International furniture and bedding group Harvey Norman selected leading mattress specialist Kaymed as its Homewares and Linen Product of the Year 2019, for its innovative Sleep Studio Pillows – and the Kaymed brand was named Sleep Surface Supplier of the Year at Harvey Norman’s annual award ceremony, hosted in Dublin this month.

The award is contested by some of the leading lights on the international bedding scene, including many leading manufacturers, and Kaymed describes this achievement as “a great honour”, which complements the fact that it previously won the award in five of the last seven years, and is an acknowledgement of its efforts in supplying the 12 Harvey Norman stores across various categories.

Robbie Auckram, general manager of bedding for Harvey Norman Ireland, says: “This award recognises the bed supplier who has provided the highest standard of customer service and the most progressive product innovations over the preceding 12 months. Kaymed, once again, impressed us in these areas, as well as their overall retail partnership approach, ensuring that not only did their product meet the highest level of quality, but also the service provided to the stores from all aspects of the business met this same standard.”

David Moffitt, CEO of Kaymed, comments: “We are absolutely delighted that our hard work and efforts to continually enhance customer service and product innovation are acknowledged by this prestigious award. The award is particularly meaningful because the winner is selected by staff and managers of the bed department within each store. This is testimony to the efforts of our 300 employees to make Kaymed the best and most innovative mattress manufacturer for retailers in the UK and Ireland to do business with.”

Pictured from left: Marty Paukste and Daven Healey, buyers from Harvey Norman; David Moffitt; Christine Martin, account director for Harvey Norman Group at Kaymed; Donal Heagney, Kaymed product development; and Conor Stapleton, Kaymed’s international sales and marketing officer

January Furniture Show, which will take place from 19th-22nd January at Birmingham’s NEC, will take a step into the future with three advanced technology systems in 2020.

The first of these is a collaboration between Symmetry CGI, [show organiser] Clarion Events, KeyShot software and MC Designs, which will demonstrate how 3D modelling can be used in product development and product and brand marketing.

From its stand in hall 2, Symmetery CGI will explain how to create full product images and lifestyle shots from basic building blocks, and show how finishes and colours can be changed easily to show alternative colourways, finishes and lifestyle backdrops, giving manufacturers and suppliers the opportunity to see how a product will look without the need to make expensive prototypes or long photoshoots to generate product and lifestyle shots in different finishes.

For retailers, the CGI system will give customers the opportunity to view furniture in a room virtually, enabling quick and simple room planning, speeding up the selection process and removing uncertainty. Via a phone or tablet with an AR app, products can be superimposed into a customer’s own home, with a 360° view of a room, giving them an instant feel for how the furniture will look.

Second is JFSConnect. Returning visitors will be familiar with the event’s SmartBadge system, which allows them to collect sale and product information preloaded by exhibitors on the JFSConnect platform. Each entry badge has a Smart chip which interacts with the JFSConnect touchpoints on every stand, and by simply tapping these visitors can collect the data and exchange contact details with the exhibitor.

Lastly, JFS has developed a Networking Platform to help visitors plan their visit and get even more out of the event. Using JFS’ website they can search by company name, product sector, trail and hall, then highlight exhibitors and products of interest.

Dunelm has positively revised its profit expectations for the year, thanks to the transition of its customers to a new digital platform.

The retailer says that its modern, flexible, cloud-native platform will be used to accelerate the development of its customer proposition.

“Customers have responded well to the new website and we are delighted that during this critical transition period we did not see any adverse impact to our performance, maintaining our strong sales growth both online and in stores,” states the retailer. “Gross margins have been stronger than expected as a result of sourcing gains and better sell-through. Operational costs remain well controlled and in line with our expectations.

“In light of the above, the board now anticipates that the full-year profit before tax will be higher than our previous expectations, assuming no significant change in consumer demand as a result of the outcome of the general election.”

Habitat‘s MD Clare Askem has decided the time is right to leave the business, and has stepped down.

Taking on responsibility for the retailer is James Brown, commercial director of general merchandise and clothing, who says: “I’d like to thank Clare for her contribution to building the Habitat brand over many years, most recently as MD. We wish her all the best for the future.”

