Brexit boost for boutique furniture

Furnish & Fettle, which has showrooms in Harrogate and Wetherby, has seen a 19 per cent rise in sales in the first quarter of this year.

The report, from point of sale software provider Vend, shows that smaller, boutique furniture stores are bucking national trends with 23 per cent growth year-on-year to £2.7bn in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same period the year before.

This is in contrast to figures from the British Retail Consortium which show that, nationally, retail sales fell 0.5 per cent in March. Furniture sales were down year-on-year, but the category climbed to ninth place of 13, from 12th place in February.

Vend surveyed over 2,000 consumers and nearly a fifth of respondents (19 per cent) said they were planning to move property this year, but have ‘definitely’ shelved those aspirations because of the impact Brexit is having on house prices.

Furthermore, 86 per cent of the people who are definitely choosing to remain where they are, have turned to furniture stores to revitalise their current homes.

With an average spend of £310 per person between January and March this year, the top items fuelling the boutique furniture boom include mirrors (bought by 28 per cent of people), coffee tables (26 per cent), cushions (24 per cent) and wall artwork (19 per cent).

Higor Torchia, UK country manager for Vend, said: “It’s no secret that the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit has led to a tough economic climate and is taking its toll both on house prices and on large retailers.

“However, boutique furniture stores have benefited from the situation, as Brits decide to invest in unique, high-quality products that refresh and revitalise their current homes.

“As a business that works with thousands of small retailers across the UK, we can see first-hand how the independent sector is remaining buoyant at a time when many other areas of the economy are feeling the squeeze.”

One furniture retailer that has seen a 19 per cent rise in sales in the first quarter of this year is Yorkshire-based Furnish & Fettle, which has showrooms in Wetherby and Harrogate.

The firm’s co-owner, Eleanor Goddard, said: “Our first three months of 2019 have been really strong, with sales driven by customers looking for something special to improve their homes.”