Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Ancient Mariner specialises in hand-crafted furniture and accessories. Most of the company’s furniture is sourced from Indonesia and is made using traditional techniques, providing local people with jobs and helping to keep the history of craftsmanship alive. Victoria Noakes paid a visit to the business’ East Sussex-based warehouse to find out more ...
In 1995, Michael Ellis – drawing upon his rich experience of the retail and wholesale furniture industries and taking inspiration from his father – laid the foundations for family furniture business, Ancient Mariner. Now a well-known and respected industry name, Ancient Mariner manufactures furniture and accessories personally discovered and selected in Indonesia.
In its lifetime, the company has seen many changes, not least of which was taking on a new identity 10 years ago. The company’s original Australian range designer was asked to recreate a desk from HMS Endeavour, used by the famous English naturalist and botanist Joseph Banks. This venture led the company to settle upon the unusual and original nautical-themed name Ancient Mariner, along with its accompanying logo.
As the company continued to gather momentum, Michael passed the torch on to the next generation of his family. Today, Michael’s son James runs the company’s southern branch near Lewes, East Sussex, whilst his daughters Sarah and Rachael head up the business’ Lancashire base in Ribchester. “The business has grown every month, year on year, and in 2014 we are looking at our best ever years trading. I’d have to say our success is down to my father’s experience as a retailer,” says James.
Working with local craftsmen and women in Indonesia, Ancient Mariner tries to help preserve traditional ways of life and secure and improve education within the local communities. The company has invested in a loyal and hardworking team as well as infrastructure, running an Indonesian factory the same size as its UK base, purely dedicated to Ancient Mariner.
This allows the company to maintain a firm grasp on quality control and maintain high standards in colour and the polishing process. Ancient Mariner’s commitment to quality is expressed on every piece of its furniture, with a discreet brass plaque and scroll which guarantees the product’s authentic history and quality.
Ancient Mariner provides a wide product offering, ranging from luxurious mahogany ranges inspired by English and French village themes to stylish county collections made from exotic mango wood and decorative accessories for all areas of the home. All of its pieces have a distinctive character, have gone through a complex construction process and have been purposefully aged for effect. Key to the company’s philosophy is not to hide irregularity in its products, but in fact to celebrate it for the uniqueness it produces.
Accessories have become a large part of Ancient Mariner’s business, growing on the back of the company’s main product offering and now account for 25% of sales. The range of accessories has broadened the business’ customer base significantly and comprises an eclectic offering, including seemingly everything from animals, cars and bowls to vases, candles and rustic boxes.
Having invested a lot in stock, Ancient Mariner plans to change the way it operates, with the aim of its warehouses becoming more akin to a cash-and-carry-type environment, where customers can come in and view the product offering first-hand whilst receiving a friendly reception from the team. “Our vision for the future is to have customers go round with a scanner and order for themselves, whilst getting a comprehensive view of what we offer all in one place,” James explains.
It is hoped that these measures will empower the company’s agents with more vital information regarding buying trends, as well as attracting more smaller businesses with this flexibility. In order to bring this project to fruition, the company is increasingly focusing its attention on IT development, investing in a new software package and taking on a dedicated IT employee. In addition, Ancient Mariner plans to refresh its website to allow for online ordering, real-time stock updates and click-and-collect options this year.
James concludes: “We’re taking the next step as a small business by investing in and improving the infrastructure for further growth and evolution. We’re showing that we can accommodate both large multiple stores and small shops and I think we’re fast catching up with our larger competitors. With our new anniversary catalogue celebrating 20 years of business, and as we rebrand ourselves and rethink the way we work, this year will definitely be a big one for us.”
