Ashley Hainsworth, MD of Flair Furniture and Bed Kingdom, has been featured in Insider Yorkshire’s 42 Under 42 list of leading business figures for 2024.
Flair Furniture sells adult and children’s bedroom furniture via retail and wholesale through several brands, including Bed Kingdom, Flair Beds, Noomi, Recoil and MaxiTEX mattresses.
Bed Kingdom is the largest brand in the group, and one of the UK's leading online retailers of children’s beds and bedroom furniture products.
The bed brand began as a university project-turned-business founded by 36-year-old Ashley in 2011. The ecommerce entrepreneur started selling mattresses online with an investment of just £400 while studying at Huddersfield University, and now employs 28 people.
In 2023, Bed Kingdom experienced a record-breaking year of sales, with sales growth increasing by +76.06% over the past three years. The e-tailer was also included in the Sunday Times Top 100 list for 2023 and saw significant profit growth from its sustainable wooden bed brand, Noomi.
After moving into a new 70,414 sqft warehouse and distribution centre in Liversedge late last year and creating 12 new jobs there, the bedroom furniture business hopes to continue its success in 2024. This year, Flair Furniture aims to generate almost £20m in revenue, has doubled its product range to support this growth, and has introduced a new gaming furniture brand called Recoil.
The 42 under 42 list by Insider Media’s Insider Yorkshire celebrates the achievements of young businesses in the region. The list has been running for over 20 years and has celebrated nearly a thousand people, including famous names who have grown their companies into huge enterprises and significantly impacted the Yorkshire business landscape.
The 42 under 42 class of 2024 will be celebrated at a dinner in Leeds in April.