Times may be tough for your business – but that’s no excuse for dropping the ball, argues Simon Williams, the head of marketing and membership at the National Bed Federation (NBF) …
There’s no doubt that it’s a tough business climate out there at the moment.
Having said that, when was the last time we could all report that business was booming? There’s always external pressures, whether that’s rapidly rising component costs, supply shortages, wage inflation, energy prices, Covid, war, the threat of war, Trump tariffs, cheap imports, cost of living crisis etc … the list goes on.
But, as Billy Ocean sang, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Maybe now is the time to really focus on the things within your control that can positively affect your business. Every business is different and you know your own business better than anyone. If what you’re doing isn’t working, there’s no point carrying on doing the same.
At the NBF, we are always looking at ways in which we can support our members and retailers who are part of our Retail Champions scheme and are aligned with our principles.
To do that, we provide a broad range of tangible benefits, regulatory support and expert advice on key bed manufacturing business areas, including business compliance, HR support through our NBF Protect service, sustainability and the different aspects of product safety. The NBF Code of Practice and its independent auditing, originally introduced in 2013 and now in its sixth iteration, remains at the cornerstone of what we do – ensuring that our members have a distinct point of difference to their competitors, whether that’s domestic or imports.
The NBF Code of Practice cover 10 areas of compliance including flammability, cleanliness and trade descriptions, and our members are audited regularly to ensure ongoing compliance. As part of the Code of Practice, we also have an ongoing programme of due diligence testing where we purchase both member and non-member products.
Flammability testing is then carried out at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, and the product is inspected and cut open to verify the advertised specification claims. Results are shared with the retailer from whom we purchased.
We inform our Primary Authority Partner, Trading Standards at Wakefield Council. They carry out their own investigations via their product safety team, which can include site inspections, product purchases, and in some cases, enforcement action.
Responsible and reputable retailers in the UK and Ireland can buy with confidence from NBF members, knowing that the checks and balances have been carried out, that they are supplying products that have been tested to meet UK flammability standards and that they comply with trade descriptions – for example, if it states on the label that the mattress contains 1,500 pocket springs with three zones, a 2.5cm layer of memory foam and a deep layer of natural wool, then that is what you would find if you were to cut the mattress open.
Can the same be said for products that advertise pretty much the same specification but at a fraction of the price? I think we all know the answer.
The NBF are represented on several external committees and panels that enable us to support our members on industry matters by raising key issues affecting the industry with Government and other organisations to ensure that our members voices are heard at the highest level.
If there is an issue that is affecting you, or you want to get involved in the conversations, get in touch to find out how we can support your business.