A retail development specialist, Clare joined the retailer in 2011, rebooting the brand (founded in 1964 by Terence Conran) after Home Retail Group bought it from administration. Sainsbury’s acquired the group’s Argos and Habitat businesses in 2016.

Read our interview with Clare from 2015 here.

GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index was unchanged at -14 for November. One measure increased, one stayed the same, and three measures decreased – including the major purchase index, which fell by one point to 0 (up three points YoY).

It has been nearly four years since consumer confidence was in positive territory.

Joe Staton, client strategy director at GfK, says: “In the face of Brexit and election uncertainty, consumers are clearly in a wait-and-see mode. The score for the general economy over the coming year has ticked up three points, and this is possibly an indication that some consumers believe the imminent general election might clear the Brexit deadlock, even though this sub-measure is still in deeply negative territory at -34.

“The general election is potentially an opportunity to move us out of the doldrums – but for this to happen there must be a clear result. A hung parliament could be very damaging for consumer confidence and would surely deepen the obvious malaise that we see month after month.

“We have not seen a positive headline score since January 2016 – that’s nearly four years ago. Uncertainty is nobody’s friend. So, while many issues are under the spotlight in this election, political parties will need to satisfy voters that they will be effective for the wider economy and that, as a consequence, people will be better off next year and beyond. Consumers need to be convinced they will be able to balance their personal accounts beyond ‘just about managing’. Fantasy economics alone will not guarantee votes.”

As part of its drive to improve standards by establishing a quality management system (QMS), Dewsbury’s Shire Beds has achieved ISO 9001:2015.

MD Fara Butt (pictured) comments: “We are proud of our achievements. Our QMS will help us to deliver quality products and service consistently to our customers.”

Shire Beds has invested heavily in continuous growth, which began with investment in plant and machinery to build capacity, says Fara. Its current focus on systems and practices enabled the company to achieve the ISO 9001 certification, which recognises the company’s consistent operations and processes.

“Our customers can be assured of our commitment to operational excellence,” she continues, “and this certification is part of that commitment.”

Definitive advice on getting a good night’s sleep is being promoted by The Sleep Council, as it calls on the Government to make a sound night’s rest a public health priority.

The 10 Commandments of Good Sleep was launched to celebrate The Sleep Council’s annual Sleeptember campaign, and has been drawn up by one of Britain’s top sleep gurus, Professor Jason Ellis of Northumbria University, who has been working with The Sleep Council for the past 18 months.

The move comes as a new survey shows more than two-thirds of people (67%) think more education and public health initiatives from the Government are needed to promote good sleep health.

Lisa Artis, head of The Sleep Council, says: “We have long felt the Government needs to place greater importance of a good night’s sleep to overall health and wellbeing on the Public Health Agenda – and the results of this survey would suggest that public support is behind us.”

Jason adds: “Over the past few years there’s been a growing awareness of the impact sleep can have on our physical and mental wellbeing, and not just for those with sleep problems. With the wealth of studies, surveys and expert opinions, it has led to a lot of conflicting messages. By looking at the different advice and scientific evidence, it’s been possible to create a simple, best practice guide for achieving a healthy night’s sleep.

“The guide is simple to follow and shows how making a few changes to your routine over a 24-hour period can make a huge difference to your wellbeing.”

The 10 Commandments of Good Sleep can be found here.

Louis de Poortere has created a range of rugs aimed at inspiring children with colours, larger-than-life patterns and imagination for their rooms. The rugmaker has captured the essence of Villa Nova’s Picturebook range in 10 designs, all crafted using the time-proven techniques and quality materials that have made the Belgian manufacturer one of the leading names in the industry.  

The range was created by three children’s book illustrators: Frann Preston-Gannon, who created Arctic Bear, Lily Pad and Tiny Turtles; Christopher Corr, whose penchant for quirky characters and bold landscapes resulted in Sundance, Hustle Bustle and Wiggles; and Yuval Zommer, whose designs include Pitter Patter, Ladybugs and Dotty.

The rugs are featured in a dedicated brochure and presented in an attractive sample box.