The January Furniture Show returns to the Birmingham NEC next month, which means The Furniture Awards are back to celebrate the industry’s champion suppliers.
This year’s competition attracted a wealth of entries from exhibitors keen to share their achievements. Entrants were asked to explain why they are leading the way in one of the following categories: Sustainability; Best of British; Design Innovation; and Global Player.
“Do your products or processes make you a natural winner, or is original design at the heart of your business strategy? Do you offer unbeatable value, or feel you represent the best of homegrown or import approaches? We asked this year’s entrants to share their stories and persuade the judges why they deserved to take top billing in their chosen category,” says the awards’ co-ordinator (and editor-in-chief of Furniture News magazine), Paul Farley.
“It was truly heartening to read so many impressive and inspiring accounts from across the industry – particularly given the challenges many of them faced last year.”
This year, Paul chaired a judging panel consisting of: Malcolm Walker (FIRST MW); Deirdre Mc Gettrick (ufurnish.com); Royce Clark (Grampian Furnishers); Dids Macdonald OBE (ACID); and Mike Murray (Land of Beds and AIS).
The businesses they have shortlisted are:
Sustainability: Rauch, Skovby, Signature Kauri, Vogue Beds
Best of British: Shire Beds, La-Z-Boy UK, Alpha Designs, Buoyant Upholstery
Design Innovation: Dormeo, Gallery Direct, Sealy UK, Scandinavian House
Global Player: Wiemann, Man-Wah, Bluebone Imports, Incanto Italia
The Furniture Awards were launched in 2015 by Furniture News magazine in partnership with the January Furniture Show, and are now an integral part of the exhibition. In addition to valuable media coverage, each winner will receive a voucher for CGI services, courtesy of creative digital agency Orbital Vision.
The winners in each category will be announced soon. These businesses – and many, many more – will present their newest lines at the January Furniture Show, taking place from 24-27th April.
