Shares in Carpetright almost halved this morning after its largest creditor and shareholder said it was considering a £15m takeover offer.

North of England furniture and accessories chain Baytree Interiors will reach double-figures when it opens its 10th branch tomorrow (1 November).

Carpetright is to strengthen its relationship with Furniture Village with more concessions.

John Lewis is continuing to feel the effect of its 20% home promotion, which seems to have brought forward purchases rather than increased them.

The premises of former Aberdeen retailer Dargie Design is set to become a café.

Top-end furniture manufacturer Chile Christian has been bought by its management.

January Furniture Show has confirmed that several companies will be making their debut at the show in January.

Wayne Nortjé, Hypnos Contract Beds director of operations has left the company to join Breasley as operations director.

Marks & Spencer’s incoming store director has decided not to join the chain after his present employer offered him a promotion.

John Lewis saw home sales slump in the past week after the end of its 20% off promotion, which shoppers turning their attention to clothing and beauty.

Four interiors companies have been recognised in the The Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250 as being among Britain’s private mid-market growth companies with the largest sales.

Paul James and Ian Peers have been elected to the BFM’s board.

Headlam has added to its portfolio of flooring brands by buying Edel Telenzo Carpets.

Feather & Black and Jensen Beds parent Hilding Anders has appointed a new ceo.

Belgian upholstery and cabinet manufacturer Recor has named Litmus Furniture as its principal agency for the England, Wales and Ireland. 

36 companies have signed up to The Furniture Makers’ Company’s One Step at a Time welfare campaign, taking the charity over a third of the way to its target of 100 companies supporting the initiative by May 2020. 

Furniture and lighting retailer Fabiia is to open its first London showroom, after more then a year of planning.

To celebrate the launch of its Kährs Luxury Tiles range, the company is offering retailers the chance to win one of its Platinum LT showroom stands.

The final days of a 20% off promotion helped John Lewis deliver a double-digit rise in home sales in the past week.

Furniture retailer Loaf saw sales rise 16% in its past financial year while gross margin was increased.

Sean Anglim, Laura Ashley joint chief operating officer and financial director is to leave the retailer after almost a quarter of a century with the chain.

ScS has rewarded its senior management with share options, that if sold today would be worth £1.7m.

The number of shoppers heading to UK high streets, retail parks and shopping centres has dropped by 10% in the last seven years, new research has shown.

Leather upholstery producer At The Helm has launched a website, showcasing its five collections.

Online furniture retailerMade.com has seen losses jump to almost £6m as it expanded internationally.

Shares in interiors chain Dunelm slid this morning after shareholders were spooked by ‘a softer homewares market’ in September, despite a strong quarterly performance.

Online lighting and accessories retailer Dowsing & Reynolds has opened its first bricks and mortar store.

Tapi’s expansion last year saw pre-tax losses jump by more than 40% as sales approached £80m.

The 20% off home promotion paid dividends for the chain in the past week, with sales significantly higher and a record online performance.

The British Retail Consortium KPMG Retail Sales Monitor showed a 1.3% fall in retail sales in September, producing the survey’s lowest annual growth figure since 1995 of just 0.2%.

Mattress in a box company Emma has strengthened its management, allowing the company’s co-founder to focus on growing the company.

Sports Direct has denied a claim that it will close most House of Fraser stores once the crucial Christmas trading period comes to an end.

Furniture chain OKA slumped to a loss last year, as restructuring and property costs wiped out profits.

  Sales volume is holding up, but value is down, says the National Bed Federation (NBF) as it reveals the latest results from its State of Trade report.

Steinhoff UK Beds is to invest in three new websites for its Slumberland, Relyon and Dunlopillo brands, as part of a new digital strategy.

Kitchens International score a hat-trick of wins at the design awards at the KBSA Designer Awards.

The BFM has rebranded its fabric exhibition as it looks to introduce new shows.

John Rogers, Argos ceo is to leave the retailer at the end of the month to join advertising agency WPP.

John Lewis is to abolish a third of head office management roles across John Lewis and Waitrose, as it unifies management of the two chains. 

