Multiyork

Last updated

Multiyork Furniture Ltd
Industry Retail
Founded1978
Headquarters Thetford,
United Kingdom
Number of locations
50 (January 2017)
Products Furniture
OwnerCharles Wade
Number of employees
547
Website www.multiyork.co.uk

Multiyork was a privately owned British furniture retailer based in Thetford, Norfolk. The company employed nearly 550 people in its 50 stores across the United Kingdom and its factory and head office in Thetford, where it was a major business. Multiyork was a member of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers and carried the Manufacturing Guild Mark. [1]

Contents

The company entered administration on 22 November 2017, [2] followed by its sister company Feather & Black on 27 November. [3]

History

Multiyork was founded in 1978 and initially operated in the Old Mill site in Mellis, a small village in Suffolk. Multiyork was purchased out of receivership by the Wade Furniture Group in February 1995. [3] At that time there were 28 stores. The factory and Head Office have been based at Thetford in Norfolk since 1992 and in 2000 Multiyork expanded its site increasing factory capacity to the production of over 1,000 pieces of furniture a week.

Multiyork's 60th store opened in Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock in October 2008 and was the first to follow a new lifestyle led in-store format.[ clarification needed ]

Administration

Multiyork entered administration on 22 November 2017, with around 550 jobs said to be at risk. An administrator cited a fall in consumer confidence. [2]

In December 2017, DFS Furniture (DFS) reached an agreement to purchase the eight store leases, product designs, marketing databases and the Multiyork brand for £1.2 million. [4] The deal also specified that as of 18 February, administrators will stop using the Multiyork brand. [5] Six of the stores will reopen under the Sofa Workshop brand; the remaining two will open as branches of DFS.

Craftsmanship

All Multiyork sofas were made at its Thetford factory. The company employed a team of 60 seamstresses who stitched the upholstery fabrics. Multiyork operated a sewing apprenticeship school to ensure that these skills were passed down from one generation to the next and to preserve the craft within the local region. Not only did Multiyork use their own fabrics but also offered designer fabrics such as Mulberry, Designers Guild, Arthur Sanderson, Romo and Jane Churchill.

The factory store

Multiyork's factory outlet was run out of its original site in Mellis. The 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) store had over 4,000 sq ft (370 m2) dedicated to clearance stock, including ex display and end of line stock, as well as cancelled customer orders and customer returns.

Fundraising

In 2009 Multiyork raised £25,000 for BBC Children in Need. The company's in-house design team created six limited edition Pudsey sofas, five of which toured its stores and travelled a total of 3,000 miles (4,800 km) between them to raise funds. [6]

The sofas, which incorporated Pudsey Bear and the ‘We’re Supporting BBC Children in Need’ banner, were also featured on BBC One on the appeal night programme and were auctioned off through the BBC's Children in Need eBay auction to raise further cash.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IKEA</span> Swedish multinational retail conglomerate

Inter IKEA Systems B.V., trading as IKEA, is a Swedish multinational conglomerate that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad and currently legally headquartered in the Netherlands, IKEA has been the world's largest furniture retailer since 2008. The brand used by the group is derived from an acronym that consists of the founder's initials, and those of Elmtaryd, the family farm where he was born, and the nearby village Agunnaryd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debenhams</span> Defunct British department store chain, 1778–2021

Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, and is still operating as a franchise in seven Middle East countries. It was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and grew to 178 locations across those countries, also owning the Danish department store chain Magasin du Nord. In its final years, its headquarters were within the premises of its flagship store in Oxford Street, London. The range of goods sold included middle-to-high-end clothing, beauty, household items, and furniture.

G Plan is a British furniture brand. It began as a pioneering range of furniture in the United Kingdom produced by E Gomme Ltd of High Wycombe. The success of G Plan led to E Gomme becoming one of the UK's largest furniture manufacturers, with profits increasing sixfold between 1952 and 1958 when it was floated as an IPO. Since 2005, G Plan has been a subsidiary of Sofa Brands International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolworths (United Kingdom)</span> British retail company (1909–2009)

Woolworths was a British high-street retail chain. At its height, it operated as Woolworths Group PLC, which included other companies such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK, and book and resource distributor Bertram Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Home Stores</span> Former British department store chain

British Home Stores, commonly abbreviated to BHS and latterly legally styled BHS Ltd, was a British department store chain, primarily selling clothing and household items. In its later years, the company began to expand into furniture, electronics, entertainment, convenience groceries and fragrance and beauty products.

