Leading South West independent furniture retailer Fairway Furniture has announced a £1.5m internal refurbishment of its flagship Plymouth store during 2024.
The work, starting in April, will take six months and will involve removal of the entire existing interior and installation of a completely new store layout, enabling an even wider range of product to be displayed within a fresh, contemporary shop-fit design.
MD Peter Harding explains: “Now is a great time to invest in our store estate after the turbulence of recent years and we are delighted to be making such a big investment into the city where the company first started. As the biggest furniture store in the region, we believe that this exciting new store design will make it a genuine destination for the area’s furniture buyers, encompassing both existing and new demographic groups.
“The design work for this project began before the pandemic when we engaged Somerset-based retail designers Spaceworks Interiors to develop an initial concept for a new store layout. The upheaval of the pandemic meant we deferred taking it further, but in 2023 we commenced more detailed work and took the decision to target a spring 2024 start date.”
The phased scope of the refurbishment work means that the store will be trading from around 75% of its usual floorspace throughout the project’s four phases, with an early autumn target date for completion.
Peter adds: "It was important that we used as many local contractors as possible, supporting their growth alongside our own. To that end, we are delighted to have Spaceworks as the main contractor, with two of the key elements – electrical and flooring – being carried out by Plymouth-based companies JAH Electrical and Vista Flooring respectively.”
Speaking about the appointment, JAH Electrical director Jamie Hitchcock says: “We’re delighted to working with another family-owned Plymouth company. We are based almost within sight of the Fairway Furniture store and so it is great that we were selected to deliver the electrical contracting element of such a large project.”
Vista Flooring, a specialist commercial flooring contractor based in Plymouth, will be providing the new concrete- and wood-effect flooring throughout the new store design. Director Paul Applin comments: “As a rapidly growing Plymouth business now with a team of 17, we’re thrilled that Fairway have put their trust in us to deliver such a vital part of their vision for this new store design.”
Prior to the work starting, the company is holding a special refurbishment sale between 24th March and 14th April, with savings of up to -60% on display and clearance stock and "best-ever" discounts on all new special orders. A relaunch event is then slated for the autumn to celebrate completion of the work.
Founded in Plymouth in 1856, Fairway Furniture is the trading name of Harding & Sons Ltd, a sixth-generation family business that is among the oldest furniture retailers in the UK. It has stores across Devon and Cornwall – alongside a growing ecommerce offer – all of which offer nationwide delivery. Annual sales are approaching £12m, and the company currently employs 64 people across its five sites.