John Lewis saw home sales jump in the past week thanks to the start of a price-cutting promotion.

Shares in ScS fell by almost 10% in initial trading this morning after it warned that orders since the end of July had been hit by Brexit concerns and the hot weather.

The Federation of Small Businesses and the Confederation of British Industry have become the latest organisations to express concerns over how a no-deal Brexit could impact on UK retailing.

Three key trends have been identified for 2020 by design agency Stilbüro bora.herke.palmisano for Ambiente.

The reduction in business rates announced by the Chancellor in the Budget will provide mixed results for retailers, with the impact likely to miss many.

Consumer confidence fell in October despite accelerating wage growth and pre-Budget reports about the imminent end of austerity.

John Lewis suffered another weekly fall in home sales in the past week. The chain has only seen two weekly increases since June.

Sofa.com is to open eight concessions in House of Fraser branches, almost doubling its bricks and mortar presence.

David Judge, Cormar Carpet Company md is to step down after 24 year at the end of December. He will become an advisor to the company.

£50m wallpaper group Wallvision has named Marie Karlsson, head of its international business division, to be md of its UK subsidiary Cole & Son.

Oldham retailer Housing Units maintained performance while funding its expansion.

ScS is to exit its 27 concession in House of Fraser stores after sales slumped by more than half.

Department store chain Debenhams has confirmed plans to close 50 stores, the overwhelming majority of which are profitable, while the future of a further 20 is in doubt.

David Knight, ScS ceo saw his bonus more than double in the past year.

Increases in sales of fitted furniture and flooring were not enough to lift overall home sales for John Lewis in the past week.

Wickes has seen sales drop in the past quarter in a ‘very challenging’ market.

Smartphones have become the most popular method of browsing online for John Lewis shoppers.

Debenhams could close up to a third of its 166 UK stores as the chain looks to cut costs.

Bed manufacturer Silentnight has won The Furniture Makers’ Company’s Sustainability Award for the second year running after successfully demonstrating that it has taken its commitment to the environment to the next level and in doing so became the first company to win the award twice.

The BRC has called on the Government to freeze increases in business rates as retailers face a £180m increase next year.

It was announced in July that the Gliptone distributor for the UK was closing its doors. However Staingard, one of the UK’s leading providers of furniture care products has recently acquired the business.

House, its own label collection, provided a bright spot for John Lewis in the past week but home sales once again fell.

Eight members of The Furniture Makers’ Company have raised almost £14,000 for the charity by collectively cycling all three routes of Mont Ventoux, Provence in a single day.

Lighting and furniture company Tom Dixon has hired Swarovski’s former marketing head as its ceo.

Retail parks saw footfall increase last month, while high streets and shopping centres suffered another fall.

Domotex has revealed the projects that will form its Framing Trends showcase at next January’s exhibition.

Upholstery chain Sofology is opening its first store in the south-west of England today.

Dunelm Mill saw online sales jump by more than half in the past quarter.

If the improved UK performance and maintenance of export sales seen in recent weeks continues, fabric group Walker Greenbank expects its full year to be in line with expectations after its brands suffered in the first half of the year.

Fabric group Walker Greenbank has seen a major senior management shake-up.

John Lewis suffered another week of falling home sales in the past week, but saw more shoppers ordering beds and sofas.

Retail sales suffered a ‘summer hangover’ in September according to the latest results from the British Retail Consortium/KPMG Sales Monitor.

Loss-making clothing and homewares chain French Connection has seen its share price leap after it said it could be for sale.

Tapi saw sales almost double last year as it continued its expansion while losses were almost flat.

British Home Stores is making a return to UK high streets.

Made.com is to begin operating in Spain as it looks to take a share of the £6bn market.

A proposed Ikea store in Sussex has passed its first planning hurdle.

Bensons for Beds has launched a multi-million pound marketing campaign following the completion of the roll-out of its SleepPro mattress technology across the chain.

DFS has seen like for like sales order growth across all of its brands since the summer.

An upturn in like for like sales will see Topps Tiles make better than expected profits

Analysis of visitors to The Flooring Show has confirmed what many exhibitors reported during the show: a higher quality of visitor.

