Barker and Stonehouse makes the North East its port of call for furniture

The company, which opened its first Middlesbrough store in 1946, has appointed local supply chain business PD Ports to manage the handling and distribution of its international furniture products, which will arrive weekly on Teesside.

Barker and Stonehouse has a £45m turnover and employs 283 staff across the group. It recently invested £4m in a new Yorkshire store in Knaresborough.

A selection of cabinet, bedroom and upholstery ranges will now come into Teesport, Middlesbrough, instead of Southampton, before being distributed to the company’s eight stores from Nottingham to Newcastle.

MD James Barker said the change in shipping strategy represents the company’s commitment to supporting North East businesses and boosting the regional economy.

“Our loyal regional customer base is the reason we’ve been able to trade for over 65 years. We like to champion local industry whenever possible and by partnering with PD Ports we’re supporting jobs within the community.”

This ethos chimes with the Yorkshire Post’s Buy Yorkshire campaign, which urges businesses in the region to buy goods and services locally to help small and medium-sized enterprises win valuable new contracts and help strengthen Yorkshire’s supply chains in the long term.

PD Ports business development director, Geoff Lippitt, said: “We are delighted that Barker and Stonehouse has recognised the benefits of using Teesport to import their northern bound goods.

“This strategy, known as portcentric logistics, is changing the face of UK logistics. As a result it places growing emphasis towards Teesport as a key logistics and distribution hub for goods destined north of Birmingham.”

This partnership between Barker and Stonehouse and PD Ports supports the wider portcentric logistics activity at Teesport, following the recent £17m infrastructure investment in upgrading the container handling facilities to support growing volumes.