Exclusive UK is in an enviable position right now. As one of the UK’s foremost suppliers of glass and marble dining and occasional furniture – alongside a range of high gloss and foil-finished wooden articles – the company is enjoying the benefits of offering something a little different to the norm, reports Paul Farley …
The volume dining market can be tough – particularly if you’re facing up against certain multiples and competing on prices for solid oak furniture. That’s perhaps why Exclusive UK’s MD Reg Pangali is so pleased with how business is going.
I caught up with Reg at the Manchester Furniture Show to take a look at this year’s models, which included – for the first time in five years – a few new pieces unveiled exclusively at the summer event, the best-received of which was the high-gloss Asti.
Breadth of materials now goes hand in hand with a range of price points at Exclusive, which has launched three lower-priced ranges – Eva, Tivoli and Imperial – to balance the higher-end offering unveiled at Interiors UK this year. “The new, higher-priced ranges – Titan, Florida, etc – which landed at the NEC this year have done very well,” says Reg, “but to ensure a fair spread and greater stockist appeal, we launched these new higher-value ranges at Manchester.
“Our range has never been stronger, and it shows. A lot of retailers now are trying to get away from oak and dilute their offering a bit – but going from oak into completely contemporary products is a big change, so we’re seeing some growth as we help to bridge that gap. Ultimately, retailers know what they’re looking to place in their own stores.”
“A lot of retailers now are trying to get away from oak and dilute their offering a bit”
Of course, Exclusive UK’s product range is backed up by a serious service proposition – when dealing with heavy marble and fragile glass, Reg discovered some time ago that it is essential to be in control, and brought his delivery arm back in house in 2011, with the purchase of three new trucks. Exclusive UK now provides a white-glove service for its marble goods, and drop-ship delivery for its glass.
“If you contract out this sort of product you get nothing but trouble,” admits Reg. “When we deliver to a store, we know it is delivered in one piece – you don’t want to take any risk of damages on products like these!”
As we part ways, Reg shares in confidence a few of the developments in the pipeline this year. As well as new products, there are exciting changes ahead for Exclusive UK …
This article was featured in the August issue of Furniture News magazine.
