With its factory based in Lancashire, handcrafted furniture manufacturer Tetrad uses some of the finest materials to create striking upholstery pieces.
All Tetrad sofas, chairs and stools are made to a high standard with hardwood frames which are built to last, coupled with a variety of suspension options and covered in high quality fabric or hide.
Director Janus Cooper talks Furniture News through the history and philosopy of the business ...
Tell us about Tetrad’s background
Tetrad was founded in in 1968 in Preston, Lancashire by four partners – Alan Gibson, Bob Cooper, Jim Bolton and Bill Hoole. Next year we will be celebrating our 50th year in business. We currently 100% manufacture premium upholstery for UK and worldwide retailers under the Tetrad brand.
What is the business’ modus operandi?
We are a vertically-integrated business in that we make our own FSC hardwood frames, cut and sew our own covers, individually upholster each piece and then deliver in our own transport. We are design-led and industry pioneers.
What makes Tetrad stand out from its competitors?
Our attention to detail is a major point of differentiation, including hand studding, coil sprung seat platforms, pattern matching, leather trim and feather and down cushioning.
Our main goals are to deliver a premium product on time to our customers as well as offering a very strong reliable brand that gives confidence to the consumer. We work in partnership with our retailers to market the products as well as with our suppliers –especially Harris Tweed Hebrides.
What is Tetrad’s product portfolio made up of?
Tetrad have four collections – Classic Harris Tweed, the Heritage collection, the Signature collection upholstered in Ralph Lauren signature fabrics and FF by Tetrad. These are offered exclusively to various retailers across the world.
What’s the biggest news in the company right now?
We recently appointed a new member to our marketing team – Tasneem Dalal – to help us internally and via new social media channels. What’s more, our apprentice scheme has shown great success.
How does Tetrad address the needs of a changing market?
The marketplace has constantly changed over time, but we are definitely accepting these changes and will continue to do so. We are a fashion-led business that will continue to invest in the future through product development, exhibitions and marketing.
What trends are you currently experiencing?
As exports are a big part of the business, classic English shapes are the core to our collections and therefore new fabrics/colours are an extremely important factor.
What are the company’s future plans?
Our future plans are to increase export sales, help drive more traffic into our existing stockists, improve lead times and explore new opportunities.