John Lewis saw a large increase in sales of its own-label House brand in the past week but it wasn’t enough to lift overall home sales.

ScS has seen an increase in like for like orders in recent weeks.

Four UK interiors companies have been included in the London Stock Exchange Group’s 1000 Companies to Inspire Europe report, looking at high-growth small and medium sized businesses across Europe.

Despite increasing furniture and lighting sales home sales fell again at John Lewis last week.

Rent to buy retailer Brighthouse could shortly change hands, with its bond holders swapping dents for shares, it has been reported.

Furniture and accessories supplier Gallery Direct has been named as Business of the Year at the Swale Business Awards.

Softness is the most important aspect for shoppers when buying a carpet, with how it looks relatively unimportant.

The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity, has named bed manufacturer Silentnight as winner of its 2017 Sustainability Award.

Unilin and IVC parent Mohawk has seen its non-North American flooring sales on a constant currency basis top US$500m in the past quarter.

Kitchen retailer Kitchens International has promoted Derek Dobbins to the company’s board.

DFS has boosted the management of its contract operations while creating a major new retail role.

Investing in its expanded distribution centre reduced Housing Units profitability in the past year.

Wilf Walsh, Carpetright chief executive has warned that first half profits will be lower that 2016 after ‘volatile’ trading.

John Lewis suffered its fourth consecutive week of lower home sales last week.

Victoria has returned to the acquisition trail with the £50m purchase of Italian ceramic flooring manufacturer Ceramiche Serra, and indicated it tends to make further buys in the sector.

North-west of England chain Walton Flooring Centre has been awarded a top regional prize.

The Furniture Makers’ Company’s largest Young Furniture Makers exhibition attracted hundreds of visitors as a record breaking 120 pieces from GCSE and A Level students through to BA and MA graduates from around the UK packed out the Dutch Church and Furniture Makers’ Hall in Austin Friars, London.

Flooring distributor Westco saw profits drop in the previous financial year after sales dropped by 7%.

Carpet Foundation members are to receive posters of the organisation’s first home interest press marketing campaign.

John Lewis suffered a third consecutive week of falling home sales last week, despite strong fitted furniture sales.

A major part of Fuorislone during Milan design week is having to relocate after eight years, driven out by its own success.

Tickets are selling fast for The Furniture Makers’ Company’s fundraising Christmas Ball.

Footfall dropped again in September at high streets and shopping centres while growth at retail parts slowed.

The National Bed Federation has appointed a full-time technical manager, who will provide technical advice to members as well as informing them about changes in standards and legislation

If you are going to celebrate a company milestone, do it in style.

Flooring chain Tapi’s sales grew almost tenfold last year as a faster than anticipated expansion boosted sales.

Visitor registration for next year’s January Furniture Show has opened.

Italian furniture manufacturer Flexform has reopened its extended Chelsea Harbour, London showroom.

Interiors retailer Dunelm has seen an almost double-digit rise in like for like sales in the past quarter.

Home sales at John Lewis have fallen for the second week in a row.

Independently owned British upholstery manufacturer, Whitemeadow, has been identified as one of London Stock Exchange Group’s 1000 Companies to Inspire Europe. The report is a celebration of the most dynamic small and medium sized businesses across Europe.

According to the Visa UK, household expenditure declined for a fourth month in five in September, with spend on household goods among the categories in decline.

When he entered a competition all about beds, winning was all Steven Hague ever dreamed of.

Statement from Stuart Machin, CEO for Bensons for Beds and Harveys

“Having joined the business eight weeks ago, I have now had the chance to review our leadership structure and identify a number of additions, changes, and improvements that I believe will help us achieve our commercial objectives.

La-Z-Boy UK Ltd has appointed a new director to manage its marketing and national retailer accounts.

The upholstered furniture retailer has reported a 22% fall in profits despite sales growing by £10.4m.

The preliminary results show for the 52 weeks ended 29 July 2017, gross sales rose 1.1% to £990.8m from £980.4m in 2016. Online sales rose by 10.7%, whilst Sofa Workshop achieved double-digit percentage sales growth and solid profitability during the year.

