Credit crunch fuels British furniture maker’s challenge to Europe

MD John Woodruffe (pictured) says that British-based designers and buyers, who traditionally source furniture from Europe, are facing price hikes of up to 30% due to the changes in the currency rates. Now, as the financial climate forces buyers to look to alternative supplies, HJ Berry is seeing enquiries for its solid wood range increase. “We’ve spoken to buyers who traditionally look to Europe, and now we seem to be making some ground in promoting our products to them as an alternative,” says Woodruffe. “HJ Berry has always been competitive on price, but that fact is much easier to communicate now in this current economic climate. With our faster lead times too, and the ability to tailor orders exactly to clients’ needs, the benefits of buying British really add up.” Based in the village of Chipping, in Lancashire’s Forest of Bowland, HJ Berry’s award winning environmental initiatives include the planting of woodland made up of 20,000 trees on the factory site to sustain future furniture making while the manufacturing plant is powered by off-cuts of wood. The company also provides low-cost housing in the village for 15 families working at, or retired from, HJ Berry. Mr Woodruffe added: “By choosing furniture from us, organisations can buy well-made, well-priced furniture, which genuinely supports the environment. Our business formula proves a company can do well in the modern world and stand out from the crowd because of its commitment to the planet and its people.” HJ Berry started in business in 1840 and is believed to be the oldest chair manufacturer in the country. Its furniture is made using timber from carefully selected renewable sources – with the vast majority from Britain and only a small amount from trusted, sustainable forests in Europe. Tropical timber is never used. All trees that are used are from forests that are grown in perpetuity. New trees are continually grown in their place – a cycle that provides the best habitat for wildlife. For every piece of furniture made, HJ Berry plants a tree in the British countryside, to sustain the broadleaf woodlands of oak, birch and ash, either in their own woodland, or through the donation of trees to groups such as woodland trusts. Part of its factory is based within a mill once used by a pioneer of the industrial revolution, Sir Richard Arkwright. The site still retains a waterwheel which powered the plant up to the 20th Century. The company recently launched a new website www.hjberry.co.uk to allow retailers, designers and contract buyers to find out more about its extensive range of furniture for the commercial sector.