After taking a year out from the event, Classic Furniture returns to the January Furniture Show this month to unveil eight ranges. Paul Farley caught up with the brothers in charge of the Lincolnshire-based wholesale enterprise, Andrew and David Rippin, to find out more …
However hard I try to fathom the strategies behind Classic Furniture’s success, I keep coming back to the simplicity at the company’s core – strong, commercial, ever-evolving product, reliable fulfilment and competitive prices.
True of any good wholesaler (and, in Classic’s case, container supplier too), stockholding is paramount. Classic’s sizeable warehouse facility, located on an old airfield in Binbrook, Lincolnshire, is more than capacious enough to meet the demands of the company’s huge roster of stockists.
Crucially, these customers have come to trust that the product they need will be available when they need it – a matter of even greater relevance given the fluctuating buying patterns of today’s consumer. Indeed, the bulk of the ranges Classic will unveil in Birmingham this month are already available for immediate dispatch.
“A good wholesaler must have the confidence to commit to certain ranges, and build their stocks as soon as possible,” says director Andrew Rippin. “If there’s a long delay before you can deliver on an order, a great deal of the work you do at a show can fall flat.”
Andrew’s product selection for the outset of 2016 has been aided by feedback from the company’s at-home show, which took place over a week in November and gave retailers the opportunity to buy stocks ahead of the January sales – and, in some cases, ahead of Christmas.
So, not only did the open week give Classic an opportunity to show off its newly-refurbished showroom and glean valuable information from its customers, it also proved a lucrative pre-selling opportunity, leading Andrew to consider making it an annual event – Classic’s open week will probably take place a little earlier this year, in October.
“We received some very positive feedback during our open week,” says Andrew, “which has given us a lot of encouragement for the show.”
Back to the present, then, and there is a wealth of new product waiting for visitors to the January Furniture Show. These include: Stockholm, which puts a new spin on Totem Furniture’s popular retro dining collection, Malmo, by presenting it in a walnut look; and a new home office range for the dark, mango-look Driftwood collection.
Next are several ranges new to wholesale, available previously via container from Furniture Origins – the Liberty and Colorado oak ranges, and Porto, a painted range featuring elm tops.
“As you can see, we’re introducing a good number of new ranges,” says Andrew, “but we do feel that many of them cross over somewhat with our older offering. We’re looking to streamline this – for example, it’s likely that some of these Furniture Origins wholesale ranges will replace the likes of Toulouse, Nura and Lyon in the near future.
“Over the next month or two we’ll work through the rest of the stock, clearing space to make way for our popular new recycled ranges.”
Classic Furniture signalled its intention to move into the reclaimed and recycled furniture market last September, with the release of three ranges: the rough-sawn Camrose farmhouse-waxed dining and occasional; the darker, reproduction-style Driftwood, a refined, traditional and comprehensive bedroom, dining, occasional and office range; and Outback, a contemporary, rough sawn-effect range with a wax finish with grey undertones. Each is handmade from old pine homes and bridge beams, and comprise 100% recycled solid wood.
Joining these collections this month are two new recycled pine ranges, both covering the bedroom, living and dining areas: Melton; and this month’s cover star, Sorrento, which boasts characterful, multi-shaded drawer fronts – solid-painted in the bedroom cabinet, and more muted limed-wash-effect colours in the dining.
“Consumers are demanding an ever-wider range of products from the retailer,” comments Andrew’s brother, MD Dave Rippin, “so, as one of the UK’s leading suppliers, it’s our responsibility to meet that demand by continually diversifying our offer. Recycled is an area that we weren’t in before, but it’s a style that’s very much in vogue, and will be for some time.”
Visitors to the January Furniture Show will find Classic at the back of hall 5 on stand 5J50 – a modern, glass-fronted display which, according to Andrew, “wouldn’t look out of place in the centre of Dubai”.
Combine the company’s move towards offering sustainably-sourced, natural-looking product with advances in its delivery network and container service and the headway it is making in new areas as an AIS preferred supplier, and it’s clear that Classic Furniture’s year is looking bright indeed.