The seating and motion furniture specialist HSL has reported a sixth consecutive rise in sales as turnover edged towards £52m.

Blackjack Oak from luxury vinyl flooring manufacturer, Moduleo, has been specified in the recent refurbishment of the Jump In trampoline arena, in Walsall.
More than 500sqm of Blackjack Oak 22246 from the popular Transform portfolio of designs was installed in the ground floor main arena.

ScS, one of the UK's largest retailers of upholstered furniture and floorings, has announced its Preliminary Results for the 52 weeks ended 29 July 2017.

DX has announced that it has agreed a major new Contract with IKEA to provide a bespoke logistics solution for customer deliveries.

Upholstered furniture manufacturer Whitemeadow has reported top and bottom line gains in what it described as a year of two halves in the 12 months to end December 2016.This is a fourth consecutive year of turnover growth as sales rocket past the £40m milestone.

Online registration for January’s edition of Top Drawer, which features more exclusive exhibitors, has opened.

Two directors of upholstery and flooring chain ScS have transferred major shareholdings to their spouses, totalling nearly 1.5% of the retailer’s shares.

Upholstery and living room furniture retailer Sofa Express has invested in a new distribution centre.

Quick-Step is to become the title sponsor of Belgian World Tour cycling team, after five years as co-sponsor.

The overwhelming majority of consumers will spend just as much on furniture and soft furnishings as they had planned before the EU referendum.

Depending on your view towards the EU, the UK economy grew faster than expected in the wake of the Brexit referendum vote or growth slowed dramatically.

The chief executive and group finance director of Carpetright have upped their stakes in the chain, but paying very different prices.

The National Bed Federation has launched a new version of its Code of Practice.

Practical items as everyday aids, innovations with awards, sustainable products distinguished by outstanding design, remarkable product presentations and utensils for professionals – Ambiente from 10 to 14 February makes it easy for companies to present outstanding new products with creative, design-oriented and innovative exhibitors being invited to apply for inclusion on several different platforms.

After suffering a drop in home sales the previous week, John Lewis saw sales rebound last week.

John Lewis has followed Marks & Spencer by appointing a long-serving executive who worked their way up from the shop-floor as its new boss.

Carpetright has seen sales drop further in the past four months.

Bedding manufacturer Trendsetter Home Furnishings has seen profits leap by almost a quarter.

Underlay and flooring accessories manufacturer Interfloor says it has stocked-up ahead of the pre-Christmas trading period and will be delivering until the week before Christmas.

Furniture buying group Minerva has created a new membership category as it looks to attract new retailers.

Axminster Carpets has completed an order to supply 4,000sqm of carpet at Twickenham Stadium.

Heico Fasteners UK has become the first distributor to be awarded FIRA Gold product certification for zig-zag and super loop springs.

A flooring fitter has been named as UK Worker of the Year, winning a motorbike and a year’s free shopping but missed out on a £250,000 bonus prize.

Oak Furniture Land has said an Advertising Standards Authority ruling that it can no longer describe its furniture as ‘solid hardwood’ could have far-reaching implications for the furniture retail industry and that the ASA has redefined terminology that has been used for hundreds of years.

After a run of sales increases, helped by strong furniture sales, John Lewis saw home sales slip back last week.

Online flooring retailer Flooring Superstore has invested £250,000 in its infrastructure to support its expansion and increase its offering to consumers.

Domotex is to expand its [email protected] showcase with five young design studios illuminating the future of flooring design, including the UK’s Briggs & Cole.

LVT flooring manufacturer Karndean Designflooring is making it easier for consumers to choose and care for their new floor by unveiling its first online store – via www.karndean.com.

Retail software company Swan Retail has strengthened its position in the marketplace with the purchase of three applications.

Cabinet and upholstery manufacturer Godfrey Syrett has been named as the winner of the Furniture Makers’ Company’s Sustainability Award.

The next generation of furniture designers and makers has been hailed at The Furniture Makers’ Company’s annual Young Furniture Makers exhibition.

