Time Living is one of the fastest-growing bed suppliers in the UK. Operating from a 50,000 sqft warehouse in Nottingham, Time Living offers bedsteads in faux leather, leather, metal and wood. Visitors to the Manchester Furniture Show were impressed by the breadth of the company’s offer, and by the imaginative stand that housed it. Furniture News’ Paul Farley chatted to Time Living’s MD, Mohammed Ali, to find out more …
Mohammed Ali – Ali to his friends – is an ambitious man. While his company is relatively young, his long-term goal is to provide “the best quality and service in the industry”. Running a successful wholesale business based on imports from the Far East takes a great deal of savvy – and elevating it to the next level will require all of Ali’s invention and nerve.
“We are making great efforts to raise brand awareness and increasing our range of products,” he says. “I want us to have a reputation for having unique designs, great quality products, and the best customer service, bar none.”
Ali’s business is based on a commitment to high standards – in terms of customer focus, product quality, stock availability, building and sustaining long-term relationships, and service. Ali cites “superlative customer service”, “high stock levels”, “a very personalised service”, “fantastic after-sales care” and “robustly-packaged goods” among the company’s strengths – in short, ensuring that Time Living’s customers remain its priority as the business grows.
“I want us to have a reputation for having unique designs, great quality products, and the best customer service, bar none”
Reinforcing this ethos is its considered, retail-oriented approach. “We’ve found that retailers are finding it increasingly difficult to meet minimum order requirements,” says Ali, “and that the standard five to 10-day lead times on orders just isn’t good enough. That’s why we’ve done away with minimum orders, and offer a next-working day service to stores – including a DHD service. Not only does this help retailers with their cash flow, but it also increases the level of service that they are able to offer their customers.”
Manchester Furniture Show gave Time Living the opportunity to engage directly with a large number of new customers – Ali reports a “great response”, in particular to Time Living’s Manhattan, Alexander and Brunswick models. The company’s exhibition stand, designed and built by Ali himself, certainly came as a welcome change to the norm.
“Having been to various trade shows from Milan to Malaysia, and seeing how stand designs can be very innovative, I felt we needed to bring something similar to our furniture shows in the UK,” says Ali. “We’re actually working on the design for our new stand at the NEC in January, which will certainly be worth a visit.”
Time Living works closely with manufacturers to develop quality beds which represent the best possible value – and, as mentioned previously, those exploring its portfolio will be impressed by the range of materials and styles on offer. As Ali puts it, he is in the business of developing “unique, trend-setting bed frames” – judging by the models already available, the trade should expect to see much more from Ali in time …
