Businesses rise and fall (with alarming regularity, these days). However, on an industrial estate in Hastings, East Sussex, sofa manufacture is still very much alive. Paul Farley reports …
I’m returning to a site which was historically the home of heritage sofa brand Collins & Hayes – and, in its wake following the brand’s sale in 2016, the short-lived Billy & Slouch.
The Hastings Sofa Company was born late last year after key staffers were given the opportunity to buy that company’s assets, machinery, materials and work in progress.
Under the guidance of a triumvirate of director/owners – Mark Hillyard (finance and business development), Marc Gall (design and development) and Danny Cleaver (supply chain and operations) – The Hastings Sofa Company has retained key customer accounts while opening new doors.
Few fledgling businesses can boast a starting turnover of £1.2m, but thanks to white label work for Heal’s, Sofa Workshop and Wesley Barrel – plus recent additions Sofas & Stuff and Trade Secrets – the company has strong foundations.
“Right now, our priority is to completely stabilise the business and achieve maximum operational efficiency,” says Marc. “Because of the situation that gave rise to our business, we’ve had to adopt a back-to-basics approach.”
Despite this caution, there are encouraging signs. Marc says that the experienced 18-strong team needs to make 35 frames a week for the company to break even, but is currently managing closer to 40. He adds that the business has the capacity to increase this to around 100 if required.
A tour of the factory reveals an efficient and lean use of space, while the company’s social media channels show the team members flexing their creative chops, with forays into sofabeds and motion furniture.
Significant savings have been made by closing and leasing various parts of the site, while the company’s white label work is supplemented by selling prototypes utilising discontinued fabrics to the public through its showroom. Meanwhile, seven ex-Billy & Slouch collections have been carried over and are “ready to go” as and when required.
“We need to get the ball rolling with our white label work,” says Marc. “We need to feel comfortable that we can deliver whatever’s asked of us – but in around 18 months we might be ready to re-evaluate where we are.”
Given the turmoil its predecessors went through, The Hastings Sofa Company has met with a surprising degree of positivity from its legacy suppliers and customers, enabling crucial continuity. Strong personal relationships and timely payments have gone a long way, admits Marc.
“In our Billy & Slouch days, we stuck to pro-forma payments, so accrued minimal debt,” he says, “and when we started up The Hastings Sofa Company we actually took on some of those existing debts to help maintain any goodwill.
“The four key areas we had to tackle were white label customers, staff, materials, and commitments to the landlord. Because we wanted a clean break, we met payroll three months in a row without any support, and we’re now starting to get credit terms again.”
It’s one explanation for how the company was able to retain every member of staff – while taking on extra personnel for sewing and frame making. Another is the capabilities and flexibility of that workforce, which, as one, has dedicated itself to making The Hastings Sofa Company the best it can be.
“There’s not many businesses that operate this way any more,” concludes Marc, “hand-crafting bespoke orders for the big players. But we’d like to be around for the long term, so we’re open to any opportunity.”