Bed manufacturer Matza has invested £400,000 in new equipment leading to increased efficiency and the creation of 10 jobs at its 60,000sqft West Yorkshire factory.

The furniture and flooring department of the Jenners department store in Edinburgh has received a major overhaul as part of a £100,000 investment.

Flooring company Kährs has opened a new design studio in Clerkenwell, London. It will also showcase décor styles, furnishings and heating technology from brand partners - Earthborn, BoConcept and Nu-Heat - with Kährs’ resident interior design team on-hand to provide help and expertise.

Oxfordshire designer shopping outlet Bicester Village is helping to celebrate Wool Week, in association with the Campaign for Wool and the British Fashion Council, with a quintessentially British collection of wool products including Brintons' carpets and Manolo Blahnik wool covered shoes.

17 years after founding their eponymous fabric company, Lee and Emma Clarke have sold Clarke & Clarke to Sanderson parent Walker Greenbank for up to £42.5m.

DFS has show its commitment to its Dwell subsidiary by investing in a national distribution centre for the chain.

Home has continued to deliver for John Lewis, with strong furniture sales.

Sainsbury’s has begun the rollout of Mini Habitat branches within its supermarkets allowing shoppers to see and touch products to give them more confidence to buy online.

Furniture, flooring and interiors design company Richard Grafton Interiors is to open its second branch last this week.

The BFM has named Trevor Richards as its new sales and marketing manager.

Consumers have been urged not to buy mattresses from door to door salesmen as they typically fail the flammability regulations and are old mattresses recovered.

Topps Tiles has blamed lower consumer confidence for a drop in growth in the past quarter, but it will still meet profit forecasts.

Dunelm has said a drop in sales in the past quarter was due to the hot weather.

Sales of branded upholstery ranges have risen by 35% in the past year at DFS, helping the chain to record profits but it has warned exchange rates will hit profits.

Fabric and fabric group Osborne & Little fell into the red in the past year as sales dropped by almost 10% in its largest market and the UK.

Victoria has continued with its acquisition policy, agreeing to pay up to £19.5m for underlay manufacturer Ezi Floor.

Furniture continued to prove popular with John Lewis customers last week.

The BFM has confirmed its support for the January Furniture Show, with more than 30 members set to take part.

UK house prices rose by 3.9% in October compared with 2014, according to Nationwide.

Marks and Spencer suspended its website last night after it allowed customers to see each others' details when they logged into their own accounts.

The UK economy has grown for 11 quarters in a row, but growth slowed to 0.5% in July, August and September.

Wilf Walsh, Carpetright chief executive says his effort to revitalise the county’s largest flooring retailer’s brand ‘is on track.’

Private equity firm Advent International has taken the advantage of the increase in DFS’s shareprice since it floated in March to sell a 15% stake in the upholstery retailer and manufacturer.

Two recent industry events have raised more than £15,000 for charity.

Michael Sharp, Debenhams chief executive is to leave the retailer next year, saying he always planned to leave after five years.

Habitat has enjoyed like for like sales growth in the past six months, helped by increased Habitat sales and big ticket items.

Argos and Homebase parent Home Retail Group has warned that it will miss profit expectations for the current year.

Kent retailer Lukehurst has opened its £2m Sittingbourne showroom.

Consumers want tiles on their kitchen floors and the kitchen to have a modern look if they were having their dream kitchen.

The Carpet Foundation is to simplify its consumer marketing message to: Buy from a Carpet Foundation retailer.

John Lewis saw home sales edge up in the week to 10 October, driven by strong furniture sales.

A derelict plot of land in Haverhill looks set to become a bustling retail park amid renewed hopes of investment for the town.
The long-vacant site, formerly home of the Project Office Furniture factory in Falconer Road, was bought by Cambridge property developers, the Howard Group, in 2008.

Sheffield based furniture manufacturer, Home Décor Ltd has revealed a slight rise in turnover.

The Manchester retailer says its focus on customer service has delivered a 6.7 per cent increase in turnover.