Habitat is a brand of household furnishings in the United Kingdom and the main homewares brand within the Sainsbury's group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MFI Group</span> Defunct British furniture retailer

MFI Group Limited was a British furniture retailer, operating under the MFI brand. The company was one of the largest suppliers of kitchens and bedroom furniture in the United Kingdom, and operated mainly in retail parks in out of town locations. Anecdotally, it was said at one stage that one in three Sunday lunches in the United Kingdom were cooked in a kitchen from MFI, and 60% of British children were conceived in a bedroom from MFI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crate & Barrel</span> International home decor company

Euromarket Designs Inc., doing business as Crate & Barrel, is an international furniture and home décor retail store headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. They employ 8200 employees across over 100 stores in the United States and Canada, with franchises in Central America, South America, Asia and United Arab Emirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty (department store)</span> Department store in London, England

Liberty, commonly known as Liberty's, is a luxury department store in London, England. It is located on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London. The building spans from Carnaby Street on the East to Kingly Street on the West, where it forms a three storey archway over the Northern entrance to the Kingly Street mall that houses the Liberty Clock in its centre. Liberty is known around the world for its close connection to art and culture, it is most famous for its bold and floral print fabrics. The vast mock-Tudor store also sells men's, women's and children's fashion, beauty and homewares from a mix of high-end and emerging brands and labels.

Fortunoff is a New York–based retailer of outdoor furniture and jewelry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DFS (furniture retailer)</span> British furniture retailer specialising in sofas

DFS Furniture plc, trading as dfs, is a furniture retailer in the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland specialising in sofas and soft furnishings. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Furniture Industries</span> American retailer

Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. is an American home furnishings manufacturer and retailer, headquartered in Arcadia, Wisconsin. The company is owned by father and son team Ron and Todd Wanek. Ashley Furniture manufactures and distributes home furniture products throughout the world.

Fantastic Furniture is an Australian owned and operated furniture retailer. It is a subsidiary of Greenlit Brands.

Sofology, is a British furniture retailer specialising in sofas.

Sofa.com is a UK-based company founded in 2006 whose primary business is selling sofas, sofabeds, chairs and beds online. It has 3 showrooms in London as well as Nottingham, Bath, Glasgow, Harrogate and Guildford. More recently, it has also opened concessions in some House of Fraser department stores. The company was purchased in January 2019 by Frasers Group for "a nominal sum".

Children in Need 2013 is a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for the charity Children in Need. 2013 marks the 33rd anniversary of the appeal which culminated in a live broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two on the evening of Friday 15 November until the early hours of Saturday 16 November. The broadcast was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan, with Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton, Zoe Ball and Nick Grimshaw as co-hosts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ScS</span> Furniture retailer based in Northern England

ScS is a home furnishings retailer in the United Kingdom, specialising in sofas, carpets and flooring, dining and occasional furniture.

Feather & Black is a British furniture retailer based in Surrey, England. It has eight stores throughout the United Kingdom, and also sells online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furniture retailer</span>

A furniture retailer, furniture store or furniture shop is a retail businesses that sells furniture and related accessories. Furniture retailers usually sell general furniture, seats and upholstered suites, and specialised items produced for a commission. They may sell a range of styles to suit different homes and personal tastes, or specialise in particular styles like retro style furniture.

References

  1. "Multiyork". The Furniture Makers’ Company. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. 1 2 Russon, Mary-Ann (22 December 2017). "Multiyork collapse puts 550 jobs under threat". BBC News. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 Armstrong, Ashley (27 December 2017). "Feather & Black falls into administration in further gloom for furniture retail". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  4. "DFS buys assets from failed Multiyork". BBC News. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  5. "DFS snaps up Multiyork stores and assets in £1.2m deal". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  6. "Sofa, so good for charity date". Diss Express. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2017.