Mark Bonner, Sales Director at Fortune Woods, shares an update following the opening of its Long Eaton showroom and launch of its debut upholstery range.
After over a decade of trading within the furnishing industry, Fortune Woods has grown to become one of the leading suppliers of cabinet furniture. Not standing still on its success achieved to date, the company decided to that this year was the perfect time to add a further string to its bow.
As they say, everything comes in ‘threes’ and recently Fortune Woods announced three big slices of news, the first being its new showroom in Long Eaton. The second is a new partnership with premium furniture design business, Halo, while the third, a subsequent launch of its debut upholstery collection.
Focusing on the first, the new showroom is situated in a converted Mill opposite Harrington Mill in Long Eaton – a place known for upholstery within the furnishings industry. Furthermore, the showroom has seen the business invest a six-figure sum and officially opened on 30 October 2023. So, a month or so in, how has the showroom been received so far?
“We have had a fantastic reaction from our first retail partners that have visited us so far. It’s been really positive and encouraging and we can’t wait to show our space off to even more customers,” Mark Bonner, Sales Director at Fortune Woods, said.
The showroom, which underwent a significant refurbishment project, displays Fortune Wood’s entire upholstery collection, new cabinet designs along with a huge selection of accessories, lighting and textiles from a European partner the company is working closely with.
“It’s undergone a full refurb, stripping it back to its original state of exposed brick work, wooden beams and wrought iron columns,” Mark added. “We have also installed new flooring, electrics, WC, kitchen and offices.
“We felt it was the next step to take for the company, going into upholstery was the biggest factor. Having our own showroom enables us to showcase more products all year round. The location will mean we can also take part in the Long Point shows twice a year along with many other established suppliers and manufacturers that already have permanent showrooms in the area.”
As for its new partnership with Halo, Mark continued: “We are really excited to have partnered with Halo. They have a huge amount of experience in the upholstery market and produce fantastic quality products.
“This has enabled us to build a fantastic upholstery portfolio consisting of our Vintage, Classic Casual and Soft modern collections, which are all available in beautiful leathers and fabrics. We have then developed lovely cabinet collections to compliment the whole look giving retailers the perfect concept for instore galleries.”
Alongside the investment in upholstery, Fortune Woods has expanded its very successful reclaimed portfolio, while also launching a chair collection that adds extra choice and options across all its ranges. These are all stocked in the UK and are available in a number of different fabrics too.
Furthermore, the company, which has also invested in a new show van and UK stock, said that it expects the year ahead to be just as successful as the current. “We are delighted with our business this year,” Mark said. “We are dealing with more and more established retailers than ever before, and with the addition, and launch, of our upholstery collections, we would expect further growth next year.”
With next year in mind, Mark added that the business is busy developing more upholstery models in line for launch at the Long Point show in May 2024, while reclaimed is expected to be a mainstay. “In terms of cabinet furniture, our reclaimed ranges are going from strength to strength. We are planning to add a different cabinet look in 2024, which will give our customers even more choice, so watch this space!”
For further information on visiting Fortune Woods’ new showroom, contact Mark to arrange an appointment.