September saw like-for-likes rise at the fastest rate since January 2014 due to the inclusion of the late bank holiday in the month’s figures.
Retail sales increased by 2.6% on a like-for-like basis over the month compared to September 2014, when sales fell by 2.1%, according to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales monitor.

John Lewis has announced it will take over the entire Beechwood Shopping Centre in Cheltenham

The whole building will be converted into a massive department store, which will open in 2017.
It will stock the retail giant's full offering, from fashion and homeware to electronics.
Current shops in the building have started to move out and work on redeveloping the space will start early next year.

Amazon is now looking to expand its market with handcrafted goods by launching a similar themed site to Etsy, entitled Handmade at Amazon.

British brand Scion has once again joined forces with pioneering Dutch rug manufacturer, Brink & Campman, to create the third Scion rug collection. Adapted from Scion's most popular designs, the new rugs are 'pure floor fashion and instantly make a house a home'.

The high street is bouncing back despite the boom in online shopping as shop vacancy rates fall to their lowest level since April 2010.

DFS has reported a surge in full-year revenues and profits as it buys a Spanish business to target the British expat community.

• Pre-tax profits jump to £10.7m as sales surge 7%
• The retailer has secured DFS trademark in Spain as it targets 800,000 expats
• DFS believes it has grabbed a larger share of the ‘aspirational customer segment’

Dunelm has posted a jump in like-for-like sales in its first quarter and revealed the acquisition of 200-year old linen brand Fogarty

Like-for-likes at the homewares retailer increased 5.5% to £183.3m for the quarter ending October 3, while total sales increased 12% to £202.3m year on year.

DFS Furniture plc Preliminary Results

DFS Furniture plc, (the "Group"), the market leading retailer of upholstered furniture in the United Kingdom today announces its preliminary results for the 52 weeks ended 1 August 2015 (prior year: 53 weeks ended 2 August 2014)

Minerva Furnishers Guild announces a change of venue for their very successful Minerva private members show to be held on the 17th – 18th May 2016.

AHF has seen sales rise by more than 5% in the past financial year on the back of higher investment.

Sales grew by 6% to £19.5m in the year to 31 March at the 19 store chain as EBITDA increased from just under £350,000 to a little over £432,000.

Bed manufacturer Savoir has continued its international expansion by opening a showroom in Seoul.
The 700sqft showroom in the South Korean capital is in the recently opened Hyundai department store in Pangyo, close to the city’s most exclusive neighbourhood, the Gangnam district – known as the ‘Mayfair of Seoul’.

– Show almost fully booked, with four months yet to go
– Wood Flooring Summit 2016 meeting with strong demand
– [email protected] to feature expanded choice of Guided Tours
– Guest appearances by star international designers: architect and designer Piero Lissoni (Lissoni Associati) and architect Wolf D. Prix (Coop Himmelb(l)au)

Etailer Loaf has opened its first standalone store, seven years after launching with a choice of a dozen beds and one mattress.

Shareholders in Victoria Group have this morning voted to approve the purchase of Interfloor and issuing £44.5m of shares to pay for it.

Retailers must gear up for Christmas, or risk losing out on their share of an extra £2.3bn of consumer spending, they have been told.

Hypnos has been named as the bed behind the country's most comfortable hotel rooms for the fifth consecutive year.

Next has warned that it has been unable to recover the sales it lost in September and October because of the mild weather and profits will be £25m lower.

Roy Annable, Brockway Carpets chairman has become president of the carpet manufacturer in honour of his achievements at the Kidderminster company.

Upmarket bed brand Hastens has opened its third outlet in London.

John Lewis enjoyed yet another strong week of interiors sales, driven by beds and flooring as the sector easily outstripped others.

Department store chain Debenhams is seeing progress in its attempts to boost profits thanks to greater control of discounting.

Sustainable flooring hardwood alterative producer Kebony has raised €8m as it looks to international expansion.

Homebase md Paul Loft is to leave the chain after paying the price for patchy performance across its 323 stores. A quarter of branches are to close in the next four and a half years.

Carpetright has named food and drink industry veteran Bob Ivell as its next chairman and confirmed that Lord Harris will step down at the end of the month.

