In January's issue, Furniture News explores the correlation between home moves and furniture sales, and how timely promotions and good customer service can turn that potential into profit. Here, TwentyCi's MD Nick McConnell outlines some of the drivers and implications of the information and marketing services specialist's latest findings …
What are TwentyCi’s principal areas of business, and why does it monitor property movement?
TwentyCi is the UK’s leading residential property data, insight and analytics company, working with retailers in the homeware space, lenders, estate agents, retailers, conveyancers and house builders to drive better, data-led decisions. We track 99.6% of all UK sales and lettings in real-time and maintain DOMUS, a property database with over 330 attributes per address. With nearly two decades of home mover shopping habits tracking, data investment and an Automated Valuation Model that accurately predicts completion prices in 95% of cases, we provide the most reliable view of the property market and associated consumer behaviour.
We monitor property movement because home movers are one of the most valuable and time-sensitive consumer groups. Moving home triggers major purchasing decisions, creating a short window in which brands can target messaging and win business with minimal wasted spend.
Why/when did you decide to explore furniture purchases as part of that picture?
Furniture is one of the earliest and most significant purchase categories activated by a move. Having worked in this sector for over 12 years, our data shows movers are more than 20 times more likely to buy furniture in the month they move, and over 31% of all their orders are placed within that single month. Average spend is also around 8.5% higher than non-movers. We can even identify purchase peaks, with beds and sofas most commonly purchased on day one or two after receiving the keys. Our data helps retailers identify when those buying signals are about to occur, and target customers at exactly the right moment.
How do you work with furniture businesses to help deliver change?
We help retailers replace broad, expensive marketing with timely targeting of people who are actively preparing to buy. Even using a conservative estimate of £1,500 in homeware spend per homeowner move, the 1.15 million transactions forecast this year represent around £1.73b in potential retail value. Including rental moves, the total market rises to roughly £2.17b. Securing just 2% of that spend equates to £34-£43 million in revenue, depending on customer mix.
Our data also shows that mover retail spend totals £21.4b a year, with 7.7% of orders arriving in the first week, 23.8% within the first month, and the majority of the remaining activity between days 8 and 176. This enables retailers to focus activity when intent, and conversion are highest.
Can you summarise the general trend in home sales over recent years?
The UK housing market has remained surprisingly resilient despite economic challenges. In 2025 (January to October), over 1 million homes had already gone ‘sold subject to contract’ (SSTC), up 4.1% on last year and the strongest level since 2022. With 1.5 million properties listed for sale, the demand-to-supply ratio sits at 72.4%, higher than both 2024 and 2023.
While demand and supply have increased across all property types, detached and semi-detached houses are becoming increasingly popular. For detached homes, the demand-to-supply ratio has risen 4.6% compared to the previous year. In contrast, flats have declined in popularity, with supply growth in 2025 outpacing demand growth by more than two to one compared to 2024.
The market is being driven by buyers adjusting to high interest rates, a continued strong desire to own a home, and the increased availability of properties for sale, all combining to keep activity robust even in challenging conditions.
How does the rental picture compare?
The UK rental market is volatile. Demand remains strong, but supply constraints and some landlords exiting the buy-to-let sector are driving affordability pressures. Supply has risen by 64,750 over the past year but is still 159,000 below pre-pandemic levels. Affordable rentals (£0–£800pcm) are down 2.5% YoY, while mid-range properties (£800–£1,500pcm) grew 11.8%.
Lettings agreed in Q3 2025 rose across most regions: Outer London (+13.5%) and Wales (+13.4%) led growth; Leeds surged 24.4%; while Inner London (+0.6%), Southampton (-0.4%) and Northern Ireland (-2.1%) lagged.
From what you’ve seen, do furniture sales align with those trends?
Yes. Our data shows that furniture demand closely tracks the housing market. Home movers are over 20 times more likely to buy furniture in the month they move, with more than 31% of their orders placed during that single month. They also spend around 8.5% more on average than non-movers. This means that rises in property sales or lettings seen in our data typically translate into increased furniture purchasing, making home moving a strong predictor of retail activity in the sector.
There are, however, clear regional differences. For example, the South East saw 333,105 owner-occupied moves from January to October last year, with homeowners here nearly 12% more likely to move than the UK average, making it a major generator of furniture demand. Yet property sales in Q3 2025 were only up 2.8% YoY. In contrast, the East Midlands saw stronger market growth, with sales up 6.5% YoY, but fewer total movers at 171,224.
These regional variations are also seen across the lettings market. Although Outer London saw a significant uplift of lettings agreed in Q3 compared to the year before, the actual number of movers throughout 2025 accounts for 73,878. Far greater numbers were seen across the South East, South West, the East of England and the North West.
These differences mean that while the national trend holds, the scale and timing of furniture spending can vary region by region.
Read the rest of Nick's interview in January's issue, here.
