarchy affect their application?
It also seemed a good time to quiz these esteemed British institutions on the current state of trade, and their thoughts on what changes the Government might make to better support home-grown products.
Thanks to this month’s panel: Neil Stevenson, owner and MD of fine handmade furniture and bespoke specialist joinery maker, NEJ Stevenson; Steve Warren, MD of premium bedmaker Sleepeezee; Donald MacKay, MD of not-for-profit social enterprise Glencraft; Chris Payne, partner and Royal Warrant liaison at John Lewis Oxford Street; and James Keen, CEO of 120-year-old bedmaker, Hypnos.
You can read their thoughts here.