The decline in shopper footfall dropped in September, as furniture sales boosted out of town shopping.

John Lewis continued its run of strong homewares performances, helping the department and home store chain to a 12.9% sales increase last week.

A mulit-million pound investment by Unilin has delivered a major boost to production at its Czech Republic factory in Vyskov, meaning it will no longer have to import engineered wood floors from Malaysia.

Cabinet supplier Kettle Interiors has revamped its pricing structure after increasing stock levels to more than £7m.

Online interiors retailer Loaf has continued its expansion with a major sales increase in the past six months.

Cormar Carpets has further invested in its delivery network with the opening a second cross-dock distribution centre, in Bristol.

Flooring and beds chain Carpetright has enjoyed a second successive rise in UK quarterly sales as it again sets out to attract more upmarket shoppers.

Underlay, bedding and foam company Carpenter was able to boost its level of cash by almost £10m last year, despite a 'challenging year' including being hit by a £23.7m bill as part of the EC's €75m price fixing fine.

Interfloor has revamped its flagship PU underlay collection with improved backing, bolder branding and updated POS.

The value of UK retail sales dropped last month despite continuing high furniture sales, as the weather saw shoppers shun autumn fashions.

John Mackenzie, bed industry stalwart of almost 30 years has died after some months of failing health.

Baker and Stonehouse has seen a double-digit increase in profits while its expansion to London got off to a better than expected start.

How to sum up MoOD 2014? More than clear is that MoOD once again scored high in the field of quality and that in this way, it offers a solid basis for the future. One cannot conclude otherwise than that MoOD gained in aura and charm, which is the result of a move towards new halls, in combination with its new look & feel.

Department and home store chain John Lewis recorded another increase in sales last week, driven by home sales.

Laminate and hard flooring distributor Westco suffered a drop in sales of almost a third in its past financial year. Turnover has almost halved in two years.

Brintons Carpets and one of its maintenance contractors have been ordered to pay more than £25,000 after a worker avoided serious injury by a few feet after a dye vessel exploded and its quarter of a tonne lid was thrown 6m into the air.

The winners of the coveted Blue Drop awards at fabric exhibition MoOD have been chosen, with visitors to the Brussels show having their final opportunity today to decide the Visitors award.

Veronique Laury, ceo of French DIY chain Castorama is to succeed Sir Ian Cheshire as Kingfisher group chief executive.

Ikea has seen sales rise by 3% to €28.7bn in the past year, and would have almost doubled that without currency fluctuations.

Shareholders in Victoria have overwhelming backed the scheme that will see them receive a special dividend of £2.92 a share and Geoff Wilding, Victoria executive chairman control half the company.

The Furniture Makers' Company has recruited four new corporate members, bringing the number to 17, with Brighthouse, Designer Contracts, KI and Silentnight Group joining.

Fibre group Low & Bonar saw a mixed performance in the first half of the year, with 'lacklustre' demand in the flooring sector partially offsetting demand in building products.

The funeral of Walter Wilson, Ulster Carpets honorary president took place at Tullylish Parish Church, Gilford, County Down on 3 June. He died on 31st May aged 84.

After more than 150 years, Somerset independent furniture and flooring retailer Challicoms is to close in September.

Charltons Furniture is to exhibit at The Manchester Furniture Show for the first time next month.

Retail sales growth slipped back sharply in May, although furniture and flooring sales were described as 'encouraging'.

This year the Pedal For Pounds 5 bike ride starts at the Emirates Stadium in London, 250 gruelling miles later we will arrive back in Huddersfield.

All donations will contribute to the Keep It Up Campaign, which is an equal split between the Huddersfield Town Academy and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

After a couple of years where rooting about in the archives and celebrating anniversaries by reissuing classic designs was the agenda for many established firms, this year’s Milan Design Week saw new products return to the fore.

Yes there were updates, but the mood was more Athletico Madrid’s attack at pace than Barcelona’s pass the ball for ever: companies recognised that they had to grab visitors’ attention with something new, rather than variations on a theme.

Steinhoff International has revived plans for a stockmarket flotation of its European – including the UK – division.

