News
The Furniture Industry Is Not Dying
Recent press following the unfortunate collapse of HJ Berry & Sons has falsely asserted that the furniture industry in the UK is dying.
Whilst it is true that the economic climate has been very tough for medium sized companies like HJ Berry, a survey commissioned by Proskills of almost 300 furniture companies at the height of the recession last year found that 23% of furniture companies had grown in the previous 12 months – admittedly 37% had lost sales but it is too easy to generalise and a sense of balance is often missing in articles such as this one.
For a dead industry, the British Furniture manufacturers still number over 12,000 companies, the vast majority of which are small or medium sized enterprises such as HJ Berry. Cumulatively they employ over 147,000 people yet the media too often only mention the bad news stories.
Interestingly 69% of the furniture manufacturers surveyed had made the conscious decision to retain their skilled staff, sometimes at the expense of profitability, through the recession. Also the number of apprentices in the furniture industry has grown by 80% in the past year. So it is far from all doom and gloom.
The industry is fighting back. For example the British Furniture Manufacturers Association has co-ordinated the ‘Ask If It Is Great British Furniture’ campaign which is supported by 15 manufacturers who see promoting their ‘Britishness’ as a key, unique selling point.
Thousands of emails of support from consumers have been received and over half a million have visited the website.
British furniture manufacturers have been at the forefront in supplying British retailers for generations. A whole retail industry has prospered through it and the relatively new arrival of imported products does not preclude further growth.
British manufacturers are renowned for producing some of the finest furniture in the world. They are able to offer realistic delivery times and a reliable after sales service. They operate under high standards of environmental management and of course, provide employment for British workers.
The closure of HJ Berry after 170 years is indeed sad news as the company appears to have been crippled by its generous pension scheme. But there are still many parts of the industry, small and large companies, which are maintaining their business, keeping their skills and craftsmanship at the top of their game. If we are to increase our productivity and competitiveness in the UK, it is essential that we support and promote industries like furniture manufacturing who are investing in young people who will lead the way for the future of the industry.
Terry Watts, CEO of Proskills, Sector Skills Council for the Furniture industry
Roger Mason, Managing Director, the Association of British Furniture Manufacturers
To learn more about the Ask If Its Great British Furniture visit www.greatbritishfurniture.co.uk,