Silentnight was heralded as a shining example of a manufacturing success story by Prime Minister David Cameron speaking in the House of Commons last week, also praising the leading bed maker’s award-winning apprenticeship scheme.
He was joined by Andrew Stephenson, Conservative MP for Pendle, who visited the Silentnight headquarters in Lancashire during National Apprentice Week in March this year.
Andrew said: “I recently visited Silentnight in Barnoldswick, whose award-winning apprenticeship scheme has now created 44 full-time jobs. Will the Prime Minister join me in congratulating Silentnight on the success of their scheme, which has helped the company expand and allowed them recently to award all of their 1100 employees with an additional £250 thank you bonus?”
David Cameron responded: “Well I am happy to join my honourable friend in congratulating Silentnight, I remember visiting it with him in 2014. Back then they employed 800 people, they now employ 1100 people. That is a good example of business expanding under this government. They are big backers of apprenticeships.”
Cameron visited Silentnight back in May 2014 as part of a tour of leading UK manufacturers, acknowledging the bed maker then for its product innovation and commitment to quality.
Speaking about Cameron’s comments, Steve Freeman, MD at Silentnight, says: “It is wonderful to see this generous recognition of the strides forward that the business has made over the past few years. A bold strategy focusing on product innovation, quality, service, and most importantly, investing in both our current and future workforce, has cemented our position as a market leader and we continue to strive towards future excellence.”
Silentnight's recent product innovations have claimed multiple awards including Which? Best buys, Mother and Baby and Loved by Parents accolades. Its latest product range, Miraform, launched successfully last year and more new lines are expected to be announced at The Bed Show in September.