How and when companies go into administration could be significantly changed depending on the outcome of a court case this week.

The level of empty shops has fallen below 14% for the first time since July 2010, but regional performance continues to show a north-south divide.

If day one of Heimtextil was florals and geometric shapes, day two was colour you could not ignore.
Particularly among the better-end, branded bed linen exhibitors, colour was everywhere.

Underlay manufacturer Ball & Young has launched its latest design for its  Christmas Greetings bags (pictured).

Karndean Designflooring is to mark its 40th anniversary with a series of flooring donations. The company, founded by Mike Walker, is launching a year-long campaign looking at where it began and its position today while supporting charities in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Home Bargains is set to bring its discount offer, including furniture and homewares, to the southern half of the country with plans for 400 more stores.

Quick-Step is add to the competition in the UK LVT market with an autumn launch of its Livyn brand. 

Bedroom retailer Feather & Black has slashed losses and delivered a double-digit sales increase, its latest account reveal. 

Exhibition organiser UBM is adding to its network of trade shows, following claims the Indonesia furniture export industry is worth £1.14bn and is forecast to triple within five years.

Norfolk bed retailer Beds of Paradise has expanded into upholstery and cabinet furniture with a second store. 

The UK arm of German bedroom manufacturer Nolte Mobel has turned to Andrew Porter for its deliveries, hoping to cut lead times by three weeks.

Variety retailer The Original Factory Shop has turned to former Woolworths and Asda executive Tony Page as its new boss.

While the return of sunshine seemed to perk up most people, it was the hunt for the new that created the smiles in Milan.

Since ISalone moved to the out of town Rho venue it has been blessed with lovely spring weather on every opening day. However this year proved as reliable as a hotel's wifi connection.

Nick Worthington says the for sale bed chain is in a position to pick it’s next owner while it concentrates on retailing.

For the next few days we’ll be bring you the latest news and thoughts from Heimextil, Domotex and IMM Cologne: Calm but order books are being filled.

For the next few days we’ll be bring you the latest news and thoughts from Heimextil, Domotex and IMM Cologne: Is this the beginning of the end of threesome photo-shoots?

Liquidation for Swindon store after rival buys stock. The doors of Swindon furniture retailer Manor Furniture will close for the final time this week after administrators failed to find a buyer for the 18-year old company.

Sales leap by 15% in record week. John Lewis enjoyed its best sales week last week, boosted by the row over Amazon's UK tax payments.

Kitchen and bathroom makeover chain Granite Transformations is to target the North West of England and the West Midlands as it seeks to grow its franchise operations.

In contrast to many businesses, furniture and flooring chain Lee Longlands has enjoyed a boost from the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

After 150 years of trading, the department store will close before the end of the month.

Upholstery fabric producer Van Neder has been awarded damages of more than £375,000 after the High Court ruled importer Fu Long copied two of its bestselling designs.

Marks & Spencer is to reshuffle its boardroom in the face of falling sales, with two former directors of home getting two of the chain's most important jobs.

The UK housing market continued to stutter during June, as demand failed to pick up and supply of new property fell back.

Retail rents will fall across the country thanks to reduced demand and increasing availability, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' UK Commercial Market Survey.

Flooring brand Quick-Step reveals a huge increase in UK sales as parent Unilin confirms plans for its flooring academy in Manchester, as disclosed by Interiors Monthly a year ago.

Department store chains Debenhams and Marks & Spencer looked to margins in the pre-Christmas period.

Multiyork has moved swiftly to bolster its senior management following the departure of former executive chairman Indira Thambira and reconfimed its position as a top-end retailer.

A 21 year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life following the fire that destroyed the 144 year-old House of Reeves furniture store in Croydon on Monday night.

The Metropolitan Police said the suspect was detained on Tuesday night and was being questioned at a south London police station.

There have been no other arrests in connection with the incident so far.

UPDATE: The store was today demolished and the Reeves family repeated that they would continue trading but were unsure if they would rebuild on the site.

Link: Watch the demolition. Click here.

Picture: Peter Paces.